Forage Crops Seasonal Summary 2013

With higher yields, forage inventories have been increased to more normal levels. Hay inventories carried over in the spring were extremely low, and hay prices peaked at historic highs, before softening after first- and second-cuts. Haylage and baleage inventories and quality are very good. Early-cut, green 1st-cut hay is in short supply and selling at […]

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Weed Control in Ontario Horse Pastures

by Joel Bagg, Forage Specialist, Jack Kyle, Pasture Specialist, & Melanie Beech, OMAF and MRA Controlling weeds in horse pasture can be challenging. Weeds grow well in poor, overgrazed horse pastures, so good pasture management (sacrifice paddocks, rotation, mowing, fertility, drainage, etc) goes a long way in controlling weeds. Overgrazing thins the grass stand and […]

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ALERT – FIelds in High Risk Western Bean Cutworm Regions Need to Be Scouted!

Author: Jocelyn Smith, Research Associate, Field Crop Pest Management University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus It appears that in 2013, southwestern Ontario’s hotspot areas for Western bean cutworm (WBC) (large area around Bothwell and Tilsonburg) have a significant problem in their corn fields.  OMAF and MRA and University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus staff have completed surveys […]

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Neonics or Not on 2014 Seed?

Field crop stakeholders across the province are expressing a desire to be proactive in protecting pollinators from the risks associated with neonicotinoid seed insecticides. Assessments to date point to fugitive dust (drift of neonicotinoid contaminated dust from vacuum planters) as the likely cause of spring bee deaths.  Fortunately, there are significant advancements being made in […]

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Pricing Corn Silage

by Joel Bagg, Forage Specialist, & Greg Stewart, Corn Specialist, OMAFRA  “What’s corn silage worth this year?” Grain corn prices have dropped considerably after unprecedented high prices last year, bringing corn silage prices down with them. With current grain corn and hay prices, corn silage still looks fairly attractive as an alternate forage. After excessive […]

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Corn and Cold September Nights

Cold September nights can cause widespread anxiety in corn producers.  The level of anxiety for most growers will be determined by the stage of maturity their grain corn crop has reached. As temperatures drop to zero frost damage first occurs to the leaves of the corn plants.  This damage will eliminate any further photosynthesis, reduce […]

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Picking Top Wheat Genetics

Synopsis: Using the provincial performance trials to pick the top variety for your farm. By now you should have looked at the wheat variety trials (www.gocereals.ca).  What an AMAZING amount of information.  With new information, and combined charts, which table should you actually use? Managed or normal? For the first time ever (2013), there are variety comparisons […]

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Ramping it UP!!!

Ontario wheat performance trials are the first to add fungicides as part of the evaluation package. Years ago, no one sprayed wheat, barely even with a herbicide.  Today, if you don’t spray a fusarium fungicide on your wheat crop, you aren’t a real wheat farmer.  And the fusarium issues with #Harvest13 have really driven this […]

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