While planting has largely been completed the last number of weeks, corn is still being planted on heavier soils which have just recently been fit enough for planting (Niagara/Haldimand, Southern Lambton, SW Kent). If rainfall further delays planting, more remaining acreage may be switched to soybeans. […]
Land rolling helps conserve moisture, levels the soil, and pushes small rocks into the ground. Some producers roll immediately after planting, while others wait until the soybeans have emerged. Rolling immediately after planting provides improved seed-to-soil contact and reduces the likelihood of plant injury. But, it also increases the chance of soil crusting, which hinders […]
Cool conditions in the first half of the month slowed forage growth across the province. Victoria Day – the weekend before May 24th – was early this year, with the holiday falling on May 18th. This further affected perceptions of crop development, as many dairy farmers aim to start first cut based on the long […]
About 70 people joined the call for the 5th Ridgetown-Simcoe Breakfast Meeting. The next meeting on June 16th will be the last call for this region. Most of the corn and soybean planting has been wrapped up in the area. However, on heavier textured soils in Chatham-Kent, Niagara and Haldimand there still remains anywhere from […]
Soybeans are prone to poor plant establishment because the seedling must pull the cotyledon seed leaves through the ground to emerge. Plant stand reductions are rarely uniform, which makes the decision to replant difficult. Do not assess a poor soybean stand too quickly, since more seedlings may still emerge. In 2020 we have seen soybeans […]
Canola producers are likely familiar with flea beetle and have an understanding of how to manage them. Many are reporting flea beetle feeding this spring. A few resources have been brought together here to help with scouting and decision making on control measures. “Five Things to Know about Flea Beetle” from Canola watch by Canola […]
Photo: Uneven corn emergence in a clay loam soil. Today’s notable quotable was from Paul Sullivan: “Cutting trash [in overworked soil] is like cutting a cucumber on a sofa, there’s nothing to push against to cut the residue”. If you like the maps in this article, similar ones on precipitation and temperature are available from AAFC HERE. Data […]
Warmer conditions starting late last week have fast-tracked crop growth. Rainfall during the past week has been sporadic with isolated thunderstorms resulting in flooded fields in one location and no rainfall less than a km away. Fields in many regions would welcome some moisture. Listen to the audio version below or subscribe on iTunes, Google […]
Introducing….to your mobile device or computer, the newest in a series of on-line calculators. The phosphorus loss assessment tool for Ontario, nicknamed PLATO, will help determine the risk of phosphorus (P) loss from nutrient applications at a field scale.PLATO takes both field characteristics, such as erosion risk and soil test level, as well as P […]
Weather: Warmer conditions starting late last week have fast-tracked crop growth. Tracking growing degree day (GDD) accumulation – Base 0 – for April and May in Huron county revealed 159 GGD in April and 244 GDD from May 1-25. Rainfall during the past week was sporadic with isolated thunderstorms resulting in flooded fields in […]
A number of reports have come in that cereal aphid populations are increasing. Scouting cereal fields is advised. Natural enemies are present in many fields so I recommend using the Cereal Aphid Manager app to help you decide if a spray is required based on your aphid and natural enemy populations. The cereal aphid threshold […]
Dry conditions have enabled rapid progress on planting. Some areas could use some rain to help crop emergence. The excellent weather conditions meant some districts were not represented on this week’s call, but those that were present estimated overall planting progress at 70-80%. Cereals, canola and grasses are all Base 0˚C GDD crops. The cool […]
Temperatures over the past week have been significantly warmer than the week prior. Most of the province saw rain over the long weekend. In many areas this was welcome news, but much of southwestern Ontario received significant downpours and flooded fields were a common sight. Listen to the audio version below. Subscribe on iTunes, Google play […]
19 May 2020, 8:00 am Due to COVID restrictions, ag breakfast meetings will be paired and held virtually by video conference on the “zoom” platform in 2020. The fourth 2020 Ridgetown-Simcoe virtual ag breakfast meeting was held May 19 with 80 participants. Weather: Crop development has been slow coming out of several days of well below seasonal, and […]
Some corn was planted around 10th of April. A much larger acreage got in between the 21st and 27th. The rest got in during the first part of May. Corn planted to date has gone in under very good soil conditions for the most part. The remainder of the corn will be likely planted after […]