Thank you to Ken Currah (BASF) for chairing the meeting. The final meeting for this spring will be on June 25th starting at 7:00 am for breakfast (meeting starts at 7:30) at the Malibu. Alex Zelem will be chair.
Synopsis: Significant progress was made in the area the end of last week and through the weekend. Estimates are that 90-95% of intended corn acres in the area are now planted and 50-75% of the intended soybeans are planted. Those in a no-till or strip-till system are still waiting for things to dry up with very little progress made. Essex and Lambton are still reporting very little acreage planted due to the continued rainfall on those heavier textured soils. Winter wheat is now approching the T3 timing in many fields so keep an eye out for the appropriate timing. Edible bean planting has begun; however, some growers are holding off to see whether or not things change and we get some heat. Forage harvest is slow to start and is behind average years. Yields reported to date are below average to average.
Corn: Significant planting progress has been made in the area with 90-95% of the intended acres planted. A majority of fields that do not get planted this week will now be switching to soybeans. While most reported corn stands looking good, many fields went into questionable conditions with some concerned about the impacts if the weather turns dry. Some weekly nitrate tests taken since the beginning of May have shown little to no N mineralization. Mineralization is still low due to the prolonged cool spring. There was discussion around N requirements this year and it is expected that with a reduced yield potential that nitrogen requirements may also be lower. Nitrogen rates should be determined based on Pre-Sidedress Nitrate Tests (PSNT), the anticipated yield potential, planting date and soil conditions. Yield adjustments in OMAFRA’s Corn Nitrogen Calculator and revised PSNT recommendations adjust nitrogen rate recommendations by 0.83 to 0.85 lbs of N per bushel of yield expectation. For those fields that are in need of nitrogen now, past field trials have suggested little yield loss from leaf burn from streamer nozzle applications of 28% UAN up to the 4-5 leaf stage. Burn and yield loss increase after these stages.
Soybeans: Estimates are that 50-75% of the soybeans in the area are now planted. The earliest planted fields are now at the unifoliate stage. Weed control is going to be a challenge this year with weeds getting well beyond the optimum stage for herbicide applications. More post-emerge dicamba applications are anticipated in those fields planted to Xtnd beans. Growers are reminded to be careful when tank-mixing dicamba with certain products. If you are using a group 1 herbicide for volunteer corn, there is antagonism when mixed with dicamba. The rate of Assure should be increased to 200 mL to help overcome this. If you are considering rolling soybeans this should be done once the beans have emerged and are at the 1st to 2nd trifoliate. Ontario research has shown a 1.1 bu advantage to rolling.
Cereals: Winter wheat in the area is approaching the T3 timing in the furthest advanced fields and will likely be ready for a fungicide application at the end of the week and into the weekend. Once 75% of the heads on the main stem reach GS59 (head emergence complete) this is known as “day 0”. The optimum fungicide application timing is shortly after this on “day 2” when pollination begins, and anthers are visible on the middle of the wheat head. Howver, timing in many stands will be difficult due to the lack of uniformity in fields. While day 2 is the optimum time, T3 fungicides can be applied up to day 6 with good efficacy. Therefore, waiting an extra day or two and targeting day 3-6 may allow you to target more of the crop at the optimum time. Two fungicide applications are not recommended as they are generally not economical, particularly in those fields with low yield potential. It will also be important to watch pre-harvest intervals. The pre-harvest interval for Prosaro is 36 days and Caramba is 30 days. There was some discussion around where the yield from a T3 fungicide comes from in addition to the protection from FHB. Generally we see a 8-10% yield increase with a T3 fungicide because of the overall improvement in plant health. The fungicide application does not result in more kernals but it does add more test weight.
Cereal leaf beetle (CLB) is being found in winter wheat fields but are below the thresholds at this point. CLB infestations tend to be more prevalent following a cool, wet spring. This year poses a risk as there are fewer fields for them to feed on. Be on the lookout for signs of larvae or feeding damage when scouting. More information on scouting guidelines and control options are available on www.FieldCropNews.com.
Spring cereals that were frost seeded are in excellent condition with some reporting that they are now at the heading stage. Spring cereals planted in the last two weeks have nicely emerged with the furthest fields at the tillering stage.
Forages: Some producers in the area have begun harvesting forages. Yields to date have been reported to be below average to average. There have been some challenges with timing cutting due to the different stagings between the alfalfa and grasses this year. Due to the large amount of winterkill in forages this year and the challenging spring, growers are looking to plant alternative crops for forages such as sorghum sudangrass. Lots of rye is also being cut for bailage. Alfalfa weevil is being found in many stands as harvest is delayed. Growers are urged to continue scouting and watch the re-growth. Grey leaf spot is being found in older alfalfa stands. Fungicide applications can be made 10 days after cutting to provide protection from any innoculant left in the field.
Edible Beans: Some edible beans were planted in the area over the weekend. However, if the weather doesn’t change soon and we don’t get more heat, growers may opt out of edible beans and go back to soybeans. Due to the delayed spring, weeds are much bigger than usual and growers may see more weed escapes in these fields this year.
Agricorp:
Planting dates for corn have been extended by 2 days for all areas expect the north. Soybean planting has been extended by 5 days for all regions. For more information please visit: http://www.agricorp.com/en-ca/News/2019/Pages/PI-PlantingExtensionsforcornandbeans.aspx. There have been about 200 unseeded acreage claims for soybeans and about 160 unseeded acreage claims for corn. For all information regarding planting extensions and questions related to unseeded acreage benefits please visit: http://www.agricorp.com/en-ca/Pages/Default.aspx.
June 15: Last day to report unseeded acreage
June 30: Spring seeded final acreage reports due
July 10: Premiums due
Stratford Crop Technology Contacts:
Horst Bohner, horst.bohner@ontario.ca
Joanna Follings, joanna.follings@ontario.ca
Meghan Moran, meghan.moran@ontario.ca
Jake Munroe, jake.munrow@ontario.ca