Crop Conditions – Week of May 29th, 2023

Conditions

Planting has wrapped up across most of the province with the exception of acres going in after first cut forages or on some heavy clays that received rainfall before they were planted and edible beans. Some areas received back-to-back frost warnings, but damage has been minimal to date. Persistent dry conditions are presenting some challenges for winter wheat nutrient uptake and the application of soil applied crop protection products.

Corn

Corn planting is over 97% complete, with fields going in after first cut forages and on some heavy clay ground the last acres to be planted. Emergence has been slow, but even. Some corn is now at the 4-leaf stage with roots almost 1 foot deep. There have been some concerns of fertilizer burn on light sandy soils. Planting practices are critical to avoid planting into hot zones and the anticipated rainfall should alleviate most of these issues. As many are preparing for herbicide applications across the province, it is important to know your weed spectrum and plan accordingly. If Canada fleabane or waterhemp are a concern, it is important to stay on top of these weeds. A glyphosate application will just allow them to get bigger and less controllable by the time a second pass is made. Very few frost issues have been reported, with some fields seeing a slight reduction in stand. Pre-sidedress nitrate test (PSNT) sampling is anticipated to begin earlier than normal this year.

Soybeans

Soybean planting is complete in most areas. Emergence ranges from excellent to slow depending on soil type and planting depth. Final stand evaluations should not be made too quickly. It often takes up to 21 days for the majority of seedlings to emerge. Some may take over 30 days to emerge. Soil crusting is a problem again this year on clay soils.  Replanting is underway in the affected areas. Plant stands on lighter soils is excellent this year. Some IP beans have missed their pre-emerge window, so post-emerge weed control could prove to be challenging going forward. There have also been a few reports of limited soybean damage from the frosts last week.   

Edible Beans

Some edible beans have been planted for a few weeks while others are waiting or just starting in hopes of catching some moisture. Ideally, planters should be set to place seed 1.5-1.75” deep. Beans planted mid-May are now at the unifoliate stage with no reports of frost damage to date.

Cereals

While there have been challenges, for the most part, the winter wheat crop continues to look good across the province. In the most advanced areas (e.g. Essex), pollination has begun. As we move east and north, the crop is at the boot to head emergence stages. With the persistent dry conditions, there are questions on the benefit of a T3 fungicide application. Research led by Dr. Dave Hooker, U of G Ridgetown Campus, shows a response to a T3 fungicide application greater than 5.5 bu/ac 75% of the time. On average the response to a T3 fungicide is 8 bu/ac. However, the risk for FHB and DON is low this year with very little rainfall in the forecast. When deciding on making a T3 fungicide application, ensure you are considering the economics (i.e., cost of the application, yield loss due to tramlines, etc.). A T3 application may be warranted in those fields planted after corn or fields with moderate to high levels of powdery mildew pressure. There may also be a benefit in providing a stay-green effect, particularly on a dry year, which may help extend the grain fill period. Before making any T3 applications, ensure sprayers have been cleaned out thoroughly as wheat at heading is incredibly sensitive to any tank contamination.

There has been a lot of observation and discussion on different coloured wheat in fields. The issues are particularly challenging on poorly drained soils or fields with rooting depth issues. With cool and damp conditions early on, followed by dry conditions, it is suspected that some nutrients were, and remain, unavailable in the soil and reduced crop transpiration has resulted in a reduction in nutrient uptake. If you are seeing discolored patterns in your fields, collect a tissue sample to confirm the deficiency you are dealing with. A summary of tissue results from one lab in the month of May found the most common deficient nutrients in wheat samples to be zinc, manganese, magnesium, boron and some potassium. Although wheat is a dryland crop, adequate rainfall is needed for optimum yields. The yield potential of the crop remains very good and rainfall in the month of June along with the forecasted cool nighttime temperatures will support extending the grain fill period.

Forages

Winter cereal forage and first cut alfalfa harvest is in full swing in many areas of the province this week. Winter triticale yields have been reported as being generally good to above average. Rye yields have been variable. Quality to date in all forages has been good. Alfalfa weevil was being found in some regions, but the cooler temperatures have held them back. When possible, early harvest is a preferred control option. Where weevil are still small at harvest, monitor regrowth for weevil feeding. Other control options can be viewed at the Crop Protection Hub HERE. More details on Alfalfa Weevil management are available HERE.

Figure 1: Evaluations of soybean stands should take place at least 10 days after planting as emergence isn’t perfectly even and can be staggered by a few days within the same field.

Figure 2: Before making any T3 applications, ensure sprayers have been cleaned out thoroughly as wheat at heading is incredibly sensitive to any tank contamination. This field was contaminated with rimsulfuron when a T3 fungicide was applied.

Weather Data – May 22-28, 2023

Location	Year	Highest Temp (°C)	Lowest Temp (°C)	Rain (mm)	Rain (mm) April 1st	GDD 0C April 1st	GDD 5C April 1st	CHU May 1st
Harrow	2023	25.8	4.5	0.0	76	644	365	388
	2022	22.8	5.9	16.8	154	631	373	483
	10 YR Avg. (2011-20)	25.4	10.5	28.2	182	636	349	464
Ridgetown	2023	26.6	1.4	0.0	126	604	334	358
	2022	24.7	5.2	5.5	125	580	331	433
	10 YR Avg. (2011-20)	25.1	8.0	24.9	161	584	301	423
London	2023	27.5	3.1	0.0	163	600	330	358
	2022	24.5	5.7	7.2	140	569	329	428
	10 YR Avg. (2011-20)	24.7	8.4	19.2	161	572	294	420
Brantford	2023	27.8	2.6	0.0	139	584	313	342
	2022	24.9	5.8	3.8	124	570	319	407
Welland	2023	26.1	2.3	0.0	133	591	314	330
	2022	26.0	6.5	7.6	119	612	351	442
	10 YR Avg. (2011-20)	24.7	8.8	18.1	173	577	297	418
Elora	2023	26.9	1.8	0.0	118	522	268	295
	2022	24.2	5.1	37.9	120	525	287	379
	10 YR Avg. (2011-20)	23.7	7.6	14.6	163	490	224	352
Mount Forest	2023	26.3	-0.2	0.0	145	518	269	294
	2022	23.6	4.1	17.9	129	530	298	400
	10 YR Avg. (2011-20)	23.2	7.9	17.8	149	477	220	349
Peterborough	2023	26.9	0.7	5.4	141	539	273	304
	2022	24.0	3.7	13.9	103	534	281	402
	10 YR Avg. (2011-20)	24.5	6.8	15.9	147	506	240	375
Kemptville	2023	30.3	1.2	9.3	202	570	308	324
	2022	25.6	3.9	25.0	222	590	318	437
	10 YR Avg. (2011-20)	24.0	8.2	15.2	155	529	265	393
Earlton	2023	29.6	-1.6	10.3	160	414	200	280
	2022	22.3	1.4	33.8	111	427	223	368
	10 YR Avg. (2011-20)	22.0	5.0	18.2	123	333	151	283
Sudbury	2023	29.0	-0.9	4.1	198	419	206	264
	2022	20.5	3.0	31.8	134	433	221	347
	10 YR Avg. (2011-20)	23.2	6.9	15.3	148	381	176	305
Thunder Bay	2023	27.1	-3.8	3.5	125	336	144	237
	2022	23.3	-3.3	18.4	280	289	113	218
	10 YR Avg. (2011-20)	19.3	3.5	30.3	126	300	107	226
Fort Frances	2023	28.7	3.9	3.4	100	444	245	373
	2022	23.4	-2.0	0.0	246	318	144	273
	10 YR Avg. (2011-20)	21.6	6.5	19.1	107	360	148	284

Cobourg Breakfast Minutes

May 30, 2023

Forages

• Lots of first cut coming off across the region
• Yields are variable but seem to be staying within average to above average. Forage rye yields are down a bit from previous years, but harvest is progressing. Quality is good so far
• Both grasses and alfalfa are slower coming on this year, but orchardgrass is headed out
• Frost and cooler temperatures last week seem to have held alfalfa weevil pressure back in the eastern regions
• Pastures are also looking good

Winter Wheat

• Winter wheat looks phenomenal across the province
• Lots of deficiencies showing up with the cooler weather followed by dry conditions causing resulting in unavailable nutrients and reduced nutrient uptake. If you’re unsure, make sure to pull some tissue samples!
• Most commonly deficient nutrients this year are Zinc, Manganese, Magnesium, Boron and even some Potassium.
• T3 fungicides provide a greater than 5 bu/ac response 75% of the time with an average yield increase of 8 bu/ac. There may be benefitin terms of a stay green effect, particularly in stressful conditions like the dry conditions right now. Another piece to consider is the level of powdery mildew in fields with susceptible varieties.
• Southwestern Ontario is right in the T3 application range now, with central and parts of eastern Ontario still in boot, early head.
• Warmer temperatures will progress staging quickly in the coming week

Corn

• Majority of the corn acres are in across the region.
• Emergence is slow; rain would bring the corn on quite quickly
• Lots of acres intended to be sprayed over the next week

Soybeans

• Much of the intended soybean acres are planted, however there are still a few to go after first cut or rye, etc.
• Some of the IP beans in the area missed their pre-emerge window, so post emerge control could prove to be challenging going forwards.
• Some reports of minimal bean damage from the frosts last week, so replants will happen as required
• Edible beans are just getting started in Durham area.

Soils

• Laura Van Eerd is looking for participants for a soil health project. They’re looking for soil samples from farms across the province. Sampling costs are covered. Please reach out to Jake Munroe or Ian MacDonald at OMAFRA if you’re interested in participating.
• Acres that were worked with highspeed discs this spring are drying out much faster than other methods of tillage or no-till. Seed bed preparation is good with these implements but be sure not over work soil ahead of planting.

Agricorp

• Some damage reports for apples in the area where the blossoms on the lower parts of the trees got frosted. There are concerns for yield potential, but it will take some time to determine the extent.
• Some wind damage report on winter wheat near the lake but otherwise very few concerns
• Some soybean replants with the frost damage but most was still pre emerge at the time of the cool weather
• Deadline to plant corn is June 15^th (regional)
• Deadline to plant soybeans is June 30^th (regional)

Ridgetown Ag Business breakfast meeting

May 30, 2023

Welcome to Danny Jeffries, new Soil Management Specialist – Horticulture Crops, based out of Ridgetown.  Contact Danny at 519-359-6707 or danny.jefferies@ontario.ca 

Winter Wheat

• Looking good overall, but some fields with issues
• Lots of streaking/patchy patterns showing up in wheat
  • Some issues with application equipment, but more widespread than that
  • Manganese deficiency – very extensive in some fields
  • More noticeable in fields with rooting depth issues, poorly drained soils
• Some fields with thinner stems, smaller heads than normal
• Not much leaf disease pressure still with dry weather
• T3 fungicide – to spray or not to spray?
  • Average yield response 8.8 bu/ac to T3 fungicide
    • 5.5 bu/ac or greater response in 80% of trials
  • Check your economics – does 5.5 bu/ac work with custom application, yield loss due to tramlines, product, etc.
    • Aerial application may be an option to avoid tramlines
  • Stay-green effect of T3 fungicides may give a wider window of application than if specifically targeting DON
  • Still offers preventative protection from disease, and if concerned about DON, T3 fungicide makes sense
• Concerns with dry weather limiting yield potential
  • Still very good potential
    • Cool nights help to extend the grain fill
  • Wheat is a dryland crop, but top yields still come with decent rainfall
  • Wheat can produce roughly 7-10 bu/ac per inch of moisture in the spring
    • Rains in May/June are worth more than rains in April though
• Physiological fleck is widespread
  • Potential for misdiagnosis – disease, deficiencies can look similar
• Winter barley – more BYDV than expected

Corn

• Overall, emerging very nicely and looks good
  • Emergence is slower than normal; heat is helping push along
  • Some corn at 4-leaf stage now, with roots down almost 1 foot deep
  • Some localized issues of soil crusting and difficult emergence in Lambton clay
• April planted corn looks good, majority of crop made it through the cold
  • Some reduction in stand, but not enough to replant
• Some concerns of fertilizer burn in light sandy soils
  • Silvery/greyish leaves, yellowing in the whorl with short, stubby roots and no fibrous roots
    • If roots can get below fertilizer, may survive
    • Rainfall can normally alleviate most of the issues
  • Planting practices are critical to avoid planting into hot zones
    • Planting around curves can lead the seed into the 2×2 band, causing ammonia or salt injury
    • Shallow planting showing symptoms are much worse
  • Free ammonia can move 11” laterally from where it was placed within 1-2 weeks after application
• Herbicide – use residual herbicides now and hope for a rain?  Or use glyphosate now followed by residual closer to rain?
  • Know your weed spectrum
  • If Canada fleabane or waterhemp are a concern, a glyphosate application will just allow them to get bigger and less controllable by the time of your second pass
• PSNT starting on early corn

Soybeans

• Slow emergence thus far
  • Don’t evaluate for at least 10 days after planting
  • Emergence isn’t perfectly even, and can be staggered by a few days’ time within the same field
• Variable depth, down pressure is important getting through hard clay that have turned to concrete-like conditions

Edible Beans

• Some edible beans have been in for a couple weeks, others are waiting for a later date and some moisture before beginning planting
• U of Guelph trials – first planting May 14, now at unifoliate
  • No issue with frost damage at this point
• Moisture is critical for edible bean planting
  • Small seeds – need to be 0.5” into moisture, large seeds – 0.75” into moisture
  • Ideally, planting at 1.5-1.75” depth
  • “If you don’t get moisture until you are 2” deep, you are struggling.” – Chris Gilliard

Forages

• Lots of alfalfa and grass hay cut and baling
• Yields look terrific so far, even though earlier harvest than normal
• Triticale and rye yields outstanding
  • Reduced yields by 67% without sulphur application this year
  • Little bit lower in protein
• Alfalfa weevil are present
  • If using chemical controls, know which insecticides are able to be used, and know pre-harvest intervals of them

Horticultural Crops

• Tomatoes 12,500 acres planted
  • 40% of crop was in last week
    • 65% of that has to be replanted due to frost damage
    • Supply of plants in greenhouses may be getting tight
  • Likely to be some delays in harvest
• Sugarbeets look good

Weather

• Driest May in Ridgetown in at least 20 years
  • 2023 rainfall – 23 mm, normal is 70 mm
• Farmer records in Strathroy – driest May in 42 years
• Corn Heat Units – down 129 CHU from last year at Ridgetown
  • 327 CHU today, 446 CHU last year
  • 11-year average – 440 CHU

Agricorp update – SW, SC, Niagara

• Wheat
  • Total 95 damage reports, just under 8000 acres
• Spring seeded crops
  • Corn – 4 damage reports – 262 acres
  • Soybeans – 19 damage reports – 1415 acres
    • Likely to increase with some replants likely in the coming weeks
  • Canola – 8 reports – 1290 acres
    • Damage due to poor emergence last fall, some winterkill

Soil Health Assessment and Planning tool – Laura Van Eerd

• Looking for participants to help collect 250 soil health samples throughout Ontario
• Aiming to build up the database of soils and soil health within Ontario
• No personal information is being collected as part of the database
• 5 indicators of soil health to be analyzed at Agri-Food Labs – U of Guelph
  • Organic matter (OM)
  • Aggregate stability
  • Active carbon (POXc)
  • Respiration (96-hr carbon mineralization CO2)
  • Potentially mineralizable nitrogen (PMN)
• Targeting June for sample collection
• First step is to sign up: email soils@uoguelph.ca subject line ‘SHAP testing’ with your name, county(s), the number of fields and number of samples you’re interested in collecting (rough estimate or range).
• Questions? Check out the guide attached or this link https://soilsatguelph.ca/soil-health-testing/ or email at Soils@uoguelph.ca

Mount Forest Ag Advisors Breakfast Meeting Minutes

May 31, 2023

Conditions

• A very good spring overall for planting weather wise and for soil conditions
• Most areas benefited from the rainfall on Friday-Saturday which followed much of the corn planting in the region
• Conditions are drying out and this is being seen mostly in the wheat crop. Corn and even more so soybeans are less prone to drought impacts at this stage of development as long as sufficient soil moisture was available to get the seed germinated and emerged
• Despite the lack of rainfall in total in the region and across the province, all crops are still looking good
• Decent rainfall is required across the province in the next 10-14 days for good crop growth and weed control

Corn

• Majority is planted and much of it is up and at the 2-4 leaf throughout the area. Populations are good.
• Some double crop corn is still being planted following cover crop or forage harvest
• Seeding depth (2” avg) due to soil moisture concerns at planting, and cool soils throughout May have delayed emergence but there are little to no issues
• Deeper seeding depths has gotten the seed into moisture and is getting the roots deep enough to be finding water
• Corn fields with pre emerge herbicides down before the rain got good activation in general but lots of corn fields have either been sprayed since the rain, or are still waiting on the sprayer
• Essentially no replants have occurred

Soybeans

• Most of the crop is planted and went in really good conditions
• Some crusting has occurred with a few calls about possible replants
• Lots of both no-till and tilled soybeans but it is too early to tell whether this will make a difference this season
• Very little herbicide has been applied with no rainfall for activation
• Lots of fields seeing post plant rolling, pushing those rocks down and trying to hold moisture

Wheat

• To date the crop has been excellent but lately with the drier weather people are reporting various nutrient deficiencies and the crop just appearing to be suffering
• It was pointed out that we went through a dry spell last summer and most ended up with record yields so there is a lot of the season left. 
• Rainfall will be critical to achieving yield potential once we hit pollination in the next 10 days or so
• Not surprising given the rapid growth stage of the crop at this time which is pumping large amounts of water and thus with low rainfall, there is a likely reduction in the amount of applied nutrients being readily available in the soil water from which roots absorb it
• Some of the symptoms being seen point to various specific nutrient deficiencies but these may be a result of some other nutrient deficiency leading to a reduction in the visible nutrient symptoms being readily absorbed.
• Much of the crop is in the boot stage and will likely be heading next week given the heat
• Much of the crop received a T1 fungicide but people are thinking of bypassing the T2 application and concentrating on the T3 timing.

Edible Beans

• Much of the crop planted, most of which should be complete by weekend although some have held off to the traditional after June 1st planting date.
• Planting depth seems to be targeting that 2” depth looking for moisture

Canola

• Most of the crop in good shape and in the middle of flowering
• Looks like a big crop
• Didn’t appear to suffer much from the frost and cool temperatures, where some initial “droopiness” was quickly followed by recovery, although some fields further north were replanted (New Liskeard)
• Some spraying for cabbage seedpod weevil which is less common but being attributed to cooler conditions of the last couple of weeks. 

Hay

• Cover crop grass forage harvest started and finished in the last 10 days and a lot of forage hay has been cut this week. No report yields yet.
• Crop is drying fast after mowing so watching moisture for storage is important

Weed and Pest Control

• There is going to be a lot of pressure on sprayers once we combine pre, post weed control with T3 fungicides in wheat. Thorough sprayer cleanout of tank, lines and nozzles is critical to preventing pesticide injury to susceptible crops.
• Lots of fields with pre herbicide treatments in corn and soybeans which have not received activating rainfall yet. Significant fields without herbicides yet as farmers wait for rainfall. Growers need to be watching crop emergence closely
• Even with lack of rain, there is significant weed control happening for per herbicide programs (just leave an unsprayed check strip and you will quickly see that over the season).
• Once rainfall occurs activation of most pre herbicides will occur. We should see small and newly germinating weeds take up the herbicide and be controlled. Fully emerged weeds will not be controlled in this situation and will be dependant on post herbicide programs. 
• Once post weed control begins, those weeds that escaped pre emerge programs may be large and hardened off by the hot, dry weather. Keep on top of these applications and make herbicide choices based on the situation
• It’s important to be emphasizing to all farmers the importance of a systems approach to weed control which has these 3 main components: 1. plan on a 2-pass system; 2. have cover crops or other cover in fields following wheat/cereal harvest and 3. ensure you take advantage of the fall weed control period for tough and biennial weeds, ie dandelion.

Sulphur

• Some discussion on Sulphur from the standpoint of are we using enough. Need a good 15-20 lbs of actual available to the main crops
• Be aware of S source for delivery of the right amount of available S from the various products
• Account for spring conditions in terms of availability of mineralizable soil S, likely less than expected this season with the cooler and drier soils this spring