Reading Time: 4 minutes Count off the many challenges facing a farmer in any growing season and outside of weather conditions, the biggest impediment has to be weed management, particularly as it relates to herbicide tolerance. In spite of the importance of varietal or hybrid selection and fertility, and the potential for yield losses from insect pests and diseases, […] Read more
Better herbicide tolerance technologies are on the way
Better technologies are coming, but we’ll need patience and shrewd management until they arrive
Better soil numbers
This project in Renfrew and Stormont may set the pattern for soil research across the country
Reading Time: 7 minutes In the chase for improvements in soil health, there have been many contributions from individuals and organizations that have enticed others to adopt new practices and work toward positive change on their farms. Of course, there have been challenges too, including those coming from the sheer diversity of farms and producers and the individual’s comfort […] Read more
Eastern agricultural conference planner
The need for learning never stops, and neither — fortunately — do the opportunities
Reading Time: 6 minutes [UPDATED: Dec. 7, 2018] Time and again, the past five to 10 years have proved that winter on the farm is no time for hibernating. Instead, winter in farming circles is for learning and for developing new skills. It’s for sharpening pencils on farm management practices, and for opening the door on opportunities, whether that’s […] Read more
Weeds in edible beans
Growers know about weeds in corn and soybeans, but dry beans demand a strategy of their own
Reading Time: 5 minutes In farming circles, where commodity prices and net returns dictate much of the crop plans in a growing season, the rationale for choosing alternative crops can hinge on a number of factors. The need for different equipment, different diseases that might have an impact on the crop, shipping costs and the so-called “convenience” of some […] Read more
4R comes to Ontario agri-retail
New certification program will even mean some third-party auditing for farmers
Reading Time: 5 minutes If the agri-food industry wasn’t already keenly aware of a change in attitudes, the past three years have dramatically shown that the eyes of the world are upon us, particularly when it comes to environmental stewardship. A recent court ruling against Monsanto has only served to add fuel to a fire that includes nutrient run-off […] Read more
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Higher yields begin with enhanced management practices, which means continuous learning
Reading Time: 6 minutes In recent growing seasons, the disparity between corn and soybeans has been getting harder to ignore. The frustration has been getting harder to ignore too. Why can’t farmers raise their soybean yields as quickly and as reliably as their corn? There’s little debate that corn yields have advanced greatly in the past 20 years, to […] Read more
Looking ahead to farming’s future investment
For Adam Ireland, farming means more than just growing a crop, it’s doing things the right way
Reading Time: 7 minutes These days, describing what it means to be a farmer is almost as challenging as, well, being a farmer. Part science, part art form, the job description also requires an expert understanding of agronomy, commodity markets, weather, emerging trends and technologies, consumer demand, environmental issues… the list goes on and on. And as if that’s […] Read more
Soybeans, dicamba and you
New challenges are arising with new herbicide-resistant technologies and product blends
Reading Time: 4 minutes When new transgenic and herbicide-tolerant technologies arrive, they come with learning curves, some steeper than others. For Bt corn hybrids, for example, the curve was relatively flat, even if there had to be some serious thinking that about refuge planting. And in glyphosate- and glufosinate-tolerant soybean varieties, there may have been initial concerns about having […] Read more
Another cover crop bonus – winter grazing
This Ontario producer lets the cows do the work, meaning benefits for both him and his crop-growing neighbour
Reading Time: 5 minutes Cover crops have caught on like wildfire for corn producers in the U.S. and Eastern Canada, mainly because of their benefits for soil health. But some producers have found another bonus — a source of feed for grazing cattle. Mike Buis has been doing it for about 15 years, seeing the overall benefits in animal […] Read more
What’s this about blockchains?
The opportunities for agriculture and farming are amazing. It’s time to get learning
Reading Time: 10 minutes For over a decade, farmers have been told that a systems approach will bring greater efficiency to their farms. Quality assurance, nutrient management plans, environmental farm plans, big data, precision ag — they’ll all help increase efficiency and might even improve profitability. In the past six months, a new phrase has exploded into the business […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
