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
BASF introduces Surtain herbicide for field corn growers Tuesday, September 17, 2024 Field corn growers in eastern Canada have a new crop protection product available to them. After about 10 years of research and trials, BASF has introduced Surtain, a residual herbicide for corn that combines PPO inhibitor saflufenacil (Group 14) and pyroxasulfone (Group 15) in a premix... Read this article online
We Didn’t Start the Fire! Impacts of Wildfire Smoke on Corn Monday, September 16, 2024 Assistant Professor of Corn Production at Purdue University’s College of Agriculture, Daniel Quinn, PhD. recently provided fascinating insights into the impacts of fire on major corn producing areas, many of which have been impacted by smoke from wildfires. Quinn was the keynote... Read this article online
New home for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario Saturday, September 14, 2024 The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) has announced it has moved into its new office building in Ingersoll. Located at 274620 27th Line in Ingersoll, the new office will serve as the hub for CFFO’s ongoing efforts to advocate for and support Ontario’s Christian farmers.... Read this article online
Canadian Ag Youth Council Welcomes new Members Saturday, September 14, 2024 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has announced the latest members to join the Canadian Agricultural Youth Council (CAYC). This update introduces nine fresh members alongside thirteen returning youths, marking a significant step towards involving young voices in agricultural... Read this article online
New CEO for Livestock Research Innovation Corporation Friday, September 13, 2024 Livestock Research Innovation Corporation (LRIC) is promoting from within with the appointment of the organization’s newest Chief Executive Officer. Industry Services Manager Kelly Somerville has been tapped to assume the role as of September 3, replacing retiring CEO Mike McMorris.... Read this article online