Welcome to the OMAFRA Field Crop News

"Field Crop News" is an archive of information dedicated to the production of over 8.5 million acres of field crops in Ontario and a forum for which producers, researchers and industry personnel can share information and ideas.

Soybean Aphids Starting Up

June 18, 2013 • Written by Tracey Baute

Soybean aphids colonizing on V stage soybeans

I have been hearing reports of soybean aphids starting to pop up on non-Cruiser soybeans in Ontario. It has been a few years since we've had to deal with them so I thought a refresher might be in order. Soybean aphids initially start to colonize in pockets of early planted fields. Several pla... Continue reading →

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Posted in Baute Bug Blog, Pest Management, Soybeans | Tagged aphids, scouting, soybean aphids, threshold | Leave a comment

Bugs versus Slugs

June 14, 2013 • Written by Tracey Baute

I admit that scouting soys when just the cotyledons are out makes for tough pest injury diagnostics. It does take some years of experience to really get to know what you are looking at. Three pests that commonly feed on the cotyledons include seed corn maggot, bean leaf beetle and slugs. Occasionall... Continue reading →

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Posted in Baute Bug Blog, Pest Management, Soybeans | Leave a comment

Flea Beetles in Canola taking a Bite out of Stands

June 12, 2013 • Written by Brian Hall

Many growers are frustrated by trying to control the high populations of flea beetles this season. Some have sprayed for control only to see high populations reappear several days later. Although flea beetles are most active under warm sunny conditions, moisture generally favours insect development.... Continue reading →

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Posted in Baute Bug Blog, Canola, Pest Management | Leave a comment

Armyworm Again! Scouting is Advised

June 3, 2013 • Written by Tracey Baute

I was concerned about the potential risk for armyworm this year, given that we had a cool, wet April which is not ideal for their natural enemies. But to have back to back armyworm years is rare. Will Ontario beat those odds this year? I have had reports of armyworm being present in many whea... Continue reading →

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Posted in Baute Bug Blog, Cereals, Corn, Forage Production, Pest Management | Leave a comment

Watch for this Stinker this Summer – Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

May 27, 2013 • Written by Tracey Baute

Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is our newest pest of concern for Ontario agriculture. Though we have not detected it yet on any of its crop hosts, we have confirmed it has established breeding populations here in Ontario and is successfully overwintering in homes in Hamilton, Toronto, Newbo... Continue reading →

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Posted in Baute Bug Blog, Corn, Dry Edible Beans, Pest Management, Soybeans | Leave a comment

Alfalfa Weevil

May 22, 2013 • Written by Joel Bagg

Alfalfa weevil can be an issue in Ontario, particularly in south-western parts of the province. While outbreaks tend to be isolated, they can be severe and dramatically reduce forage yield and quality. Typically, alfalfa weevil do not reach significant levels until we are ready to take first-cut... Continue reading →

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Posted in Baute Bug Blog, Forage Production, Pest Management | Tagged alfalfa, Alfalfa Pests, alfalfa weevil | Leave a comment

Alfalfa Weevil Reaching Threshold – Scout!

May 22, 2013 • Written by Tracey Baute

We are getting a lot of calls about alfalfa weevil in various counties nearing or reaching threshold. Scouting is strongly recommended. Joel Bagg wrote a very thorough blog entry last year regarding scouting and management options so I won't bother to repeat his efforts and instead direct you to... Continue reading →

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Posted in Baute Bug Blog, Forage Production, Pest Management | Leave a comment

Cool, Wet April Means Good for Pests, Bad for their Enemies

May 3, 2013 • Written by Tracey Baute

It is rare to experience back to back armyworm outbreak years. This is usually because the natural enemies (particularly parasites and entomopathogens) build up in an outbreak year and are in good supply the following year to keep up with the armyworm. However, armyworm outbreaks do tend to occu... Continue reading →

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Protecting Pollinators During Corn Planting Season

April 12, 2013 • Written by Tracey Baute

With corn planting season soon upon us, it is a good time to remind everyone to take extra precautions to try to reduce the risk to bees being exposed to neonicotinoid contaminated dust from corn planters. Virtually all corn seed is treated with a neonicotinoid insecticide (ie. Poncho or Cruiser), a... Continue reading →

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SW Ontario Corn Growers Wanted for Corn Planter Dust/Bee Study

March 25, 2013 • Written by Tracey Baute

We are looking for growers who are interested in participating in our study this spring/summer. Art Schaafsma (UGRC) and myself have received funding to work on some particular questions with regards to corn planter dust and bee incidences. We are looking for 2 corn growers per county from the ... Continue reading →

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Canola Growers – Swede Midge ID Workshop at U of G – April 5th

March 20, 2013 • Written by Tracey Baute

Dr. Rebecca Hallett will be offering a Swede Midge Identification Workshop on Friday, April 5th from 10 am to noon, University of Guelph. Session in the lab, looking at swede midge and other easily confused insects on sticky cards with naked eye and microscope; swede midge specimens on sticky ca... Continue reading →

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Posted in Baute Bug Blog, Canola | Tagged swede midge | Leave a comment

Taking Steps towards Reducing the Risk to Pollinators

January 25, 2013 • Written by Tracey Baute

Written by: Tracey Baute - Field Crop Entomologist and Greg Stewart - Corn Specialist, Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Ministry of Rural Affairs A high level of concern was raised last spring regarding bee kills and corn planting. Many growers are asking what actions they can take to help redu... Continue reading →

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Posted in Baute Bug Blog, Pest Management | Tagged bee kills, best management practices, corn, corn planting | Leave a comment

Tracey is Back and So are Winter Cutworm

November 15, 2012 • Written by Tracey Baute

A winter wheat field near Owen Sound has 4 to 5 acres of "missing plants", cut off at the soil level. Not many insects could do that kind of damage this time of year. It sounds like a case of winter cutworm. It was to the day, 4 years ago when I wrote a CropPest article about this pest. ... Continue reading →

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Posted in Baute Bug Blog | Tagged Alfalfa Pests, Cereal Insects, Pest Alerts, Wheat Pests | Leave a comment

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Monitoring Project Update (2012)

September 26, 2012 • Written by Tom Cowan

Background: The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is an invasive alien species native to China, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan. It was introduced to North America in the mid 1990s, and was first detected in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 2001. While BMSB is capable of natural spread, the pest is also ... Continue reading →

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Stink Bugs in Soybean

August 23, 2012 • Written by Tom Cowan

Stink bugs have been showing up in soybean fields in south western Ontario in noticeable numbers over the past 2 weeks and reports of stink bug numbers from Ohio are showing a similar trend. We may see more stink bug in the soybean crop this year then in previous years so it’s time to be on ... Continue reading →

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