The Agronomists

On this episode of The Agronomists, special guest host Peter Johnson is joined by Drs. Dave Hooker and Jeff Schoenau to discuss how soil behaves, especially under dry conditions. Learn about subsoil properties and water access, how soil holds water and supports plant growth, and how management can shift to try and make the best... Read More

On this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Jack Payne of South Country Co-op and Kurtis Pilkington of Bayer CropScience to discuss the importance of fall weed control. Up for discussion: when is it too cold to spray? Why is fall a good time to control weeds? What about fall-applied products... Read More

On this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by guests Lorne Grieger of PAMI and Shawn Schill of Shawridge Farms to talk about grain drying, including how crop quality factors into drying, how to choose the right dryer, and how dryers work into a large harvest management plan. They tackle supplemental heat... Read More

On this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by guests Andrew Margenot of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Dan Kaiser of the University of Minnesota to talk about phosphorus fertility decisions, phosphorus use efficiency, and best management practices for keeping P where you put it. The experts unpack the role phosphorus... Read More

On this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by guests Olivia Noorenberghe of PRIDE Seeds and Paul Hermans of Corteva to discuss the challenges of making silage in a dry or drought year. They cover chop length, cut height, the role of fungicides and inoculants, plus what to watch for in the... Read More

On this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by guests Peter Sikkema of the University of Guelph-Ridgetown (ret.) and Charles Geddes, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research scientist, to discuss how to kill stubborn weeds, including multi-resistant Canada fleabane, kochia, and waterhemp. Geddes and Sikkema outline the scope of the issue with hard-to-kill... Read More

On this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by guests Dr. Liping Wang from the University of Guelph and Chris Manchur from the Canola Council of Canada to discuss RNAi technology and CRISPR technology, how they work, and how these plant breeding techniques could impact cropping decisions in the future. From what... Read More

On this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Drs. Amelie Gaudin of University of California-Davis and Jordon Wade of Syngenta to discuss the complex, integrated world of soil and how organic matter is formed, broken down, utilized, and leveraged. They'll touch on livestock grazing and manure implications, rotation, the role of... Read More

On this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Marla Riekman of Manitoba Ag and (surprise!) Peter Johnson of RealAgriculture to discuss why sulphur matters and in what quantities, how sulphur sources differ, how we test for it in the soil, and why multi-year thinking may be required when managing this macro!... Read More

On this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Jeanette Gaultier of BASF and Peter Johnson of RealAgriculture to talk armyworm infestations, canola insects, tar spot and gibberella risks, verticillium, waterhemp, and more! Don't miss out on CEU credits — tap below to sign up. This episode of The Agronomists is brought... Read More

On this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Jason Voogt of Field2Field Agronomy and Rob Miller of BASF for a mid-season check-in on soybeans to discuss white mould risks, fertility questions, hail recovery, insect concerns, and more! This episode of The Agronomists is brought to you by the Soybean School, the... Read More

On this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Stephanie Divitaris of Syngenta and Albert Tenuta of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness to talk tar spot's identification in Ontario, its life cycle, conditions that make it worse and what to consider for control (hello, hybrid selection!) This episode of... Read More

On this episode of The Agronomists, guest host Peter Johnson is joined by Tom Wolf of Agrimetrix, as well as Rodrigo Werle and Zaim Ugljic, with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to discuss precision spray technology, spot spraying, variable rate spraying, and more. This episode of The Agronomists is brought to you by Profitable Practices, Canola... Read More

Choosing the right rate of nitrogen for a corn crop can be tricky: the soil will mineralize some, the fertilizer will provide some, and biological sources, such as manure, will offer some N as well. What tools exist to help choose the right rate, and should an N addition be protected? On this episode of... Read More

We've made it to 200 episodes! On this special episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Deb Campbell of Agronomy Advantage and Pierre Migner of Agro 100 to discuss the difference between biotic and abiotic stress on plants, what does and doesn't help plants manage different stressors, and planning for direct support... Read More

There are literally thousands of insects currently humming or crawling about in grain and hay fields, shelterbelts, and riparian areas. Yes, some are pests of crops and livestock, but many, many more of them are beneficial insects. Beneficial insects aren't just pollinators either: some are voracious eaters of weeds or weed seeds, some attack and... Read More

The easiest and most effective way that plants take up nutrients is through roots; however, nutrients in the soil can be positionally unavailable, deficient, or tied up. When that happens, foliar applications of some nutrients can be beneficial, but not all nutrients and not all the time. To delve further into foliar feeding, this episode... Read More

It can be rather tempting to throw in one or two extra things in the spray tank when it's time for a pass — time and fuel is precious, after all. But depending on several factors, adding another product or nutrient to the tank can end up costing way more time in sprayer clean-out if... Read More

An ideal canola stand starts with a dialled-in seeding rate, known seed survival rates, a steady seeding pass, and protection from pests. Putting all the pieces together requires making key decisions at each point in the process. For this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Chris Manchur of the Canola Council... Read More

Pastures or hay fields looking a little thin? It could be time to rejuvenate those forage fields! But how, when, and with what? For this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Christine O'Reilly with OMAFA and Grant Lastiwka of Renovo Seeds to talk about the role of grazing and hay management... Read More

A plant growth regulator (PGR) can strengthen and sometimes shorten cereal stems, reducing the lodging risk and increasing harvest efficiency, but not every field is a candidate for a PGR application. To navigate the why and when of PGR passes, this episode of The Agronomists features Sheri Strydhorst with RDAR and Marijke Vanderlaan of Syngenta.... Read More

From hoses and wiring, to metering and closing wheels, there's no shortage of system checks pre-seeding or planting. But there's more to do than just check for wear and tear, as leveling and dialing in seeding rates are critical for this most important pass. On this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined... Read More

Cover crops can keep soil and nutrients in place, suppress weeds, and fix nitrogen, but they can also use too much water or create a mess of rotting plant material if not terminated properly. On this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Kevin Elmy with Cover Crops Canada, Jim McComb with... Read More

The people side of agronomy doesn't always get the attention it deserves. Every three months, The Agronomists takes a look at this other side of agronomy. This week, we're focused on navigating the busy growing season! On this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Terry Aberhart with MNP AgIntellect and Joanna... Read More

On this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Tracey Baute with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, and Tyler Wist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to discuss early season insect management. On the list: wireworm, cutworms, flea beetles, and slugs; plus we dig in to pre-seeding selection impacts on wheat... Read More

Making the most of every input dollar matters, especially when crop prices are in the doldrums, but cutting back on fertilizer can end up curtailing yield. There's a better way to manage those nitrogen input dollars! For this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by soil scientist John Heard, and senior agronomist... Read More

Why does soil, sometimes, become hard as a brick? The answer is relatively straight-forward but remedying the issue is a much, much larger discussion. To begin to understand the soil dynamics and what to do about them, this episode of The Agronomists features Jodi DeJong-Hughes with the University of Minnesota and Dr. Laura Van Eerd... Read More

Edible or dry beans come in several shapes, colours, and sizes, but they all have incredible earning potential if done right. To dig in to the how, when, and why of edible bean production, this episode of The Agronomists features Wade Bickell of Hensall Co-op and Dennis Lange with Manitoba Agriculture to talk about field... Read More

If the soil is fit but the calendar says March, do you dare put some wheat in the ground? On this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Dr. Brian Beres with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Tyler McBlain with McBlain Farms to discuss ultra early cereal seeding — including seeding durum... Read More

Keeping fields clean is job one, especially with less competitive crops, such as pulses or even corn. But flushing weeds and herbicide-resistant weeds create headaches for growers every spring. Is there a better option than in-crop control? Ladies and gentleman, herbicide layering has entered the chat. For this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith... Read More

Welcome to a very special episode of The Agronomists, hosted by Peter "Wheat Pete" Johnson! For this episode, Pete is joined by Dennis Pennington of Michigan State University and Gord Speksnijder, YEN participant from Ontario, to unpack learnings from the Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network. On this episode, hear about head counts, seeding dates, N... Read More

When it comes to applying herbicides, is it better to do an imperfect job at the right time or a perfect job at the wrong time? This isn't a philosophical question, but it does require some discussion to fully understand what goes in to a spray pass to ensure that it's worth the cost of... Read More

Phosphorus plays a critical role in early seedling development and is needed throughout the growing season to achieve top yields. Phosphorus is also not mobile in the soil, as it gets held tightly to soil particles. Roots do their best to seek out and mineralize phosphorus, but managing P requires long-term planning. To dive in... Read More

More than just spell check and generating quirky images, artificial intelligence already plays a role in several aspects of our daily lives and agriculture platforms and technology. But what can AI do now and what role might it play going forward? To delve into the mash up of AI and agronomy, this episode of The... Read More

Much of the focus of soil conservation practices emphasize decreasing the movement of soil by wind and water erosion. These forms of soil movement are costly from a soil health, farm productivity, and environmental standpoint, however they are not the largest erosion risk to a field. That honour belongs to tillage erosion — the act... Read More

It's the very last episode of The Agronomists for the 2024 season and host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Peter "Wheat Pete" Johnson and Ray Dowbenko to discuss the top agronomy stories of the year! On this episode, the trio talk about: Current and future uses of spraying technology in farming production; The mysterious but... Read More

Pulses, such as peas, lentils, chickpeas, and faba beans, can be an excellent addition to a crop rotation as they fix their own nitrogen and even leave some for the next crop. The crops do have serious challenges, however, including aggressive root rots and diseases that can decimate yields, especially in wetter years. To unpack... Read More

Multi-herbicide resistant weeds have been found in several Canadian and U.S. regions and the amount of ground they cover expands every year. On the list of worst offenders: kochia, wild oats, waterhemp, and Canada fleabane. Herbicides will continue to play a dominant role in weed control, but which herbicides, what type, and when is a... Read More

Being an agronomist means knowing about plants, diseases, soil, and insects, but it also requires the ability to navigate difficult conversations, earn trust, and drive change. The people part of the agronomy equation is the topic of this episode of The Agronomists. Here to talk about personality differences, clear communication, and patience with people is... Read More

One of the most powerful and inexpensive tools farmers have in the pest management toolbox is crop rotation. A well-planned rotation can add yield stability, more yield, decreased weed and insect pressure, and keep diseases in check. The question is, how do we know which crops should be in a rotation and what benefits we... Read More

Not all datasets are created equal. Without a check strip or variety to compare to, or if too complicated, or with too few replications, resulting trial numbers can be nearly meaningless when comparing one decision to another. Good data means that farmers and agronomists can choose a practice or change or hybrid with a level... Read More

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