Reading Time: 6 minutes No one has ever said organic production is easy. It can be profitable, but just as in conventional row cropping, it’s subject to vagaries in price, weather, weed management and quality. But no-till organic? In soybeans? That’s an entirely different level of thought processing, planning, monitoring and showing flexibility in adjusting to growing season conditions. For […] Read more
Organic no-till soybeans a challenge
An OSCIA project is using cereal rye as a cover crop weed suppressant
Strip till catching on
Residue management and improved soil health are among the benefits
Reading Time: 4 minutes In theory, strip till should boost yields, especially in corn, where the practice is most usually used. Clearing residue from a seed zone and berming the soil so it warms faster in preparation for spring planting sounds like an obvious benefit. More equipment manufacturers have adapted systems to enable “multitasking” such as combining strip till […] Read more
Ontario names new ag minister in shuffle
Lisa Thompson replaces Ernie Hardeman
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ontario Premier Doug Ford has drawn another aggie from his existing cabinet to replace Ernie Hardeman as his agriculture minister. Ford on Friday announced a major cabinet shuffle, dropping Hardeman, the long-time MPP for Oxford, from the cabinet table and naming Lisa Thompson as minister for agriculture, food and rural affairs. Thompson, who until Friday […] Read more
On-farm science
There’s undeniable value in collaborative on-farm research, with gains for both growers and researchers
Reading Time: 8 minutes Laurent “Woody” Van Arkel won’t deny it — he wants to know more about his soils, his crops and the interactions with fertilizers and manure and cover crops. And he tries hard to keep learning, working not only with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) but also with a master’s student […] Read more
Focus on the ear leaf in corn production
Keeping the corn plant weed and stress free early allows the plant to form a larger cob, up to its genetic potential
Reading Time: 6 minutes It seems every growing season brings something new for growers to manage. Sometimes it’s a new disease or its anticipated arrival. Other years, it’s learning to cope with the impact of weather conditions, or a sudden weed flare-up. It’s a testament to modern agricultural science that the more we learn, the more questions we ask. […] Read more
Strip till goes mainstream
Improvements in guidance and a focus on soil health are the primary drivers
Reading Time: 7 minutes The concept is simple. With just one pass, run a tillage implement through the field that clears a strip of residue and builds a small ridge that will get the crop off to a fast start next spring because you can plant straight into it, and it will warm faster than the rest of the […] Read more
Soybean and corn disease threats in Eastern Canada
Growers will need to use all their experience, best management practices and new tools to successfully combat disease in 2020
Reading Time: 4 minutes Another crop season is upon us and certain disease threats stand out in soybeans and corn in Eastern Canada. “SDS (sudden death syndrome) is expected to worsen in southwestern Ontario soybeans and root rot could be a serious concern this year if the conditions at planting time are wet,” notes Dr. Owen Wally, research scientist […] Read more
Pest Patrol: Try the stale seedbed approach for weeds in alternative crops
#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA
Reading Time: 2 minutes Q: I’m looking to grow a new crop where there are few herbicides available to control weeds. Are there any non-chemical methods to reduce the number of weeds that could emerge in the crop? A: Since I began with OMAFRA in 2002, I’ve been involved in projects that investigated methods to control weeds in “new” […] 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
Sulphur gets hot
The nutrient’s use is definitely trending up, and there’s still more room for growth
Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s a question that’s asked of a lot of nutrients in soils across Eastern Canada: Is there enough in my soil, or isn’t there? Discussions surrounding deficiencies and field levels typically target macronutrients like potash and phosphorus, or even other nutrients like nitrogen, or the micronutrients magnesium, manganese, boron, zinc or copper. But sulphur sits […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
