Reading Time: 3 minutes Protecting a crop against weeds, diseases and pests is a challenge any year, but in a year of higher-than-average prices, the value of robust protection takes more importance. As growers continue to look for every competitive advantage to maximize profits, two new seed treatments have entered the market, one for corn and the other for […] Read more
New seed treatments broaden protection against crop diseases, pests
Corteva launch in Canada adds to the suite of products for corn and canola
Maritime YEN takes crop yields to a new level
It’s not just about how much you produce, but how much you could produce on your farm
Reading Time: 5 minutes Kyle Jewell wasn’t sure what he was getting into when he agreed to join the Maritime Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) project in 2019. Now he can hardly imagine doing without its depth of information and the co-operative spirit he’s seen in the past three growing seasons. The YEN concept has become popular, with a Canada/U.S. […] Read more
Finding the sweet spot for lupin
The pulse crop has agronomic merits but more production depends on increased product development and marketing
Reading Time: 4 minutes No, it’s not the wild lupin, the blue-flowered plant that’s a common sight in roadside ditches, particularly in the Maritimes — it’s inedible to livestock and humans. Rather, it’s the sweet white lupin and the blue lupin, and they have impressive credentials — high protein (35 to 38 per cent), 30 per cent dietary fibre, […] Read more
Longer crop rotations can pay
The past season illustrated the benefits of building resilience through diversity
Reading Time: 5 minutes While there may be short-term costs of improving soil health through longer rotations, the past growing season in Ontario has demonstrated that they can be a good investment. “It’s one of those messages — especially in a year like 2022 — where there are growing seasons that bring it to the fore,” says Jake Munroe, […] Read more
Farm succession — minus the success
In today’s agriculture, there are plenty of positive stories about succession. So why highlight one of the nightmares? Because they do exist, and because they make us confront our assumptions about mental health
Reading Time: 11 minutes Could your farm find its way out of this kind of mess? It’s a very real question for some Canadian farms — maybe even one on your road — and because of that, and also because of the sensitivities involved, Country Guide has agreed to use false names for the very real members of the […] Read more
A ‘new’ corn trait makes for better feed
Enogen hybrid trait boosts an enzyme that enhances the breakdown of starch into sugar and increases ruminal starch digestibility in cattle
Reading Time: 5 minutes David Bekkering knows a thing or two about corn, and given the size of his operation, it only makes sense. As farm manage er of TFS Expanse, knowing how it’s grown and turned into feed goes a long way to defining success for his operation. Bekkering and his brother James run four Alberta feedlots with […] Read more
Going for nutrition rather than bushels per acre
Silage-specific corn hybrids can offer better returns in beef and milk
Reading Time: 5 minutes When commodity prices are higher than normal, it’s sometimes hard to switch gears and think about corn production using a metric other than bushels. But precision agriculture techniques can also be used to maximize feed characteristics for meat and milk production. At the 2022 edition of Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, seed companies were distributing their […] Read more
An ounce (or more) of prevention…
Preparation is the best strategy for reducing the effects of climate change on agriculture
Reading Time: 5 minutes A growing contingent from research, agronomy and extension insists that rather than waiting for climate change to happen, agriculture should begin preparing for any contingencies of extreme weather now. The list of stakeholders is extensive, from university researchers, plant breeders, meteorologists to land-use planners, government bureaucrats, entomologists and plant pathologists. Some are interested in breeding […] Read more
Helping irrigation finding its value
High commodity prices and dry weather prompt some growers to have a look
Reading Time: 4 minutes Whether it’s in a wagon full of corn, a load of fertilizer, a jug of fungicide, a robotic milker or a new tractor, farmers always look at whether it will provide a return on investment. For those with the option, irrigation is another item to add to the ROI list. Until recently, irrigation was more […] Read more
Consistency is key when it comes to growing malt barley varieties
New malting barley varieties yield better, but maltsters and brewers are wary of adopting them too quickly
Reading Time: 5 minutes One of the common elements of growing corn, wheat or soybeans anywhere in Canada is the volume-based market for each. Outside of identity-preserved (IP) varieties in soybeans or silage-specific hybrids in corn, there’s little differentiation. Regardless of the care or management a grower may take with commodity crops, their destination is usually the same — […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
