This episode, Caitlin is joined by Dr. Aaron Mills, a research scientist at Agriculture and Agri-food Canada in Charlottetown, PEI, and Steve Howatt, coordinator of the Maritime Yield Enhancement Network with the Atlantic Grains Council. Aaron and Steve share some of the insights that have come out of the YEN over the last five years and talk about how producers can increase the yield of their crop through benchmarking and farmer to farmer learning. SHOW NOTES: Website: www.perenn...
Jun 23, 2025•42 min•Season 4Ep. 5
This episode, Caitlin is joined by Dr. Yunfei Jiang from Dalhousie’s Faculty of Agriculture and MSc student Baillie Lynds to talk about Baillie’s masters research. Baillie’s project looks at the impact of using enhanced efficiency nitrogen fertilizers on grain corn yield and quality, as well as environmental factors like greenhouse gas emissions. SHOW NOTES: Website: www.perennia.ca Host: Caitlin Congdon, Field Crops Specialist Follow us on Twitter: @...
May 12, 2025•34 min•Season 4Ep. 4
This episode Caitlin and Perennia Forage Specialist Shane Wood discuss frost seeding legumes into forages – why it might be a fit for your forage fields, timing, and other considerations for this practice. SHOW NOTES: Website: www.perennia.ca Host: Caitlin Congdon, Field Crops Specialist Follow us on Twitter: @nsperennia Connect with us on Instagram: @nsperennia Facebook: @nsperennia M...
Apr 10, 2025•24 min•Season 4Ep. 3
On this episode, Caitlin chats with Perennia’s Agri-Environmental Specialist, Mackenzie Rathgeber, about the importance of manure testing, considerations for application and storage, and updates to the provincial manure management guidelines. SHOW NOTES: How to Interpret a Manure Analysis Report Liquid Manure Sampling Factsheet Taking a Compost Sample and a Solid Manure Sample Website: www.perennia.ca Host: Caitlin Congdon, Field Crops Specialist Follow us on Twitter: ...
Jan 20, 2025•30 min•Season 4Ep. 2
This episode, Caitlin is joined by Neil Campbell of the PEI Grain Elevator Corporation to chat about the 2024 season and some opportunities or challenges for grain production in the Maritimes. SHOW NOTES: Website: www.perennia.ca Host: Caitlin Congdon, Field Crops Specialist Follow us on Twitter: @nsperennia Connect with us on Instagram: @nsperennia Facebook: @nsperennia Music: City of Sun by Mark Jul...
Oct 07, 2024•28 min•Season 4Ep. 1
In this episode, Glen Arnold, manure management specialist at the Ohio State University, and Melissa Wilson, associate professor at University of Minnesota, join Caitlin to share their work on using manure as a sidedress nitrogen source in corn. They discuss timing, some of the challenges and limitations, and why this has been a beneficial practice for producers in their states. SHOW NOTES: Website: www.perennia.ca Host: Caitlin Congdon, Field Crops Specialist Follow us on ...
Jul 03, 2024•38 min•Season 3Ep. 8
This episode Caitlin is joined by Perennia Berry Specialist Sonny Murray to talk about the importance of spray coverage. They discuss some specific tips for fungicide applications targeting Fusarium head blight in cereals and considerations for insecticides or fungicides in corn. SHOW NOTES: Website: www.perennia.ca Host: Caitlin Congdon, Field Crops Specialist Follow us on Twitter: @nsperennia Connect with us on Instagram: @nsperennia ...
Jun 05, 2024•37 min•Season 3Ep. 7
In this episode, Caitlin is joined by Dan MacEachern, a biologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Charlottetown, PE. Dan highlights some of the takeaways from his recent trial work on management practices that impact corn test weight including nitrogen source and fertilizer topdress timing. SHOW NOTES: Website: www.perennia.ca Host: Caitlin Congdon, Field Crops Specialist Follow us on Twitter: @nsperennia Connect with us on Instagram: @nspere...
Mar 06, 2024•34 min•Season 3Ep. 6
On this episode, Caitlin and Perennia’s Dairy Specialist, Dan Mosley, discuss how to make the most of a dairy farm’s grain crop by exploring caustic-treated grain as a part of the diet. SHOW NOTES: Website: www.perennia.ca Host: Caitlin Congdon, Field Crops Specialist Follow us on Twitter: @nsperennia Connect with us on Instagram: @nsperennia Facebook: @nsperennia Music: City of Sun by Mark July Logo Created by: Perennia Food and Ag...
Feb 07, 2024•26 min•Season 3Ep. 5
On this episode, Caitlin is joined by Dr. Caroline Halde, Professor of Sustainable Agriculture at Université Laval in Quebec. Caroline’s research team is doing some exciting work on cover crops, including working on solar corridor cropping systems, using 60” row spacing in corn to accommodate cover cropping in between the rows. The conversation explores the potential benefits of this system and some of the agronomic work that Caroline’s team and the local farmers they work with have done. SHOW N...
Jan 10, 2024•37 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Above vs below ground protection, pyramids, and stacked traits are common terms when it comes to marketing Bt-corn hybrids, but what exactly does it all mean?! Adam Pfeffer, Row Crop Market Development Manager for Bayer Crop Science, joins Caitlin to break down the relationship between individual Bt-proteins and the insects they target, resistance management and more. SHOW NOTES: Canadian Corn Pest Coalition - Transgenic Corn Website: www.perennia.ca Host: Caitlin Congdon, Field Crop...
Dec 06, 2023•40 min•Season 3Ep. 3
In this episode, Caitlin speaks with Amy Higgins about the Eastern forage U-pick tool and how it can help producers decide which forages work best for the conditions on their farm. SHOW NOTES: Forage U-Pick Tool Website: www.perennia.ca Host: Caitlin Congdon, Field Crops Specialist Follow us on Twitter: @nsperennia Connect with us on Instagram: @nsperennia Facebook: @nsperennia Music: City of Sun by Mark July Logo Created by: Perennia Food and Agriculture ...
Nov 08, 2023•29 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Join Perennia specialists Caitlin Congdon, Sonny Murray, and Rosalie Gillis-Madden for an “ask us anything” style session on cover crops, recorded in December 2022. Funding for this project, in part, has been provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Agricultural Climate Solutions – On-Farm Climate Action Fund. Show Notes: Frost Seeding Red Clover into Winter Wheat (Video) Intro to Cover Crop Grazing (Video) The Effect of Residual Herbicides on Cover Crop Establishment (Blog Post)...
Oct 18, 2023•51 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Weed control is one of the major management issues faced on the farm year after year, particularly with the potential for weeds to develop resistance to herbicides as well as the rising cost of those products. In this episode, Breanne Tidemann from AAFC in Alberta introduces some tools with the potential to be added to the integrated weed management toolbox in the form of harvest weed seed control. Show Notes: Breanne’s contact information – Breanne.tidemann@agr.gc.ca Presentation on HWSC Websit...
Jul 05, 2023•34 min•Season 2Ep. 9
This month, Caitlin is rereleasing a timely and relevant episode. Take a look back on episode six from season one, Corn Pests with Tracey Baute (originally aired in February 2022). In this episode, Tracey Baute, Field Crops Entomologist with OMAFRA, joins me to discuss all things corn pests! We’ll tackle hard-hitting questions like “What’s going on with European corn borer?” “How will climate change affect corn pest populations?” “What’s the best strategy for selecting an effective Bt-trait pack...
Jun 07, 2023•40 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Caitlin and guest host Hugh Lyu, Perennia’s Wild Blueberry Specialist, chat with Dr. Fred Whitford, Professor and Pesticide Program Coordinator at Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service in Indiana. They talk about tips to help get the best performance from your pesticide application and avoid common but potentially costly errors such as measuring and proper tank cleaning. Show Notes: Getting into the Weeds – Best Practices for Effective and Efficient Pesticide Application Purdue Pestici...
May 03, 2023•50 min•Season 2Ep. 7
In this episode, Heather Darby joins Caitlin for a conversation on cover cropping opportunities in soybeans. Heather is a professor and agronomic and soils specialist for the University of Vermont Extension, where she is involved with implementing many research and outreach programs in the areas of fuel, forage and grain production systems in New England. They discuss where the producers she works with have found opportunities for cover cropping in the soybean year and how to make the most out o...
Apr 05, 2023•35 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Caitlin is joined by three Nova Scotian producers who participated and won awards in the 2022 Maritime Yield Enhancement Network. They discuss some of the takeaways from participating in the YEN so far and share insights into their winter wheat management practices. Show Notes: 2022 YEN Panel – Atlantic Grains Council Atlantic Grains Council Website Website: www.perennia.ca Host: Caitlin Congdon, Field Crops Specialist Follow us on Twitter: @nsperennia Connect with us on Instagram: @nsperennia F...
Mar 15, 2023•39 min•Season 2Ep. 5
In this episode, Caitlin is joined by Ben Rosser, corn specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs, to discuss adjusting fertility practices for strip-tilled corn, including fertilizer placement options and some work that’s being done in Ontario on safe rates for strip-placed fertility. Show Notes: Field Crop News - Investigating Fertilizer Placement and Safe Fertilizer Rates in Strip Till Website: www.perennia.ca Host: Caitlin Congdon, Field Crops Specialist Fol...
Feb 01, 2023•27 min•Season 2Ep. 4
In this episode, Caitlin welcomes Dr. Yunfei Jiang, Assistant Professor of Agronomy at Dalhousie’s Faculty of Agriculture. Yunfei explains some of the benefits and challenges of intercropping and discusses some of the research work that she is currently involved in with the Eastern Canadian Oilseeds Development Alliance and some of what she hopes to do in the future with both ECODA and the Atlantic Grains Council. Show Notes: Website: www.perennia.ca Host: Caitlin Congdon, Field Crops Specialist...
Jan 11, 2023•38 min•Season 2Ep. 3
In this episode, Caitlin is joined by Katherine Rutherford, Living Labs Coordinator, and Carolyn Marshall, Environment and Climate Change Manager, both with the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture. They talk about the Living Labs initiative that has been rolled out across the country by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and discuss the planned projects taking place in Nova Scotia. Show Notes: Website: www.perennia.ca Host: Caitlin Congdon, Field Crops Specialist Follow us on Twitter: @nsperenni...
Dec 07, 2022•27 min
Corn pests were abundant in Nova Scotia during the 2022 growing season. Dr. Jocelyn Smith from the University of Guelph – Ridgetown Campus has been leading the charge on monitoring for Bt-resistant European corn borer in the Maritimes, Ontario, and beyond. On this episode of the podcast we listen in on a presentation on ECB given in late August 2022 in New Brunswick and then Jocelyn joins me in the field to chat about other pest pressures including Western bean cutworm and corn rootworm. Show No...
Nov 02, 2022•33 min•Season 2Ep. 1
It’s harvest season, and this month’s episode of the podcast is keeping with that theme as Caitlin and Perennia’s Ruminant Livestock Specialist, Katie Trottier, chat about the effect of in-field disease on livestock feed quality. We highlight the importance of feed testing and how to make the most out of an infected crop.
Aug 11, 2022•21 min
My guest today is Horst Bohner, soybean specialist at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs where his work focuses on production techniques for soybeans including variety, tillage, disease and fertility management. We discuss the impact of fungicide timing and a variety of integrated pest management techniques to help minimize the impact of white mould now and in future years.
Jul 06, 2022•36 min•Season 1Ep. 11
This episode’s guest is Dr. Tony Vyn, Professor and Cropping Systems Extension Agronomist at Purdue University in Indiana. We explore the factors that contribute to increasing corn kernel weights and how that impacts overall yield, kernel number, and test weight.
Jun 01, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 10
This month I’m joined by Eric Richter, Syngenta Territory Rep for Nova Scotia and PEI. We’ll chat about the shift to a more intensive management system in cereals and the role that plant growth regulators can play in that, as well as considerations for application timing and crop conditions.
May 04, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 9
On this episode of the podcast, I’m joined by my colleague Caitlin McCavour, Soil Specialist at Perennia. We look at the effect of things like soil pH on nutrient availability, and discuss strategies to make the most out of your nutrient application, especially when input prices are high.
Apr 06, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Spring is coming and now is the time to think about underseeding red clover into your winter wheat. “Wheat Pete” Peter Johnson joins me this month to chat about how red clover can benefit the next year’s crop, whether to use single or double cut types, and when is the best time to terminate the cover.
Mar 02, 2022•32 min•Season 1Ep. 7
In this episode, Tracey Baute, Field Crops Entomologist with OMAFRA, joins me to discuss all things corn pests! We’ll tackle the hard hitting questions like “What’s going on with European corn borer?” “How will climate change affect corn pest populations?” “What’s the best strategy for selecting an effective Bt-trait package?” and more. Handy Bt Trait Table - https://cornpest.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Modified-Bt-Table-for-April-2021-English.pdf Canadian Corn Pest Coalition - https://cornpes...
Feb 02, 2022•40 min•Season 1Ep. 6
This month I’m joined by Dr. Heidi Reed, Agronomy Educator at Penn State University Extension to discuss planting soybeans into green cover crops. We cover why soybeans are a great choice for planting green, some of the potential benefits and challenges to the practice, equipment considerations for success, and more. Pennsylvania State University Extension: https://extension.psu.edu/catalogsearch/result/?q=planting+green...
Jan 05, 2022•40 min•Season 1Ep. 5
