Twin row corn planting finds a place in Ontario Tuesday, March 3, 2009 © AgMedia Inc.by BETTER FARMING STAFFInterest in twin-row corn is rising says a representative of a U.S.-based agricultural equipment manufacturer.Mike Cleveland, national sales manager for Great Plains Mfg. Inc., says the concept has been around for more than a decade and its use is growing on both sides of the border.Three years ago, growers in the United States planted one million acres of corn in twin rows. Now, he estimates the acreage involved at two to three million. Two other manufacturers, besides his, build twin row planters. A fourth company is developing a prototype.In Ontario, the technique has been in use for five to six years and use is growing, he says, noting he’s sold three twin-row planters here over the past two years.The approach involves planting two rows of corn eight inches apart and repeating the pattern 30 inches over. Seeds are placed diagonally in two narrow rows so that “you’re spreading the seeds twice as far apart,” as those planted every seven inches in a conventional 30-inch row.Cleveland says the technique allows for a 7-10 per cent yield advantage over regular rows when nutrients and moisture are available and the crop can still be harvested with a 30-inch corn head.Twin row planting gives corn roots more room to develop without competing for water or nutrients. He says U.S. studies show the twin-row approach enables root mass to use 44 per cent of an acre’s soil when seeded at a rate of 38,000 seeds per acre. In contrast, root mass in corn seeded in 30-inch rows at the same seed rate utilizes 14 per cent of available soil.Cleveland was on hand at the recent Innovative Farmers of Ontario Conference to share observations about North American trends in innovative tillage and planting technology.Vertical tillage is also growing as a popular alternative to no-till, he says. The concept has been applied to fall tillage for several years; more recent equipment developments apply the technique to spring tillage. The equipment features “gangs” of coulters that don’t create smear layers, areas of denser soil that can affect plant growth.Cleveland says Ontario farmers are trying to cope with the challenge of encouraging corn emergence in cold wet soils in a high residue environment as well as nutrient management regulation compliance.The new generation of vertical tillage tools “allows you to till and still maintain what is equal to a no-till environment,” he says. They can “allow you to run about a foot deep and really do some serious chiseling . . . and allow you to create a four to five inch till profile on the surface without destroying all the residue.” BF Clouds over Solar in East Hawkesbury Staying green a challenge in blight-prone Ireland
Festival of Guest Nations returns to Leamington Thursday, September 18, 2025 On Sunday, September 14, 2025, Seacliff Park in Leamington, Ontario, will come alive with music, food, and celebration as the Festival of Guest Nations returns to honour the migrant worker communities who play a vital role in Essex County’s agricultural economy. With more than 20 years... Read this article online
Ontario’s most problematic weed -- Canada Fleabane Cuts Corn and Soybean Yields Wednesday, September 17, 2025 At the , Dr. Peter Sikkema of the University of Guelph highlighted the persistent challenge of Canada fleabane, one of Ontario’s most problematic weeds. Once easily controlled with glyphosate, the weed has now developed resistance not only to glyphosate but also to multiple herbicide... Read this article online
Augusta Van Muyen selected as the 67th Grape King Wednesday, September 17, 2025 Grape Growers of Ontario and Farm Credit Canada have announced that Lincoln vineyard manager Augusta Van Muyen has been chosen by her peers as the . Currently, the vineyard manager at Tawse Winery, Van Muyen, followed a path to success that took her across Ontario and the world.... Read this article online
Grain Growers of Canada calls on Carney to Prioritize Upgrades to the Port of Vancouver Wednesday, September 17, 2025 Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) is calling on the federal government to urgently prioritize major upgrades to the Port of Vancouver and its connecting rail infrastructure. The organization warns that without these improvements, Canada’s economic growth and global trade reliability are at... Read this article online
Strategies to Optimize Market Returns in Ontario Monday, September 15, 2025 Berkley Fedorchuk, grain marketing specialist with Hensall Co-op in Southwestern Ontario, recently shared insights into the current corn market and strategies for forward marketing during his presentation at the . With a focus on the Ontario and Eastern Canadian grain sectors,... Read this article online