When spring arrives, winter canola growers will have to scout their fields and answer 3 questions before applying fertilizer: Is the canola alive? Does it have strong yield potential? What is the population of healthy plants? Scouting typically begins towards the end of March when plants start to green up. Assessments should be made after the risk of further losses…
It’s March, the snow is melting and the ground is frozen so we know what that means! Now is a good time to be considering or thinking about frost seeding some red clover into those winter wheat stands! While we can’t control all the factors that influence the success of our red clover stands in winter wheat, there are some…
Tracey Baute February 10, 2021 151 Comments Off on UGRC Field Crop Pest Management – 2021 Summer Research Assistants NeededDr. Jocelyn Smith at the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus is seeking Summer Research Assistants to assist the Field Crop Pest Management program. Projects will include corn, cereals, soybean and canola pest management, and insect resistance management studies. Skills in plant and pest identification, scouting and monitoring techniques, measurements of agronomic performance and data collection will be enhanced. The candidates…
Meghan Moran January 25, 2021 274 Comments Off on 2020 Canola Yield Challenge: An Interview with the WinnersOntario spring and winter canola growers share how they produced high yielding spring and winter canola crops. 0:00 4th Place – Dave Schill 19:30 3rd Place – Hunter Family 42:10 2nd Place – Nathan Overloop 57:36 1st Place – Toll Family Music from bensound.com
2020 was an exceptional year for many Ontario soybean growers. Although not all regions had good yields, much of the province harvested outstanding soybeans. The overall provincial average will be one of the highest on record at 50.7 bu/ac. In several cases growers were able to achieve over 80 bu/ac. The 10-year average for those reported acres is 47 bu/ac. The…
Christine O'Reilly January 11, 2021 488 Comments Off on What is the true cost of Alfalfa Snout Beetle on your farm?This article was written by Dr. Elson Shields, Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY **A note from Christine: Alfalfa snout beetle is an invasive species. A 2008 survey confirmed its presence in Leeds & Grenville, Prescott & Russell, and Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry counties. At that time, over 150 km2 were infested. Dr. Shield’s research on biocontrol nematodes was…
Christine O'Reilly January 6, 2021 551 Comments Off on Taking Root: Management Options for Bt-Resistant Corn Rootworm on Ontario FarmsThis webinar features OMAFRA specialists who provided an update on Bt-resistant corn rootworm, the impact on cropping systems and feed supplies, mitigation strategies to reduce the impact of Bt corn rootworm resistance, and alternative feeding options. While this webinar is open to anyone, it is geared towards cattle producers (dairy and beef). The webinar aired December 8, 2020. Speakers include…
Planting In March 2020 Statistics Canada estimated Ontario farmers intended to plant 2.3 million acres of grain corn, 10% higher than the 5-year average seeded acres of 2.1 million acres (2015-2019) (OMAFRA Crop Statistics). Spring 2020 provided a great start to planting. April remained cold but sun and dry weather provided an extended period of excellent soil conditions. A very…
Alexandra Collingwood December 28, 2020 736 Comments Off on Early Lessons from Ridgetown’s Long-term Cover Crop Trial for Field CropsDr. Dave Hooker and his colleagues have been curious about the value of integrating cover crops into a farming operation in the long term. These questions have remained unanswered by numerous short-term trials they had been conducting, which led them to establish a new trial. As it can take time for a cropping system to equilibrate, this long-term cover crop…
The OMAFRA Soil Team recently hosted a three-part webinar series on strip-tillage. Each event focused on a different aspect of strip-till and featured four different farmer speakers from across Ontario. To view the recordings, check out the videos below. Timing & Tools: Shank vs. Coulter and Spring vs. Fall (recorded December 8th, 2020): Strip-Till and Cover Crops: How Do They…
Alexandra Collingwood December 21, 2020 439 Comments Off on The Impact of Cover Crops in a Processing Vegetable-Grain Cropping SystemThere are a variety of agricultural research trials in the province, but one that stands out from the rest is the long-term cover crop trial set up by Dr. Laura Van Eerd in Ridgetown, Ontario. This trial was established in 2007 and has had consistent cover crop treatments within a processing vegetable-grain crop rotation on the same plot since then….
Ian McDonald December 18, 2020 658 Comments Off on Are There Reasonable Alternatives to Fall Tillage for Residue Management?Big crops mean big residue left behind! One the positives of big residues means lots of organic matter to return to the soil, which supports soil health and return or cycling of various nutrients like P, K and micros. All of this supports microbial life, reduces the potential for soil erosion by helping to keep ground covered through the…
Ian McDonald December 16, 2020 501 Comments Off on Ontario Ag Conference 2021 – Benefits of RegistrationOAgC21 – The Many Benefits with Registration! Full Access! All 3 major Ontario conferences under one roof! “One Stop Shopping” for anyone who has attended Southwest Ag Conference, Eastern Ontario Crops Conference, and/or FarmSmart Ag Conference in the past. No winter travel required Offering loads of incredible content! 6 Live Sessions (3 on January 6th and 3 on January 7th)…
This post contains the TEC TALK TUESDAYS speaker line up
An invasive perennial weed from the milkweed family, dog strangling vine, is extremely difficult to control once it gets established (Figure 1). Progress has been made on biological control of this weed in Ontario through the release of Hypena opulenta, a leaf feeding caterpillar. However, integrated strategies that include both biological and chemical methods are often most effective at…
