July 2021 Forage Report

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.

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