Bernard Tobin

Winter canola fields are popping up all over Ontario. Across the province, acreage for the entire oilseed crop typically checks in around 40,000 acres, with about one third of the crop being planted in the fall, the rest being spring canola. Over the past five years, however, winter canola has been gaining momentum in the province, having increased from just 500 acres in 2019 to an estimated 12,000 acres in 2024. Meghan Moran, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs canola and edible bean specialist, says the growth is being driven by a combination of winter canola economics and agronomics that are a good fit for an increasing number of Ontario farmers. "A lot of growers I've talked to have...

When it comes to weed control in soybeans, it’s always best to start clean and stay clean. But when fieldwork and planting are delayed thanks to poor spring conditions, growers are often forced to plant now and spray later. That’s the situation many Ontario growers have experienced in 2024 as wet spring conditions dictated that many soybean fields were planted without an opportunity to apply pre-emergent residual herbicides. The compacted spring means sprayers are racing to cover corn acres and…

As the calendar turns to the back half of June in Ontario, growers typically sharpen their focus on nitrogen management as the crop pushes into its rapid growth phases. But what’s happening in the field in mid June 2024 is really dependent on where in the province you farm and whether you’ve been able to avoid continuous rain and get corn planted in a timely manner. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness corn lead Ben Rosser says there’s extreme growth stage variability across t…

RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson says there’s no better time to talk about soil health than during wheat harvest. Johnson says all things wheat, including the straw, give growers a tremendous opportunity to increase soil health. Ontario research shows that by adding wheat to the rotation, growers see a five percent increase in corn yield and a 11 per cent bump in soybean yield. He adds that a host of factors drive wheat’s contribution, including the plant’s root structure as well as all…

Potassium deficiency can cost soybean growers as much as five to seven bushels per acre if the levels of the key nutrient sink below critical values. If farm fields show a deficit, how much potash should be broadcast to maintain yield? Is that rate safe for the plant and economical for the grower? Those are questions Horst Bohner, Ontario's soybean specialist, tackles on this episode of the RealAgriculture Soybean School. This season, Bohner is running research trials at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness's Elora Research Station. When selecting potassium rates to drive yield, he says growers have to think both safety and economics. He notes that a cheap form of potassium, a product like muriate of potash...

As tar spot continues to spread northeast across Ontario's corn region, growers are looking to build a better defence against the yield-robbing leaf disease. Crop genetics and fungicide will likely be the one-two punch growers use to control the disease, which is characterized by tar-like speckling on the upper surface of corn leaves. The fungal pathogen has been delivering yield hits ranging from 20 to 60 bushels per acre (in highly infected fields) since it was first identified in Indiana and Illinois in 2015. Fungicide chemistry has been key to controlling the disease with a range of efficacious products delivering yield protection when applied at the VT/RI stage. Plant genetics also offer a defence but it typically takes longer to...

As tar spot continues to spread northeast across Ontario’s corn region, growers are looking to build a better defence against the yield-robbing leaf disease. Crop genetics and fungicide will likely be the one-two punch growers use to control the disease, which is characterized by tar-like speckling on the upper surface of corn leaves. The fungal…

Dairy veterinarians can't be everywhere, but with help from technology and innovative vet services, it's getting easier for dairy producers to access the herd health and management services they require on a daily basis. When it comes to cow pregnancy checks, for example, many producers still require a visit from the vet to scan cows and confirm pregnancies. Rachel Budd, DVM with Metzger Veterinary Services based at Linwood, Ont., is looking to address that challenge with a healthy dose of technology and innovation. Budd recently launched a Metzger dairy division with the goal of helping producers and vets to work more effectively to meet the veterinary needs of cows. "There are actually a lot of things that we get called...

Wheat School: Narrow rows drive winning winter wheat

Drew Spoelstra has been re-elected to a second, one-year term as president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). The Binbrook, Ont., dairy and crop farmer was chosen to lead the provincial farm lobby at an executive meeting following the conclusion of the organization’s annual convention in Toronto this week. “I appreciate the trust and…