Insights and Stories of Ralph Pearce

May. 14, 2013 at 5:44 pm CDT

Two weeks ago, the word on corn planting in southern Ontario was so limited it wasn’t even expressed as a percentage, just as “a few acres” in the immediate area. The biweekly meeting of certified crop advisors and provincial ministry staff, held near Exeter, north of London, was more focussed […]

By Ralph Pearce

May. 7, 2013 at 12:11 pm CDT

A recent survey by Stratus Agri-Marketing of Guelph has found concerns on the rise about herbicide-resistant weeds among farmers in Eastern Canada — specifically, resistance to glyphosate is gaining more attention. In the U.S., an online survey in 2012 found upward of 61.2 million acres of cropland have some species […]

By Ralph Pearce

May. 6, 2013 at 2:25 am CDT

Commodity prices are higher than 10 years ago, but growers are still looking for that competitive edge — that one parameter that boosts their production on a per-bushel basis. In the past year, one theme that has popped up repeatedly is “Control the controllable,” referring to everything from fertility to […]

By Ralph Pearce

May. 6, 2013 at 12:41 am CDT

The status of winter annual weeds, and the progress of nitrogen application on wheat, were two of the key topics at the latest biweekly meeting of certified crop advisors (CCAs) and provincial ministry staff, near Exeter, Ont. This marked the second such meeting of dealers, retailers and consultants, yet in […]

By Ralph Pearce

Apr. 19, 2013 at 12:55 am CDT

Widespread concern about bees, and the possible connection to the use of dry lubricants and neonicotinoid insecticides, has been generating a number of responses in the agricultural community. For the past 18 months, media reports have singled out agriculture in general, and seed treatments and the use of insecticides in […]

By Ralph Pearce