The Agronomists

There’s never a shortage of field work to be done in the fall, but fall conditions can sometimes be very unfavourable for tillage, manure, or fertilizer applications. To dig into considerations for fall field work, including compaction, nutrient losses, and cover crop success, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Curtis Cavers of AAFC, Glen Arnold… Read More

You can’t manage what you don’t measure, and if you’re not measuring grain loss out the back of the combine, you could be losing two, four and even 10 bushels an acre on the harvest pass. Recognizing that both header loss and combine loss contribute to lower yield and volunteer issues for the next season,… Read More

Determining sulphur application rates ahead of the crop can be complicated by several factors, including how much sulphur the environment will provide, if elemental forms of sulphur have been applied in the past, and how much rainfall is expected. Sulphur is an important macronutrient that’s also prone to leaching losses and not mobile in the… Read More

Sure, yield matters, but there’s more to making yield than just genetic potential, including disease resistance and adaptation. Choosing a soybean variety or canola hybrid requires balancing several demands based on a geographic area, yield potential, management options, and disease pressure. To navigate the decision, this episode of the Agronomists features Allison Bishop with BASF,… Read More

Can a higher seeding rate make up the yield difference for planting late? How important are fall tillers? Why does winter barley look dead in the spring? All these questions, and more, are top of mind when talking fall cereals. For this episode of The Agronomists, Dr. Brian Beres, with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and… Read More

Soil fertility is the powerhouse that drives crop yield — and this episode of The Agronomists is an absolute powerhouse of soil fertility knowledge in order to learn more about soil pH. When too high or too low, the pH of soil can create huge issues in nutrient availability, nitrogen fixing capability, and soil microbe… Read More

Strange colours, whip tail ends, and misshapen leaves can all point to one thing: a micronutrient deficiency. While not overly common, a micronutrient deficient area of a field usually goes from not good to very bad very quickly. To unpack what micronutrient trouble to expect, how to identify different issues, and how and when to… Read More

Fall time is the right time to kill weeds, say two out of two agronomists in this fast-paced episode of The Agronomists. Listen/watch as Rob Miller, BASF, and Tammy Jones, Corteva, go tete-a-tete over the how, when, and why of fall weed control, including what to do when there’s a frost, why too much in… Read More

Drones, or UAVs, can scout fields, create maps, apply seed, and — eventually — apply pesticides. There are several ways drones are helping farmers and agronomists, but these buzzing bits of tech aren’t a necessarily a one-to-one replacement for sprayers, drills, or even satellite imagery. To discuss what is legal, what’s a good fit, and… Read More

There are several things that producers and agronomists can do to set a crop up for the best pollination possible, but there is one major factor that no one can control: the weather. In this episode of The Agronomists, not two but three guests join host Lyndsey Smith for a discussion on what can go… Read More

Straight-cutting canola without losing significant yield thanks to pod-shatter resistance traits means that farmers have a full range of options when managing canola harvest. The decision on swathing or not isn’t always an easy one, but many farmers use swathing as a harvest timing management tool. But when is the right time? What happens if… Read More

Is a healthy soil about what it has, or is, or does, or doesn’t do? There are three ways to assess soil: through its physical, chemical, and biological components. But is a healthy soil one that produces the highest yield? Or is it the one with the highest biological activity? What about organic matter, trafficability,… Read More

No ruts, no worries, right? Not so, at least not when it comes to deep compaction impacts. Air pockets and macropores in soil structure help move water down the soil profile, and where water goes, so do the nutrients. Compacted soils restrict root growth, oxygen, and nutrient and water movement, ultimately restricting yield potential. What’s… Read More

Finding a good day to spray isn’t just about wind speed or direction — temperature and relative humidity matter, too. This growing season has thrown some super challenging conditions at growers and spray operators, as hot and humid weather, excessive rain, and early growth have thrown several wrenches in the best laid plans. For this… Read More

Grasshoppers devastated many fields last year over large parts of the Prairies. Of the over 80 species of grasshoppers found on the Prairies, only four are pests — but in sufficient numbers they are a huge concern. After several years of building populations, the pest is still likely to be an issue this year but... Read More

Grasshoppers devastated many fields last year over large parts of the Prairies. Of the over 80 species of grasshoppers found on the Prairies, only four are pests — but in sufficient numbers they are a huge concern. After several years of building populations, the pest is still likely to be an issue this year but… Read More

A skilled agronomist is as much a detective as they are an agronomy expert. Recognizing signs and symptoms, asking the right background questions, and looking at a problem from all angles helps an agronomist sort out what’s going on when things go awry. For this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by... Read More

A skilled agronomist is as much a detective as they are an agronomy expert. Recognizing signs and symptoms, asking the right background questions, and looking at a problem from all angles helps an agronomist sort out what’s going on when things go awry. For this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by… Read More

In an ideal growing season, corn goes in to fit soil, with a strong starter fertilizer package, and a plan for a top-dress pass. In reality, the ’24 season in Ontario has started out as anything but ideal. A very early warm up has led to well advanced weeds, smeared in corn, and excessive water,... Read More

In an ideal growing season, corn goes in to fit soil, with a strong starter fertilizer package, and a plan for a top-dress pass. In reality, the ’24 season in Ontario has started out as anything but ideal. A very early warm up has led to well advanced weeds, smeared in corn, and excessive water,… Read More

Sclerotinia is one of the most challenging diseases for growers to manage in canola, and in soybeans, where it appears in the form of white mould. In both crops, field history and moisture are two key drivers of the disease. Hit play and watch/listen to this episode on sclerotinia and white mould featuring Chris Manchur... Read More

Sclerotinia is one of the most challenging diseases for growers to manage in canola, and in soybeans, where it appears in the form of white mould. In both crops, field history and moisture are two key drivers of the disease. Hit play and watch/listen to this episode on sclerotinia and white mould featuring Chris Manchur… Read More

A plant growth regulator (PGR) can play a key role in helping growers manage the impact of lodging in spring and winter wheat crops. But growers have plenty of management decisions to consider to effectively use a PGR to reduce lodging, increase harvestability and protect and increase grain yield. Reducing lodging starts with selecting a... Read More

A plant growth regulator (PGR) can play a key role in helping growers manage the impact of lodging in spring and winter wheat crops. But growers have plenty of management decisions to consider to effectively use a PGR to reduce lodging, increase harvestability and protect and increase grain yield. Reducing lodging starts with selecting a… Read More

Even a small field has variability from one end to the next. With more variability or larger fields comes the opportunity to vary input levels to better match the yield potential of each unique part of the field. Deciding on how many zones to split a field into and what the deciding factor for each... Read More

Even a small field has variability from one end to the next. With more variability or larger fields comes the opportunity to vary input levels to better match the yield potential of each unique part of the field. Deciding on how many zones to split a field into and what the deciding factor for each… Read More

Legumes, such as alfalfa, trefoil, and sainfoin, are a great feed source, are excellent for soil health, and play a role in sequestering carbon in the soil. According to emerging research by Dr. Bart Lardner, legumes in the bovine diet also lowers methane emissions, one of the components being measured in an on-going research project... Read More

A non-winter for much of Ontario and a milder-than-average early spring for parts of Western Canada has got farmers and entomologists on high alert. Parts of Ontario are as much as two or three weeks ahead of the 10-year average for growing degree accumulation, and because insect development is driven by heat, those first crops... Read More

Intercropping is the practice of growing two or more crops seeded at the same time (in one pass or two) that are then also harvested at the same time. The seeds are separated post-harvest, and the yield can, at times, out yield what each crop would have yielded on its own. But not all crops... Read More

There’s no data better suited to a farm than data derived FROM that farm. Designing and executing an on-farm field trial can be incredibly valuable for informing changes in production practices, but it’s key that the trial be designed to deliver solid data. To tackle what it takes to get the most out of on-farm... Read More

Soybean cyst nematode is a tiny but very destructive pest of soybean. It’s so damaging, that its presence can cause up to 25 per cent yield loss before symptoms are visible. Once SCN is in a field, it won’t ever go away — for Manitoba and points west, there’s still a chance to keep this... Read More

Wheat is a crop that sets yield potential very early in the season, so it’s imperative that the crop get off to the best start possible. Once plant stands and tillers are off to the races, splitting nitrogen can manage risk and help reach full yield potential. What’s more, late N can also bump protein... Read More

When it comes to phosphorus, having early availability close to the seed is of utmost importance to support early seedling development. Too much phosphorus too close can also cause seedling toxicity and death. What’s the right amount for starter fertilizer? There’s no one right answer, but there are several considerations for phosphorus management at seeding,... Read More

Nitrogen fertilizer can be lost through volatilization, leaching, or denitrification depending on conditions. Farmers can adapt application practices and timing to minimize loss, and they can choose to have nitrogen fertilizer treated with an enhanced efficiency product. For a discussion on losses, loss management, and what product to use and when, this episode of The... Read More

Clubroot is a persistent, destructive, soil-borne disease of canola that lurks in soil waiting to be carried by equipment, boots, wheels, or even wind to a new field. First found in an Alberta canola field over 20 years ago, clubroot is now found in each of the Prairie Provinces and some of the northern American... Read More

There are aspects of soil that are unchangeable — the amount of sand, silt, and clay, for example. But many other measures of soil can be nudged, either to the good or bad, when it comes to soil productivity and health. Organic matter, porosity, and bulk density are all changeable, but how do they impact... Read More

Soybean prices aren’t the shiny prize they were a year or so ago, and that has plenty of farmers sharpening the pencil on cropping plans. If input dollars are scarce (and they always are), where do you spend and where to do you save? For that conversation, when it comes to the most important pass,... Read More

Orange wheat blossom midge — or simply, the wheat midge — devastated spring wheat yields in the ’90s. Since then, wheat breeders have been working hard to build protection into wheat varieties. To help with tips to scout for the pest, why spraying is a limited option, how Field Heroes help, and what’s new in... Read More

For years, even decades, one crop’s boost in productivity because of following a different crop was put down as the “rotation effect.” As we begin to unravel what the rotation effect actually is, it’s clear that rooting depth and type, root exudates, and microbial population shifts all play a role in contributing to the bigger... Read More

Biological products, such as inoculants for pulses and soybeans, have been around a very long time, but the ever-expanding world of biological products now means that growers have options for hundreds of products that are supposed to do everything from stimulating root growth, to helping plants recover from hail, to fixing nitrogen. To help evaluate... Read More

Cover crops are not magic. It’s important to first understand the goal of using a cover crop and then measuring up each species and season to see if it’s a match. Farmers from east to west are using cover crops to accomplish several things: reducing erosion, cycling nutrients, fixing nitrogen, and fighting weeds, but that... Read More

Canola is an elastic, amazingly resilient plant, but it starts as a very tiny seed and emerges under threat of certain death by very hungry flea beetles. Setting up this crop for great yield is the typical combination of establishment, nutrition, and crop protection, but in this episode of The Agronomists, we dig in to... Read More