Planting The March 2018 planting intentions report by Statistics Canada estimated Ontario farmers intended to plant 2.2 million acres of grain corn, comparing to a 5-year (2013-2017) average of 2.1 million acres (OMAFRA Crop Statistics). A cool April coupled with snow and freezing rain events through to the middle of the month limited early field work. A warm dry period…
Jake Munroe December 17, 2018 3788 Comments Off on To plant green or to plant brown? Rye cover crop termination timing before soybeansGo here for the updated version of this article. Cereal rye has several strengths as a cover crop option. It’s relatively inexpensive and easy to kill. Rye improves soil structure, builds organic matter and helps protect against water and wind erosion. It also competes with weeds, as Mike Cowbrough has written here (see Figure 1). However, in most cases, rye…
Summary The saying in cropping “rain makes grain” was certainly true for soybeans in 2018. Above average rainfall in late July and August resulted in the highest provincial yields on record. What makes this achievement especially impressive is that much of May, June, and even the first half of July were very dry. At the end of the day Ontario…
Did you know that OMAFRA has a handbook that’s all about nutrients and soil fertility? It’s called the Soil Fertility Handbook and was first published in 1998. The book covers topics such as soil testing, soil pH and lime and fertilizer application. There’s a chapter on organic nutrient sources, like manure, biosolids and cover crops, as well as tips for…
Fall 2017 Planting Planting conditions started off well and continued through to mid-October with little disruption. Rainfall around Thanksgiving weekend halted soybean harvest and subsequently winter wheat planting but once conditions dried up planting continued through to November. Approximately 906,000 acres of winter wheat were seeded which is slightly down from the previous year’s 910,000 acres. The proportion of hard…
In properly ensiled corn silage, research has not shown an increase in mycotoxins from levels in the crop at harvest. Fusarium species, the fungi that produce DON, do not like low oxygen, low pH environments, so if corn goes through the proper ensiling process fusarium should no longer be active and able to produce DON. It takes at least three…
The wet fall and delayed harvest of 2018 has left a lot of Ontario soybeans still in the field. This is a big deal, especially for farmers who are growing Identity-Preserved (IP) soybeans with a premium of several dollars per bushel! And the main question growers are asking: If my beans are wet, can I bin-dry them with regular air? …
Planting and Development The dry edible bean season started out positively with good planting conditions at the end of May and beginning of June. There was not much rain in the last half of May, and by May 28th temperatures were reaching 30˚C with no risk of frost. A large proportion of the dry beans were planted in the first…
[showhide type=”post” more_text=”(Voir la version en français/Show French version)” less_text=”(Cacher la version français/Hide French version)”] Pour des ententes durables de location de terres agricoles Avec la saison des récoltes qui s’achève, de nombreux producteurs commencent à penser à s’entretenir avec les propriétaires non-agriculteurs qui détiennent des terres agricoles à louer, au sujet des utilisations qu’ils comptent en faire l’année prochaine….
[showhide type=”post” more_text=”(Voir la version en français/Show French version)” less_text=”(Cacher la version français/Hide French version)”] Des espaces dans le sol pour permettre aux plantes de respirer et de croître Nous savons tous qu’il est important de réduire le compactage au minimum, mais quand la qualité de la culture est en jeu, il y a des choix difficiles à faire pour…
Horst Bohner November 23, 2018 9607 Comments Off on Is there a Safe Rate of In-Furrow Fertilizer for Soybeans?[showhide type=”post” more_text=”(Voir la version française/Show French version)” less_text=”(Cacher la version français/Hide French version)”] Existe-t-il une dose sûre pour l’engrais appliqué dans la raie de semis de soya? Certaines cultures réagissent bien aux engrais appliqués sur les semences. L’épandage de phosphore dans la raie de semis de blé est devenu une pratique courante pour bon nombre de producteurs. La quantité…
Planting and Development In 2018 there was an increase in spring canola acreage in Ontario compared to the previous two years. Insured acres totaled approximately 30,000 ac in 2016 and 2017, whereas there was nearly 40,000 ac insured by Agricorp in 2018. Canola acreage increased across many regions, but the most notable increase was the jump from approximately 8,000 ac…
[showhide type=”post” more_text=”(Voir la version en français/Show French version)” less_text=”(Cacher la version français/Hide French version)”] La culture en relais est-elle efficace en Ontario? Mark Burnham, un producteur qui réside près de Coburg, ainsi que plusieurs autres producteurs de l’Ontario tentent de répondre à cette question. En effet, il n’est pas évident pour bon nombre de producteurs de céréales de justifier les revenus associés à…
Mike Cowbrough November 20, 2018 2150 Comments Off on Managing Glyphosate Resistant Canada Fleabane with Cover Crops and Tillage[showhide type=”post” more_text=”(Voir la version française/Show French version)” less_text=”(Cacher la version français/Hide French version)”] Lutter contre la vergerette du Canada résistante au glyphosate avec des cultures de couverture et le travail du sol Mon collègue, Clarence Swanton (de l’Université de Guelph) avait l’habitude de dire que selon des recherches qu’il avait réalisées dans les années 1980, personne ne devrait s’attendre…
OMAFRA Field Crop Team November 19, 2018 1706 Comments Off on Land Application of Crops and By-products with Elevated DON LevelsSome corn harvested in Ontario this year has concentrations of toxins from ear moulds that are elevated to levels that are too high to be used in animal feed. This could lead to questions about what can be done with this corn, either prior to or after processing. Land application is a possibility. The following rules apply to corn or…