Wheat Pete's Word

A good portion of Ontario is nearing the end of what has been a very mild winter. Bare and sometimes thawed ground has many farmers asking if it’s too early for clover, for frost seeding, for tillage, and for patching in wheat crops. There’s also a saying that goes, “just because you can doesn’t mean... Read More

What’s one thing you love about agriculture in Canada? Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson wants us all to celebrate and share whatever that is next Tuesday on Canada’s Ag Day! Johnson’s got some thoughts on how to best share our thoughts about agriculture in this week’s podcast, but don’t worry, there’s also plenty of agronomic questions... Read More

Pop quiz: does water vapour insulate, and, do cover crops cost yield? The answers: yes, and sometimes. To dive into to how cover crops might cost in yield potential but still save fuel, Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson kicks off another episode of the Wheat Pete’s Word podcast. Also on the episode: how a milder winter... Read More

It’s Wednesday, so that means it’s time for another episode of Wheat Pete’s Word! It’s also Bell Let’s Talk Day, a day designed to raise awareness about mental health and taking care of it. Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson is a fan of doing that year-round, of course, with his Wheat Pete’s 15. Once you’ve done... Read More

Winter is making itself known across all of Canada this week, after a polar vortex descended on Alberta, all the way to Ontario getting hit with snow, wind, and cold temps (for Ontario, mind you). That sparked some questions on fall-seeded crop survival, including canola, alfalfa, and wheat, which host Peter ‘Wheat Pete’ Johnson answers... Read More

Corn has some leaf lessons to teach us, if only we’ll listen. That’s just one of the take-home messages from last week’s Ontario Ag Conference, the SWAC stop, says Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson in this week’s podcast. There’s also a discussion on soil health, managing cover crops, and nitrogen use efficiency in corn. Have a... Read More

Happy New Year! What an incredible start to the year with the launch of the Professional Women’s Hockey League. Toronto lost, but so did Ottawa (in OT) on January 2. Not the greatest start for Ontario teams, but host Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson will take it. On to agronomy, this week’s challenge is to think... Read More

Happy holidays, one and all, and gather ’round as it’s time for the last episode of Wheat Pete’s Word for 2023! For this episode, host Peter Johnson is coming to you from the city of London — the British one — where he’s spending time with family, but also touring some farms and research plots... Read More

It turns out that even Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson is mortal, and in this week’s podcast you’ll likely end up feeling a little sorry for Mr. Johnson, as his voice has fallen victim to the winter woes. Nonetheless, our intrepid host of Wheat Pete’s Word still has managed to record this episode and in it... Read More

Hello, December! On this week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson gets further in to the soil organic matter discussion, including the long-term legacy of manure applications, talks sulphur management, and compares some findings on the ROI on fungicide on corn. Have a question you’d like Wheat Pete to address or some field... Read More

As the holidays approach, two things become increasingly true: we have a much clearer picture of the final tally of the growing season, and it’s never been more timely to reach out and check in with those you maybe haven’t spoken with in a while. For this episode of Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson... Read More

If you’re looking to be fully entertained, check out Thistle Theatre this week and see host of Wheat Pete’s Word Peter Johnson take to the stage! If you’re looking to learn and get answers to the latest agronomic questions — hit play below or download this week’s podcast for later. In it, you’ll find a... Read More

What’s worse than corn becoming a mess in the field? Corn becoming a mess in a bin or silo! On that not-so-happy note, we kick off this week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word, where host Peter Johnson makes an apology for a mistake, encourages everyone to send in plot results, and runs down answers to... Read More

Mother Nature is not smiling on Ontario corn growers trying to get the ’23 crop out of the field. Concern over increasing DON levels is high and dry-down is slow. Plus, there’s concern over rutting or compacting the fields if conditions stay wet. That’s just one conversation in this week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word... Read More

No one likes snow in October, but it’s especially unwelcome when there is still crop in the field. For Manitobans, it looks more like December than November 1 out there, but at least harvest is done. For Ontario, however, so many thousands of acres of corn are now very wet and covered in snow, and... Read More

A frosty week in Ontario and a snowy one out west means all those pre-winter jobs just moved up the priority list a notch or two. For Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson, that just means there’s more time-sensitive topics to cover on this week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word. From an alert on corn harvest field... Read More

The sun might come out tomorrow, or the next day, or another day, we hope, as Ontario farmers are hoping to wrap up bean harvest and get at corn in earnest. Not being in the field means Peter Johnson, host of Wheat Pete’s Word, has plenty of questions to tackle from the audience, including compaction... Read More

If you’re waiting for a sign to pick up the phone and check in with a friend, this is it. Yesterday was Mental Health Day and host Peter Johnson wants you to take the Wheat Pete 15 challenge and call up someone just to chat. That’s just one tidbit from this episode of Wheat Pete’s... Read More

What do you call an early October that feels more like summer than early fall? A lucky break for those with corn that’s a fair ways away from black layer, that’s what. Ontario’s corn growers are counting their blessings this week, as very warm sunny days are helping move the crop to maturity. But all... Read More

There are some problems you just can’t avoid — like ending up with wheat roots in drainage tile after big yields, but every challenge has a solution and it comes down to making hay while the sun shines. No, not actual hay, as we are in the critical harvest period, but if the soil is... Read More