Apple growers look at fertilizer alternatives Monday, May 12, 2008 By MARIBETH FITTS Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs nutrition lead, Christoph Kessel, showed some hard numbers related to types of nitrogen fertilizers used in apple orchards at an Apple Information Meeting at Horticultural Experiment Station, Simcoe on May 8. Fertilizer prices rose by about 20 percent in 2007 and Agriculture and Agri-food Canada is predicting another 20 percent rise again in 2008. Extrapolating from a research study which was conducted in British Columbia, Kessel compared costs of spring soil-applied urea or ammonium nitrate with seven applications of foliar urea and with trees fertigated through the season with calcium nitrate or potassium nitrate. He showed that either the soil applied urea or ammonium nitrate was the most economical to use with foliar applications of urea costing about 1.5 times that of the soil-applied over the season. Fertigation was the most expensive option, costing about three times that of soil-applied fertilizer. The products were compared based on the actual amount of nitrogen content. Kessel explained that foliar applied urea is a different grade than that used on the soil and therefore is a more expensive product to purchase. Yields were similar among all treatments in the trial, he stated, but were greater than the control trial where no fertilizer was applied. He suggested that growers might also take another look at organic nitrogen sources such as manure to save on fertilizer costs. His calculations showed that manure would cost about half that of the soil-applied inorganic fertilizer. Kessel stressed the importance of soil and tissue analysis in apple orchards for determining the exact amount of fertilizer the trees need. BF Frost hits Ontario apple blossoms Letter from Europe: Controlled traffic farming winning favour with European farmers
Setting Foundations for Higher Yielding Soybeans Wednesday, October 1, 2025 Farmers can achieve higher soybean yields by focusing on strong foundations and careful field management according to Shaun Casteel, Extension Soybean Specialist from Purdue University, who spoke at the in August. He emphasized that no single method guarantees success—each field... Read this article online
Canada Post Strike Got you Down–Missing your Ag Buyer’s Guide? Tuesday, September 30, 2025 We know it’s not quite the same as holding a crisp new copy of the Farms.com Ag Buyer’s Guide in your hands—but with postal workers on strike (yes, again), the digital edition will have to do for now! The Ag Buyer’s Guide Team is pleased to share the October Digital... Read this article online
Save Time and Costs with the Portable MiniCombine Monday, September 29, 2025 MiniCombine Delivers Fast and Accurate Grain Sampling The MiniCombine is a portable, fully self-contained electric unit designed to simplify grain sampling with speed and precision. Suitable for a wide range of crops including wheat, barley, sorghum, oats, soybeans, peas, field beans,... Read this article online
Poll Reveals Mixed Public Sentiment on BC Ostrich Cull Decision Monday, September 29, 2025 Farms.com poll shows divided opinions among Canadian farmers on the Supreme Court’s decision to halt the ostrich cull. A recent poll conducted on Farms.com's X account @OntAg aimed to capture Canadian farmers' views on the Supreme Court’s decision to halt the ostrich cull in British... Read this article online
Cereals Canada Expands 2025 Wheat Quality Study to Ontario Monday, September 29, 2025 The 2025 crop year marks a significant milestone for Cereals Canada as it expands its wheat quality analysis to a national scale. Known for over 50 years as a trusted expert in Western Canadian wheat quality, the Winnipeg-based organization is partnering with Grain Farmers of Ontario to... Read this article online