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Not Exactly The Royal York
Luxury hotels provide king size beds, soft towels, fluffy pillows, stocked refrigerators, massage therapy and other items to ensure their guests speak highly of the facilities and service offered....
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Better Crops? Not!
This is embarrassing. I am supposed to know better. I have a bean field that is a bit of a mess. And I have to look at it every day because it is beside the warehouse. The recipe started out...
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2014 is Back to Normal
It is early July and the normal questions are coming in. Why are the soybeans yellow? Why does my corn have tillers? In these parts of south Perth county, June was much kinder than May. Bill Arthur...
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A Labour of Love
I have been ignoring this blog for the last few weeks, not because I have been on vacation, but because I was totally engaged in a project that had its beginnings with our home renovation project back...
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War & Peace
Last week nature unleashed a blitzkrieg of sorts in parts of southern Ontario. Jeff Steiner, a Pioneer sales rep posted this shot of a soybean field near Oshawa. Devastating to say the least. I...
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The Bermuda Triangle
This simple diagram is a depiction of why diseases occur, why they are sometimes severe and why they sometimes are not. Let me explain. White mold in soybeans is a good example. It can devastate a...
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So Where Are We At for Heat Units?
If there is one question that makes me smile, it has to be this one. I think it is asked with the expectation of an intelligent answer that will make perfect sense and provide some insight into...
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The Circle of Life
One advantage of experience, or some would say old age, is the perspective it provides. When I was a baby in the world of agronomy, the accepted rule of thumb regarding hybrid selection for corn...
View ArticleDays Like Today
Days like today. I just heard this line from The Anderson's grain market commentary posted this afternoon. Corn and soybean prices rose today with no good reason according to the folks who are supposed...
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#Harvest 14
Round 1 of Harvest '14 goes to mother nature. This picture is Rick and Tony Merkel combining P9623AM on October 23. Unfortunately, this has been a rare occurrence so far. Her combination shots of...
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Wiarton Willie's Job Is In Jeopardy
The feminine members of our family continue to explore new foods and culinary experiences. Terrilyn's fiance's family from Toronto has fallen into a habit of sending us a variety of delights that fall...
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I Take It All Back
Never again will I question the predictive ability of the persimmon. Humbled by nature once again, I apologize to all persimmon growers everywhere. Your little fruit is amazing, fantastic, the best...
View ArticleThree Beekeepers
By now my loyal readers, I am sure you have heard of the provincial government's proposal for reducing the amount of neonicotinoid seed treatment used on corn and soybeans by 80% for spring 2016. An...
View Article2015 International Year Of The Soil
January and February are conference months in the world of Ontario crop production From the SW Ag in Ridgetown, to CCA in London, to FarmSmart in Guelph to IFAO in London, there are many opportunities...
View ArticleA Question of P
I recently participated in a panel at the Chatham-Kent Farm Show. My contribution to the panel was a focus on the principles of good agronomy. One principle I chose to discuss regarded the apparent...
View ArticleJust Like Holding Sand In Your Hand
"I can't believe you two talked for half and hour about nitrogen and the only thing I got from it is that weather determines the right rate." (Yawn) These were Cathy's words after she sat through a...
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Too Good To Pass Up
The first opportunity to celebrate 2015 The Year of The Soil is here. It is red clover time. Red clover gets a bad rap because of it's inconsistency of establishment. The truth of the matter is...
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The Clock Is Runnning
The 2015 crop season is off to a very quick start, at least for corn and soybeans. As of today May 13, close to half of the corn crop is emerged and 70% of the soybeans are planted with the first...
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No Blanket Necessary
This little guy is an example of the most developed soybeans currently in the neighbourhood. A significant amount of angst and anxiety is being spent worrying about the possible frost for tonight and...
View ArticleRegulation vs Implemetation
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, (MOECC) has come out with OReg 139/15, the new regulations regarding neonicotinoid use under the Pesticides Act that will go into effect on July 1. I...
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Hook Up The Oxygen Tank
Corn fields have taken a turn for the worst since June 1. Any where from 8-11 inches of rain has fallen through the Stratford, St Marys and Lucan neighbourhoods since the first of the month and it is...
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Rambling Thoughts
Thought #1 Late Season Nitrogen Brian and I have been occupied this last week with Y-dropping nitrogen into corn fields. I have been tagging along as part time delivery driver and part time fertilizer...
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Just In Time
The rain received last night met the classic definition of the million dollar rain. It has been well documented and said many times how August is the month that determines soybean yield. No matter...
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Saving Bees and Killing Trees
Last week Pioneer hosted a customer meeting in Hensall to address the new neonicotinoid regulations that come into effect on August 31. Dave Harwood from Pioneer, Tracy Baute from OMAFRA and Peter...
View ArticleA Tribute To Three Decades and Morris
Our son Brian, will no longer be in his twenties as of the first week in December. This important fact caused me to reflect on what life was like in 1985. It was an amazing time to be a sports fan. The...
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