Crops

These prolific creatures – up to three million in every hectare – benefit plants and add to soil quality. But some, like the night crawler, can cause runoff and soil losses, and are not so good for our forests

by MIKE MULHERN

Worms! You walk over them all the time. You dig them up, plow them up, fish with them squirming on a hook. But, what do you really know about them and how much they do for you? Not you the fisherman, you the farmer!

A new app that works in tandem with Precision Planting’s SeedSense monitor gives operators a better overall view of planter activity. And they get to take the data away with them

by MIKE MULHERN

The iPad tablet has found a place in the tractor cab along with the 20/20 SeedSense monitor from Precision Planting.

The iPad application for the popular seed monitoring system is called FieldView. It will allow operators to see things, in real-time, that are not detailed on the 20/20 display.

Seed companies are betting that simplicity and convenience will persuade growers to jump aboard the RIB bandwagon in 2012

by BERNARD TOBIN

Is convenience and simplicity enough to make refuge-in-a-bag (RIB) corn seed products a favourite choice for Ontario corn growers? Greg Stewart thinks so.

by BERNARD TOBIN

Weed resistance was the cause of Scott’s foxtail escapes featured in our March 2012 issue. What agronomist Pat Lynch found in his field was Group 2 resistant foxtail.

The clue to the mystery was contained in the dead and dying weeds that could be found beside the green, vigorous foxtail plants.  A close look revealed that many foxtail plants had turned red and purple and were dying – the classic death symptoms of foxtail that are not resistant to Group 2 graminicides.

by BERNARD TOBIN

The yellow spots identified in wheat fields last spring by Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) cereals specialist Peter Johnson were caused by sulphur deficiency.
Tissue sampling revealed that green, healthier plants in other areas of the field tested much higher for sulphur levels than the yellow plants. The diagnosis was confirmed when Johnson applied sulphur to test strips of yellow plants.

by BERNARD TOBIN

Every year, growers call agronomist Pat Lynch to seek his advice in solving crop performance problems in their fields. One of Lynch’s most memorable calls came from Scott, a Huron County grower who was really disappointed with the weed control in one of his soybean fields.

by DON STONEMAN

The patent has expired on the original Roundup Ready soybean seed, launched by Monsanto 15 years ago, and growers are free to buy it in 2012 and save it for next year. The tricky part might be finding a company that will sell you that seed.

“Most have transitioned to Roundup Ready 2 because that is what growers want,” says Trish Jordan, spokesperson for Monsanto Canada, which won’t be selling Roundup Ready 1 anymore.