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
Free Tools to Power Up Your Farm’s Digital Life in Canada Wednesday, October 22, 2025 For many Canadian farm families, the internet has become as vital as a tractor or combine. It is how producers manage precision planting, monitor commodity prices, check weather forecasts, pay bills and stay connected with suppliers and customers. However, fast and reliable broadband remains out... Read this article online
Precision Harvesting with HeadSight and TrueSight Tuesday, October 21, 2025 Modern harvesting relies heavily on precision and smart technology, and new systems for head height control and steering are making sure you are not leaving bushels in the field. These innovations ensure efficient crop collection, protect equipment, and reduce operator fatigue during... Read this article online
Remembering Ralph Winfield: Beloved Better Farming Columnist Tuesday, October 21, 2025 Ontario's farming community is mourning the loss of longtime agricultural writerRalph Gordon Winfieldof Glanworth, who passed away peacefully at St. Thomas-Elgin General Hospital on Oct. 17, 2025, at the age of 85. Ralph’s name has been closely tied to Better Farming since 1999. His... Read this article online
Case IH FieldOps Brings Smart Connectivity to Modern Farming Friday, October 17, 2025 Lance Meyer, region precision manager at Case IH, told Farms.com that FieldOps operates on desktops through a web interface and on mobile devices through an app compatible with iPhone, Android, or iPad. This flexibility allows farmers to access critical machine and field information anytime,... Read this article online
New Holland Marks 50 Years of Twin Rotor Innovation Friday, October 17, 2025 New Holland is celebrating 50 years of leadership in twin rotor harvesting technology, a milestone that began with the introduction of the TR70 combine in 1975. This machine transformed agriculture by bringing the world the concept of twin rotor threshing and... Read this article online