Wheat Pete's Word

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Every Wednesday, Peter Johnson gives you the agronomic word on all the crops growing in Canada.

RealAgriculture

Ontario, Canada


    • Nov 6, 2024 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekly NEW EPISODES
    • 129h 3m AVG DURATION
    • 485 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Wheat Pete's Word

    Wheat Pete's Word, Nov 6: Bin safety, test weight, fungicide ROI, kernel counts, and tillage talk

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 6, 2024 185236:44


    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

    Wheat Pete's Word, Oct 30: Aerial application fails, missing draw pins, harvest dust, and fall wheat

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2024 181534:19


    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

    Wheat Pete's Word, Oct 23: Big-bushel corn, pet peeves, low DON, lush clover, and saying no to N

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2024 187204:38


    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

    Wheat Pete's Word, Oct 16: Yield swings, scouting reminders, ugly ducklings, and carbon cycling

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2024 183700:44


    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

    Wheat Pete's Word, Oct 9: Dry down, big yields, snapping stalks, P and K, and hailed out beans

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2024 183996:47


    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

    Wheat Pete's Word, Oct 2: Grazing as a solution, reflective tape, sprouting beans, and fall weed control

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2024 190485:36


    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

    Wheat Pete's Word, Sept 25: Oat answers, fall seeding, road safety, and broadcasting on stubble

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2024 187699:13


    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

    Wheat Pete's Word, Sept 18: Fall nitrogen, over-dry beans, rotation benefits, and beautiful clover

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2024 180008:46


    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

    Wheat Pete's Word, Sept 11: Residue spread, modes of action, yield reports, and clipping clover

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 11, 2024 181583:05


    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

    Wheat Pete's Word, Sept 4: Armyworms, milk lines, bean burndown, spray regrets, and soil tests

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2024 175292:47


    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

    Wheat Pete's Word, Aug 28: Preventing weed seed return, test weight trouble, boron, and fall seeding

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 28, 2024 182349:20


    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

    Wheat Pete's Word, Aug 21: Winter canola tips, an aphid alert, tar spot risks, and incredible soybean yield

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2024 178869:49


    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

    Wheat Pete's Word, Aug 14: Advanced crops, waterhemp ID, burndown questions, and snails!

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2024 184129:09


    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

    Wheat Pete's Word, Aug 7: Safety chains, weather trends, fall seeding dates, and nutrient removal

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2024 270739:01


    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

    Wheat Pete's Word, July 31: Atomic bomb raindrops, two-stage corn pollination, and ladybugs hard at work

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2024 182307:32


    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

    Wheat Pete's Word, July 24: Soybean aphids, water logged soil, black point, and establishing alfalfa

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2024 189057:35


    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

    Wheat Pete's Word, July 17: Falling falling number, downpours, adding N for root rots, and predicting gibb

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2024 178612:05


    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

    Wheat Pete's Word, July 10: Wonderful wheat, straw, Beryl's tar spot gift, and ryegrass frustration

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2024 183070:19


    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

    Wheat Pete's Word, July 3: Lodged cereals, headland trouble, tar spot scouting, and canopy closure

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2024 169110:29


    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

    Wheat Pete’s Word, June 26: Snorkelling oats, rapid growth syndrome, and a plan for fusarium

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2024 23:02


    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

    Wheat Pete's Word, June 26: Snorkelling oats, rapid growth syndrome, and a plan for fusarium

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2024 184324:12


    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

    Wheat Pete’s Word, June 19: Spraying tips for extremes, top dress N losses, and double crop beans

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2024 22:03


    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

    Wheat Pete’s Word, June 12: Soil nitrate levels, armyworm alerts, tar spot alert and cutworm trouble

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2024 24:46


    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

    Wheat Pete’s Word, June 5: Stroke awareness week, in-crop nitrogen, and rain delay decisions

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2024 22:10


    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

    Wheat Pete’s Word, May 29: Turning signals, the value of weed control, stripe rust and sticking with corn

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2024 22:35


    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

    Wheat Pete’s Word, May 22: Wide leaves, stripe rust, rolling beans, weevils, and S-starved knolls

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2024 20:10


    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

    Wheat Pete’s Word, May 15: The corn swap-out question, road safety and stripe rust rumblings

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2024 20:42


    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

    Wheat Pete’s Word, May 8: Theoretical yield potential, sulphur on wheat, rainfastness and weed control, and being patient

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2024 20:29


    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

    Wheat Pete’s Word, May 1: Watching for the flag leaf, insect feeding, frost damage, and go-time

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2024 20:21


    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

    Wheat Pete’s Word, Apr 24: Talking tillage, N management in wet conditions, and extreme weather

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2024 22:43


    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

    Wheat Pete’s Word, April 17: Nitrogen Q & A, resistant lamb’s quarters, and leadership in action

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2024 22:03


    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

    Wheat Pete’s Word, Apr 10: Overwintering wins, early harvest planning, PGR timing, and rust warnings

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2024 21:00


    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

    Wheat Pete’s Word, April 3: Solutions to early spring weeds, sulphur lessons, and nine years of the Word

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2024 20:41


    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

    Wheat Pete’s Word: Provincial record corn yields, learning from others, and all about P

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2024 20:28


    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

    Wheat Pete’s Word, Mar 20: Managing stem counts, phosphorus questions, rolling alfalfa, and sweet gifts

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2024 21:38


    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

    Wheat Pete’s Word, Mar 13: Managing tiller potential, manure nutrient sources, and early insect trouble

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2024 20:47


    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

    Wheat Pete’s Word, Mar 6: Lions and lambs, spring sulphur, drying conditions, and northern expansion

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2024 19:48


    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

    Wheat Pete’s Word, Feb 28: Weather swings, winter kill, help for thin wheat, and too many bushels left in the bin

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 29, 2024 21:29


    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

    Wheat Pete’s Word, Feb 21: Product residue, carbon to nitrogen ratio, split-app N, and powerful ground

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2024 20:04


    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

    Wheat Pete’s Word, Feb 14: Living oats, renovating hay stands, mild winter considerations, and supporting corn yield

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2024 22:34


    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

    Wheat Pete’s Word, Feb 7: Teamwork, carbon capture, protecting early N, plant pops, and yield monitor hiccups

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2024 21:27


    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

    Wheat Pete’s Word, Jan 31: Carbon cycling, winter opportunities, volcanos, and encouraging words

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2024 20:07


    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

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