Ontario Grain Farmer February 2021

ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER 7 FEBRUARY 2021 continued on page 8 uptake in the adoption of cover crops in our systems.” Deen says rotation diversity is likely the research area where he had the most productivity over the years. He conducted research in collaboration with associate professor Dr. Dave Hooker and suggests their findings are connected to maintaining wheat acreage in Ontario. “Twenty years ago, wheat was a third crop that was almost begrudgingly grown. It was the poor cousin of corn and soybeans,” he explains. “The role of wheat and the recognition of its economic contribution has changed. Now growers are much more keen to figure out how to make wheat in rotation work. They are more keen about the concept of cover crops after wheat as part of a good system and they’re much more aware that if you have a good rotation, you can intensify tillage.” Assistant professor Dr. Joshua Nasielski says Deen’s research contributions are very important to the industry. “You can go to a place like C&M Seeds, open up any ad and see Bill quoted directly. That’s the impact of his work on rotation diversity.” Deen was Nasielski’s advisor in graduate school and then his colleague in the department. They studied Nitrogen (N) management in corn, another area of research where Deen stands out. “One thing that is unique about Bill is that he is a farmer himself,” says Nasielski. “N management in corn is a topic studied by many people, but Bill’s research is unique because he really cares about the practicality of research implications. He always had a good perspective on how farmers are actually making decisions and that was really valuable as a student.” Grain Farmers of Ontario congratulates Dr. Bill Deen and Dr. Art Schaafsma on their retirements and offers a heartfelt thank you to both for their contributions to grain research. “Over the years, I’ve heard so many people say we have to optimize the N rate,” says Deen. “They suggest that there is this precise rate where we optimize economics in a system, but the data just doesn't support that. This finding has profound implications for how we approach N management.” CAREER HIGHLIGHTS Deen’s practical farm roots are likely at play when he calls the long-term field trials at the Elora Crop Research Station the highlight of his career. He says the tillage, rotation, N in corn, and C4 grass for biomass trials led to a great deal of output, interaction with other scientists, and many research publications. His long-term trial findings have also played a role in impacting farmer behaviour and policy discussions. Former professor Dr. Terry Daynard started two of the four trials that Deen managed for the last 20 years. “Bill assumed responsibility for some valuable long-term research and advanced the science substantially during his career,” says Daynard. “He trained many good graduate students and was known for his objectivity and integrity in stating what his research data really said. When Bill told others what the research shows, you could count on him being right.” Hooker shares Daynard’s sentiments that Deen’s leadership in managing the long-term trials is among his most notable achievements. “Bill's leadership is selfless and has built multi-disciplinary collaborative teams with dozens of researchers, as evidenced by dozens of invited presentations per year, and over 150 peer-reviewed papers with over 2,300 citations,” says Hooker. To Grain Farmers of Ontario’s manager of research and innovation, Dr. Josh Cowan, Deen excelled in balancing the practical needs of farmers with the pursuit of scientific excellence. DEEN’S WORK INCLUDES RESEARCH INTO A CORN NITROGEN RECOMMENDATION SYSTEM.