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 […]
Dr. 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 […]
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 […]
There 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 […]
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 […]
OAgC21 – 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 […]
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 […]
Corn is the perfect crop for receiving the nutrients from manure. Liquid manure applied to meet two-thirds of the nitrogen needs will generally provide a good balance of the macro and micro nutrients needed for a highly productive corn crop. Using commercial starter and nitrogen for the balance of the crop’s needs ensures nutrients […]
Soybean lodging (plants that fall over) can seriously impact yield. Fortunately, it’s often only small portions of a field that lodge. In rare cases whole fields will go down, which devastates yield potential. Light penetration into the canopy during key growth stages will be impeded by lodging, reducing a plant’s ability to produce seed. […]
Fall 2019 A cool, wet 2019 spring pushed soybean planting well into June for most of Ontario with some regions planting well into July. Although this was expected to cause a delay in winter wheat seeding, good conditions throughout September and October allowed for a timely soybean harvest and overall, wheat was seeded into excellent […]
Acreage of dry beans increased approximately 20% over 2019, and 50% over 2018. Total acreage of dry beans insured by Agricorp in 2020 was 157,610 acres (Table 1). There were more acres of all market classes compared to last year, except for cranberry beans. Table 1. Acres of dry edible beans insured by Agricorp in […]
Canola acreage in Ontario was similar to last year, with 29,019 acres insured in 2020. Spring canola acres have declined in most regions, including a drop in Temiskaming District from about 11,300 acres in 2019 to about 9,300 acres in 2020. Nipissing added 700 acres compared to last year, for a total of nearly 2000 […]
2019/2020 Winter Conditions Much of the province had a mild winter, with average amounts of precipitation. Areas of Chatham-Kent, Lambton, Huron, Grey, Bruce, Timiskaming, Cochrane, Rainy River, and Kenora received below-average winter precipitation. Forages broke dormancy early in much of the province, with green-up starting in mid-March in the southwest. Overall, reports of winterkill were […]
In the video series below, we provide an overview of roller crimping rye for organic no-till soybean production. We give an overview of the system and profile the experiences of two Ontario farmers. To learn about the on-farm trial results, click here. A detailed project report can be found here. While there are many benefits […]