Wheat Pete's Word

How much does lodging affect yield? It all depends on when the crop goes down. Evidence of that is showing up on Ontario yield monitors in the winter barley fields and will be coming to a wheat field near you in the coming week, says Peter Johnson, host of Wheat Pete’s Word. The other thing... Read More

Last week’s intense heat and humidity across much of Ontario had significant impacts on several crops, some of them good, some of them not so good. Heat-loving crops, such as corn, had a rip-roaring week, blasting through leaf stages, however any spring cereals in the flowering stage or crops with poor root growth suffered in... Read More

If you put your feet in the oven and your head in the freezer, on average, you’re at a perfect temperature. This week, Ontario is an oven and Western Canada is an icebox, and both extremes create challenges for farmers. There are plenty of questions about spraying in these hot conditions, and some winter crops... Read More

It’s not just insects that may have a jump on the crop this year in Ontario — weeds are large and in charge, and diseases, such as tar spot, could blow up from the U.S. much earlier than last year. But that’s not all the agronomic knowledge you’ll glean from this episode of Wheat Pete’s... Read More

It’s stroke awareness week! Peter Johnson starts off this episode of Wheat Pete’s Word by talking about both volunteering and the importance of catching strokes early. Medical procedures can now reverse almost all of the negative impacts of a stroke if they can be treated within the first four to six hours. Remember the acronym... Read More

It’s a long one! Peter Johnson has lots to say on this episode of Wheat Pete’s Word. It starts with road safety. Be careful out there, especially when turning with traffic behind you. Planting is finishing up for many in Ontario, but some growers just can’t seem to catch a break and miss the rain;... Read More

What a difference a week makes! For many parts of Ontario, corn and soybeans are up and loving the heat, but the mid and eastern parts of the province are still struggling to get the crop in as conditions are quite wet. The early warmth has also brought on stripe rust in wheat (scout!), more... Read More

As promised, Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson is answering the very difficult question of when to swap out corn hybrids on this episode of Wheat Pete’s Word. If the weather doesn’t cooperate for eastern Ontario growers especially, farmers may have to move to shorter season hybrids as early as next week. But don’t worry, this week’s... Read More

Tissue test, soil test, gut check, patience. That sums up this week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word in a nutshell, but don’t worry, we’ve got a full summary of the 20 minutes of agronomy answers below. This week, Peter Johnson covers some key deficiency issues with wheat (sulphur and manganese), answers some phosphorus questions, and... Read More

There’s something about the calendar flip to May that injects a sense of urgency to planting and seeding plans. Is it go time? Well, it might be — and already has been for some both in the west and the east — but the weather calls the shots this week, and some areas are just... Read More

Agriculture is the art of applying the science — this is definitely the case when it comes to figuring out how few tillage passages are enough and if the quest for zero is actually the goal. As part of this week’s edition of Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson discusses the importance of no-till and... Read More

Calendar dates can be thrown out when it comes to scouting for weeds and early nitrogen application in Ontario, as growing degree accumulation is well ahead of normal. As part of this week’s edition of Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson discusses the implications of crops being ahead of schedule, the confirmation of glyphosate-resistant lamb’s... Read More

Once the snow is gone, it’s time to assess how the fall-seeded crops have fared. For much of Ontario, they not only did well, they’re already growing like weeds! For some areas of the province, the winter wheat crop is as much as five days ahead of the 10-year average. That’s where we start with... Read More

Here’s something you maybe didn’t know: Host of The Word, Peter ‘Wheat Pete’ Johnson started Wheat Pete’s Word a full NINE years ago, back before podcasts were cool. So let’s kick off the 10th year with something really special — like the second warmest winter on record since 1895!  Johnson also discusses evaluating geese damage... Read More

It’s the last week of March but the weather has turned cool and more average for this time of year. That means there’s plenty of questions streaming in as farmers get ready to hit the fields. This week on Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson has to make good on a bet, we learn about... Read More

It’s too soon to know if March will leave like a lion or a lamb, but points west are getting some heavy snow and much of Ontario is back to very cool and even cold temps. Cooler temps haven’t slowed down farmers’ enthusiasm for frost seeding or putting on some nitrogen and sulphur on wheat... Read More

It won’t be long before planters and seeders are rolling for #plant24, but some areas will be well ahead of others, like southern Ontario. The mild winter has certainly got many thinking about field passes. From nitrogen and sulphur applications, to manure, and even maybe some early planting, wheels are turning. And with that comes... Read More

How did March begin where you are? If it came in like a lion does it leave like a lamb? Chances are slim, as Old Wives’ Tales aren’t usually very dependable, but we’ll soon find out as wicked weather hit the west but Ontario is nearly a month ahead of the calendar. For Peter “Wheat... Read More

Oh my goodness, what a wild swing in temperatures! Ontario hit some record high daytime temperatures for February, only to have a huge cold front move in that had already socked in the Prairies. As much as we’d all like to think this is spring, it only feels that way. The calendar still says February,... Read More

When you think about managing crop residue breakdown, do you think about the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of the residue? If not, it might be time to do so, as genetic advancements in corn, for example, has actually made it somewhat harder for stalks to breakdown. That’s just one discussion in this week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s... Read More