July 2021 Forage Report

map depicting the percent of average rainfall received across Ontario in July 2021

Ontario Hay Listings is a free classifieds service provided by the Ontario Forage Council. Producers looking to buy or sell hay or straw are encouraged to post an ad.

As cereal grain crops are harvested, there is an opportunity to establish an annual forage crop. For a late fall grazing or harvest, research by Dr. Bill Deen suggests 80 lbs/acre of oats with 50 lbs/acre of actual nitrogen is economical and effective. Oats can be very susceptible to rust, so producers may prefer to grow barley rather than apply a fungicide. For early spring forage, a winter cereal is the best choice.

AAFC’s Agroclimate Impact Reporter is interested in how weather impacts farms throughout the growing season (i.e. what’s really happening on the ground). This ag-sector citizen science effort feeds into AgriRecovery and other programs. The monthly survey takes ~5 minutes to complete. You can join the reporter network here.

Southwest

  • According to AAFC, most of the region received above-average rainfall for July.
  • The fall rest period for alfalfa starts around August 25 for areas of Grey, Dufferin, Bruce, Huron and Wellington counties, and later in other parts of the region. Cutting during the six weeks after this date depletes root reserves and increases the risk of winterkill.

Central and East

  • According to AAFC, most of the region received above-average rainfall for July.
  • The fall rest period for alfalfa starts around August 20 for areas of Renfrew, Haliburton and Muskoka and later in other parts of the region. Cutting during the six weeks after this date depletes root reserves and increases the risk of winterkill.

Northeast

  • According to AAFC, most of the region received above-average rainfall for July, except for Cochrane District, which had average or below-average levels of
  • The fall rest period for alfalfa starts around August 10 in Cochrane District, and later in areas further south. Cutting during the six weeks after this date depletes root reserves and increases the risk of winter kill.

Northwest

  • According to AAFC, Thunder Bay and Rainy River Districts received less than 40% of average rainfall for July. Kenora District had less than 60% of normal precipitation for the month.
  • The fall rest period for alfalfa starts around August 10 in Kenora District, and later in areas further south. Cutting during the six weeks after this date depletes root reserves and increases the risk of winterkill.
  • To use grain and oilseed crops as forage:
    • Call Agricorp first to change crop use! 1-888-247-4999
    • Check crop protection product labels for pre-grazing and pre-harvest intervals. The Pesticide Label app by Health Canada can help you find the current label. Label search keywords include: grazing, graze, pasture, forage, hay, silage, fodder, and feed.
  • Mental Health supports are available 24/7 through Ontario 211 and the Ontario Mental Health Helpline at 1-866-531-2600.

map depicting the percent of average rainfall received across Ontario in July 2021

Location/Year  GDD 0C March 1st

(grasses)

GDD 5C  March 1st

(alfalfa)

Precip (mm) April 1st
Harrow      
2021 2203 1512 375
2020 2096 1419 286
2019 1959 1321 366
Ridgetown      
2021 2071 1397 361
2020 1988 1333 251
2019 1859 1224 442
London      
2021 2040 1380 301
2020 1917 1272 230
2019 1743 1148 418
Brantford      
2021 2007 1343 281
2020 1925 1287 188
2019 1805 1196 274
Welland      
2021 2011 1344 289
2020 1990 1329 255
2019 1876 1249 343
Elora      
2021 1837 1195 256
2020 1743 1145 224
2019 1387 860 349
Mount Forest      
2021 1840 1207 308
2020 1719 1139 314
2019 1610 1039 129
Peterborough      
2021 1817 1169 290
2020 1735 1137 169
2019 1639 1052 321
Kemptville      
2021 1962 1310 238
2020 1859 1243 180
2019 1686 1108 203
Earlton      
2021 1656 1054 419
2020 1493 1013 300
2019 1340 846 320
Sudbury      
2021 1702 1099 297
2020 1564 1053 344
2019 1326 841 322
Thunder Bay      
2021 1533 957 239
2020 1382 904 143
2019 1253 756 257
Fort Frances      
2021 1653 1056 186
2020 1538 1016 201
2019 1353 837 259