Eastern Canada Archives - Parrish and Heimbecker, Limited

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Benefits of Seed Treatments

March 1, 2024 | Eastern Canada

You can’t recover yield potential lost from a poor start in the critical first weeks of seeding, and treatments are one tool you can use to protect yield potential and ROI.

This winter we’ve seen warm temperatures and low snow fall throughout most of Canada.  That means your soil structure and disease pressure could look much different than if you were predicting four feet of snow. Choosing seed varieties with the best genetic potential for your operation is crucial. And part of the planning and variety selection process should include choosing a seed treatment.

What are the benefits of seed treatments?

Seed treatments act as a preventative measure against soil-borne diseases and pests,  and can help you offset certain production challenges before the seed is in the ground. (more…)

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Assessing Your Winter Wheat Stand – 2023

March 27, 2023 | Eastern Canada

Fall planting in 2022 was a dream for much of the Ontario winter wheat crop.  Record acres are planted.  A very stark contrast to what was experienced the year prior.  The crop seems to be off to a near perfect beginning.  To date, the winter has not been too threatening by way of temperature or precipitation.

There is reason for optimism, but we are not out of the woods yet.  April weather will still have an impact on the strength of your wheat stand. (more…)

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Dealing with Tar Spot in 2022

June 30, 2022 | Eastern Canada

There has been a lot of talk regarding Tar Spot in the past couple of years , and with good reason. This disease migrated from south of the border and moved into Southern Ontario by winds. Tar Spot (depending on time of infection) can rob a corn crop of up to 60% of potential yield. This disease not only continues to blow in from the US, but it can also overwinter on stover and in soil. (more…)

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Do a stand count and soil test for better forages

June 6, 2022 | Eastern Canada

We can help manage your forage crop and maximize yield with insect and disease protection too

Whether you’re a dairy farmer looking for excellent quality and high yield, feeding hay to horses or other livestock, or selling hay as a cash crop, it pays to manage your forages.

No matter the situation, the first step to better forage management is to assess what you have. The earlier in the season you do this the better. A fertilizer strategy can start after first cut and still make a difference in yield and quality by the end of summer. It’s worth it to act now. (more…)

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Target critical weed-free period to maximize yield

April 5, 2022 | Eastern Canada

Keep a crop weed free during a critical period early in its development and you’ll maintain it’s yield potential. Let weeds sneak in, even though the plants are young and small, and you’ll flush away yield before you’re even out of the gate.

Plants don’t like to be crowded. Put an object close to a plant and it will change the way it grows to compensate for the pressure. (more…)

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Assessing your Winter Wheat stand

March 10, 2022 | Eastern Canada

Weather conditions were difficult this past fall when winter wheat was planted with an estimated 70% of intended wheat acres planted. It was one of the more challenging falls in recent memory.

Some of those acres were seeded in September, before the weather turned and it started to rain. Some growers were able to sneak in and plant in the middle of the planting window in mid-October. A large number of acres didn’t get planted until the first 10 days of November.

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We can help you better manage nitrogen

January 7, 2022 | Eastern Canada

The large swings in fertilizer prices are enough to cause a queasy stomach. Your local P&H agronomist can help settle things down and draft a plan for your farm to make sure your dollars are being spent wisely.

Nitrogen is one product worth paying close attention to in 2022. Whether you use nitrogen in granular or liquid form, we can help mitigate losses due to natural weather events.

The first step in the planning process is a soil test. A basic $30 test can save money per acre in the long run. It’s a worthwhile investment, especially with spiking nitrogen prices. A soil test will help your agronomist determine the most economical rate of nitrogen (MERN) for each field.

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Winter planning for nutrient management critical in 2022

January 7, 2022 | Eastern Canada

This is not the year to do nutrient management on the fly or to rely on stale, out-of-date soil sampling data to drive your fertilizer decisions.

Fertilizer prices have increased significantly this fall and rumblings of possible supply shortages are a common topic of discussion in the agricultural industry.

Weather hasn’t helped nutrient management either. Western Canada suffered through a drought in 2021 while parts of Ontario were abnormally wet this fall. Moisture and heat both affect nutrient availability.

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Winter Wheat Starter Fertilizer

September 26, 2018 | Eastern Canada

If there ever was a crop to respond with yield to starter fertilizer, wheat is it. Seed placed phosphate is absolutely number one, but what if you don’t have the equipment for that? Work done by OMAFRA is showing some very promising results. What causes the yield response? Phos really promotes root growth. Root growth promotes top growth. Top growth promotes more root growth. And a strong root system increases winter survival. Seed placed phos on low-med testing soils gets you 10-20 bu/ac. High testing soils still give you a pretty predictable yield response, but it’s usually skinny on the payback. Broadcast starter is looking like a 12% yield bump in OMAFRA’s trials with soil tests 6-13 ppm on phos. The timing can be tricky, but try to get us to sneak in between the combine and drill with the airflow if you can’t put it down yourself. Starter on wheat is a no-brainer, but probably close to half of Ontario’s acres go in without any fertilizer. That’s just crazy.

 

By: Jeff Jacques

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