Field Crop News is a resource for Ontario field crop production. It is managed by the Field Crop Unit of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). Browse our library of information by:
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Winter Canola is BIG in November 2024: Video Update
Warm weather and early planting are some of the factors contributing to big winter canola plants heading into winter in November 2024. What can we expect this winter and next spring in fields that have huge plants? […]Read More…
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2024 Cereals Seasonal Summary
2023 Planting Conditions Winter wheat, barley and triticale seeding began in mid-September for those planting after canola, early planted, short season soybeans or some early maturing edible bean fields. In most regions however, winter cereal seeding was delayed to late September or early October due to a delay in soybean maturity. Persistent dry conditions through…
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Dry Bean Seasonal Summary
Meghan Moran In 2023, Ontario dry bean acres had dropped below 100,000 acres which was the lowest in a decade. In 2024, acres returned to a more typical level for the province, at around 116,000 acres insured by Agricorp. White beans accounted for about 40% of the dry bean acres, and black beans reached their…
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Ontario Soil Management Committee
Table of Contents Mandate and 5 Year ThemesMembershipTerms of ReferenceHow to Submit New Recommendations or UpdatesData Requirements to Change RecommendationsFor More Information Mandate 5 Year Themes In particular, the OSMC will concentrate on the following broad themes over the next five years: Membership Membership of the OSMC is comprised of members drawn from government, the…
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Crop Conditions – Week of May 2nd, 2024
Frequent rains and wet soils across the province have slowed or prevented field work. Soil compaction is likely to be an issue this year, especially for farmers trying to get manure spread ahead of spring planting. Fertilizer has been moving out to farms with storage. Retailers are full and ready to apply product once soil…
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SHAP: Soil Health Assessment & Plan In-Field In-Office Match SHAP to your needs Assess Benchmark 5 Key Soil Health Indicators Improve Find Potential for Improvement Adapt Take a Flexible approach Interpret Use the SHAP Score Calculator to compare your test results to a database of results from similar Ontario soils. Use this benchmark to identify…
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When do cover crops, with and without manure applied, release nitrogen that can be used for my corn crop?
Cover crops can produce nitrogen. We looked at when different species release nitrogen and the impact that adding manure has on the timing and release of nitrogen. The simple answer Predicting nitrogen (N) availability from cover crops is complicated. Cold and wet conditions in the spring negativelyimpact soil microbial activity and can result in significant…
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When should I spray my cereal rye cover crop before soybeans?
Cereal rye is a versatile cover crop that can be seeded late into the fall in Ontario. Not to be confused with annual ryegrass – a grass that can be challenging to control – it is a winter cereal that overwinters reliably and grows rapidly in the spring. Delayed termination of rye by herbicide prior…
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Is the yield potential of alfalfa increasing?
The relationship between alfalfa breeding efforts and yield potential is complicated. While most literature on annual grain crops shows yield improvements with the release of new varieties over time, a literature search on alfalfa yield will show improvement, stagnation, and declines, depending on the paper. One of the latest attempts to discern what is really…
