Wheat Pete's Word

Wheat Pete wishes he didn’t have to talk about safety but he has to. More farmers are telling him that they’ve had draw pins stolen. Make sure you do a circle check and check the pins before moving wagons — you could save a life. Farmers also have to stay safe around grain bins. Pete… Read More

Fall conditions in Ontario are quite dry and that has some growers wondering if the wheat is OK. More farmers are also perhaps getting a little carried away with fall field work, because, well, there’s time and dry conditions to do some! To discuss what’s going on with the wheat crop, why it’s always the… Read More

Resist the urge to splurge on nitrogen, says Wheat Pete, at least this fall on wheat. But why? The answer to that is in this week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word. Also in this edition: double crop beans yields, foggy mornings and farm safety, pet peeves, fungicide ROI, and more! Have a question you'd like… Read More

There isn’t any one thing that creates a healthy soil. Instead, building soil health and resiliency takes a combination of plant growth, nutrient additions, and careful management. Turns out, it’s not just building organic matter that adds to this dynamic —  growing high yielding crops is also key part of nutrient cycling and productive soil…. Read More

It’s nearly Thanksgiving, and plenty of farmers have lots to be thankful for, including excellent soybean yields and lovely fall weather for wheat planting. Peter Johnson, host of Wheat Pete’s Word, is thankful for you, dear listener, for sending in photos, questions, plot results and more, and on this week’s podcast hear some of what’s… Read More

If you’ve never seen soybeans sprouted in the pod, this is the podcast post for you! In this week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson has some surprising (and wooly) solutions to using oats that made it to head, plus he’s got many thoughts on phosphate applications, and he wants everyone to invest… Read More

Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson has got so many agronomy answers this week, and two very important reminders. First off, check in with someone you haven’t talked to in a while, it may be a really warm memory for years to come, and, second, if you’ve ever seen a young person driving a tractor on the… Read More

A week of unseasonably hot, dry weather has crops roaring to the finish line, which has those same crops exhibiting some interesting symptoms. On this week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson explains what the heck is happening to corn plants, why the combine needs to move quickly into the beans, and why… Read More

It’s time for another episode of Wheat Pete’s Word! On this episode, host Peter Johnson has a plan for letting clover grow as long as possible without sacrificing weed control, he explains why plants in the residue swath need more N, and why cereal rye is an answer to fleabane, not THE answer. Have a… Read More

It’s hurry up and wait for many anxiously planning silage harvest, edible bean burndowns, and fall fertility passes. As September gets rolling, Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson encourages everyone to take a breath, call a friend to check in and use your Wheat Pete 15 for good. Got it? Good, then we move on to a… Read More

The ideal seeding window for fall seeded crops seems to creep up on even the most prepared of farmers. That might be because, for some crops, the ideal window is incredibly early — like this week, in the case of winter canola for example. That’s one hot topic in this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word podcast,… Read More

There are more than a few seeding, fertilizing, and scouting questions to wade through in this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word podcast, and that’s exactly how host Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson likes it. Before answering the top agronomy questions, though, Johnson has two reminders for all of us on being courteous and on taking care of… Read More

Strange weeds, changing leaves, burndown options, and crop lodging are all hot topics this week on Wheat Pete’s Word. As always, host Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson has some Agronomy Answers to your top questions this week, plus some insights into the value of fungicide in oats and wheat this season, and why scouting edible beans… Read More

The rain clouds can’t seem to find the fields that would welcome the rain, and that’s just as true in Ontario as it is in large parts of Saskatchewan. The corn crop in Ontario is on-trend for an average finishing date, as are the soybeans, as both crops ran into poor planting conditions, says Peter… Read More

It’s time to close out July with some important reminders, a plan for trying new things, and a prompting to check for ladybugs. On this episode of Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson also has to correct his math on soil organic matter goals, but that’s OK, that’s how we learn. Listen on to hear… Read More

There are some very sad looking low spots in parts of southwestern Ontario, as excess water and water logged soils make growing difficult, especially for dry beans and soybeans. Despite the rain, a stretch of better weather in the last week did mean that plenty of wheat has been harvested, so Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson… Read More

The summer of downpours continues for Ontario as another major storm system moved across southern Ontario, leaving rivers and creeks swollen, roads closed, and crops under water. How long can crops survive submerged? That’s a common question this week and one Wheat Pete’s Word host Peter Johnson answers in the podcast. Also up for discussion:… Read More

Plenty of combines were rolling earlier this week before the wall of water that is the remnant of hurricane Beryl hit Ontario. Not only did this weather system bring sheets of rain, but it may also have brought more tar spot spores from the south. Tar spot has already been found in Ontario, says Peter… Read More

How much does lodging affect yield? It all depends on when the crop goes down. Evidence of that is showing up on Ontario yield monitors in the winter barley fields and will be coming to a wheat field near you in the coming week, says Peter Johnson, host of Wheat Pete’s Word. The other thing… Read More

Last week’s intense heat and humidity across much of Ontario had significant impacts on several crops, some of them good, some of them not so good. Heat-loving crops, such as corn, had a rip-roaring week, blasting through leaf stages, however any spring cereals in the flowering stage or crops with poor root growth suffered in... Read More

Last week’s intense heat and humidity across much of Ontario had significant impacts on several crops, some of them good, some of them not so good. Heat-loving crops, such as corn, had a rip-roaring week, blasting through leaf stages, however any spring cereals in the flowering stage or crops with poor root growth suffered in… Read More

If you put your feet in the oven and your head in the freezer, on average, you’re at a perfect temperature. This week, Ontario is an oven and Western Canada is an icebox, and both extremes create challenges for farmers. There are plenty of questions about spraying in these hot conditions, and some winter crops... Read More

It’s not just insects that may have a jump on the crop this year in Ontario — weeds are large and in charge, and diseases, such as tar spot, could blow up from the U.S. much earlier than last year. But that’s not all the agronomic knowledge you’ll glean from this episode of Wheat Pete’s... Read More

It’s stroke awareness week! Peter Johnson starts off this episode of Wheat Pete’s Word by talking about both volunteering and the importance of catching strokes early. Medical procedures can now reverse almost all of the negative impacts of a stroke if they can be treated within the first four to six hours. Remember the acronym... Read More

It’s a long one! Peter Johnson has lots to say on this episode of Wheat Pete’s Word. It starts with road safety. Be careful out there, especially when turning with traffic behind you. Planting is finishing up for many in Ontario, but some growers just can’t seem to catch a break and miss the rain;... Read More

What a difference a week makes! For many parts of Ontario, corn and soybeans are up and loving the heat, but the mid and eastern parts of the province are still struggling to get the crop in as conditions are quite wet. The early warmth has also brought on stripe rust in wheat (scout!), more... Read More

As promised, Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson is answering the very difficult question of when to swap out corn hybrids on this episode of Wheat Pete’s Word. If the weather doesn’t cooperate for eastern Ontario growers especially, farmers may have to move to shorter season hybrids as early as next week. But don’t worry, this week’s... Read More

Tissue test, soil test, gut check, patience. That sums up this week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word in a nutshell, but don’t worry, we’ve got a full summary of the 20 minutes of agronomy answers below. This week, Peter Johnson covers some key deficiency issues with wheat (sulphur and manganese), answers some phosphorus questions, and... Read More

There’s something about the calendar flip to May that injects a sense of urgency to planting and seeding plans. Is it go time? Well, it might be — and already has been for some both in the west and the east — but the weather calls the shots this week, and some areas are just... Read More

Agriculture is the art of applying the science — this is definitely the case when it comes to figuring out how few tillage passages are enough and if the quest for zero is actually the goal. As part of this week’s edition of Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson discusses the importance of no-till and... Read More

Calendar dates can be thrown out when it comes to scouting for weeds and early nitrogen application in Ontario, as growing degree accumulation is well ahead of normal. As part of this week’s edition of Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson discusses the implications of crops being ahead of schedule, the confirmation of glyphosate-resistant lamb’s... Read More

Once the snow is gone, it’s time to assess how the fall-seeded crops have fared. For much of Ontario, they not only did well, they’re already growing like weeds! For some areas of the province, the winter wheat crop is as much as five days ahead of the 10-year average. That’s where we start with... Read More

Here’s something you maybe didn’t know: Peter ‘Wheat Pete’ Johnson started Wheat Pete’s Word a full NINE years ago, back before podcasts were cool. So let’s kick off the 10th year with something really special — like the second warmest winter on record since 1895! Host of The Word, Johnson also discusses evaluating geese damage... Read More

It’s the last week of March but the weather has turned cool and more average for this time of year. That means there’s plenty of questions streaming in as farmers get ready to hit the fields. This week on Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson has to make good on a bet, we learn about... Read More

It’s too soon to know if March will leave like a lion or a lamb, but points west are getting some heavy snow and much of Ontario is back to very cool and even cold temps. Cooler temps haven’t slowed down farmers’ enthusiasm for frost seeding or putting on some nitrogen and sulphur on wheat... Read More

It won’t be long before planters and seeders are rolling for #plant24, but some areas will be well ahead of others, like southern Ontario. The mild winter has certainly got many thinking about field passes. From nitrogen and sulphur applications, to manure, and even maybe some early planting, wheels are turning. And with that comes... Read More

How did March begin where you are? If it came in like a lion does it leave like a lamb? Chances are slim, as Old Wives’ Tales aren’t usually very dependable, but we’ll soon find out as wicked weather hit the west but Ontario is nearly a month ahead of the calendar. For Peter “Wheat... Read More

Oh my goodness, what a wild swing in temperatures! Ontario hit some record high daytime temperatures for February, only to have a huge cold front move in that had already socked in the Prairies. As much as we’d all like to think this is spring, it only feels that way. The calendar still says February,... Read More

When you think about managing crop residue breakdown, do you think about the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of the residue? If not, it might be time to do so, as genetic advancements in corn, for example, has actually made it somewhat harder for stalks to breakdown. That’s just one discussion in this week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s... Read More

A good portion of Ontario is nearing the end of what has been a very mild winter. Bare and sometimes thawed ground has many farmers asking if it’s too early for clover, for frost seeding, for tillage, and for patching in wheat crops. There’s also a saying that goes, “just because you can doesn’t mean... Read More

What’s one thing you love about agriculture in Canada? Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson wants us all to celebrate and share whatever that is next Tuesday on Canada’s Ag Day! Johnson’s got some thoughts on how to best share our thoughts about agriculture in this week’s podcast, but don’t worry, there’s also plenty of agronomic questions... Read More

Pop quiz: does water vapour insulate, and do cover crops cost yield? The answers: yes, and sometimes. To dive into to how cover crops might cost in yield potential but still save fuel, Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson kicks off another episode of the Wheat Pete’s Word podcast. Also on the episode: how a milder winter... Read More