2024 Planting Conditions
In the fall of 2024, growers across Ontario were able to seed winter wheat, barley and triticale into almost perfect conditions. A significant portion of winter cereal acres were seeded in September, but with persistent summer-like conditions, growers continued seeding well into late October. The optimum conditions also allowed for many to make a fall herbicide application resulting in excellent dandelion and perennial weed control. Going into winter, early planted fields were well tillered with 3-5 tillers per plant and late October planted fields were at the 2-3 leaf stage. Winter triticale and winter barley fields also tillered significantly with winter triticale fields planted in early September having 7+ tillers.
Acreage
Approximately 1,183,700 acres of winter wheat was seeded (includes SRW, HRW and SWW). The proportion of acres in soft red wheat, hard red wheat and soft white wheat classes for the 2025 crop was similar to 2024 (Table 1).
Table 1: Proportion of Acres Across Winter Wheat Classes1
| Wheat Class | Proportion of Acres (%) | ||
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
| Soft red wheat (SRW) | 91.2 | 91.6 | 91.5 |
| Hard red wheat (HRW) | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.6 |
| Soft white wheat (SWW) | 2.6 | 2.2 | 2.1 |
| Organic | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.8 |
2025 Growing Season Conditions
Despite significant snowfall and cold temperatures in many regions, winter survival through spring 2025 was excellent. Regions including northern, central and eastern Ontario, Bruce, Grey, Huron, Perth, Oxford, Waterloo and Wellington counties experienced significant snow coverage before the ground froze resulting in patches of snow mould throughout fields (Figure 1). Those fields affected were generally planted early and had lots of top growth. There were also varietal differences with more susceptible varieties showing more severe symptoms. Most fields grew out of symptoms as temperatures rose and plants continued to develop. Tom Kilcer, Certified Crop Advisor in New York state found that 0.7 to 0.75 lbs/ac of sulphur foliar applied, prior to snowfall in winter triticale, helped reduce incidence of snow mould the following spring. Growers in regions that receive significant snowfall prior to the ground freezing may want to consider a strip trial with foliar sulphur to help reduce the risk of snow mould. In early to mid-April, those that split their nitrogen (N) made their first N applications along with sulphur (S). By early May wheat reached stem elongation in southern Ontario and those fields that received no N to date applied their nitrogen in a single application. By this time many fields also began showing signs of S deficiency, particularly in those fields that received minimal rainfall after an application of ammonium sulfate (AMS). Cold, dry conditions slowed sulphur mineralization, and prevented sulphur fertilizer moving into the soil solution, reducing available nutrient for uptake. Once rainfall occurred symptoms began to disappear. Those fields that received higher rates of sulphur showed fewer signs of deficiency. Any remaining split N applications were completed by early to mid-May. N and S applications were made in mid- to late May in Northern Ontario. Persistent cool temperatures during early stem elongation across Ontario delayed PGR applications in some fields as cold temperatures after application were a concern, particularly when multiple products were being applied.
Disease levels remained relatively low early in the growing season; however, stripe rust was identified in Perth and Grey counties the second week of May and by the third week of May was found from Chatham through to Palmerston. Stripe rust eventually spread to eastern and northern Ontario, as well as into Quebec and the Maritimes, and impacted both spring and winter wheat. Powdery mildew was also at medium to high pressure in fields across the province, particularly where stands were dense or the variety being grown is susceptible. Many growers in stripe rust areas opted to apply a T2 fungicide if their T3 application window was more than 5 days away. Cool nighttime temperatures slowed growth through the heading stages providing a wider window to apply T3 fungicide. The cool conditions prior to flowering also helped reduce inoculum load of fusarium. Crown rust was also a challenge in some oat fields, particularly where a susceptible variety was grown or where a fungicide was not applied.
By early to late June, cereal leaf beetle (CLB) and aphid populations (Figure 2) were high in some winter and spring cereal fields, requiring attention. Due to the high levels of aphids in both the spring and fall, many winter wheat fields across Ontario had symptoms of Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYVD) (Figure 3). Once you have confirmed a BYDV infection in a field, there are little to no control options in-season; however, there are management strategies that can be implemented to reduce the risk of infection including planting within your optimum planting date window, selecting resistant varieties, and controlling the aphids via insecticide seed treatments in fields planted ahead of the optimum planting dates. An insecticide seed treatment for aphid management can reduce the amount of feeding that occurs but will not totally eliminate infection. Despite reports of armyworm larvae in some fields, populations and feeding remained low overall. High levels of beneficial insects were also found in cereal fields across the region.
Spring cereal seeding began in pockets of southern Ontario in mid-April; however, persistent cool, wet conditions across eastern and northern Ontario delayed spring cereal seeding to the last week of April through May for many. Overall spring cereals emerged nicely and stand counts were strong.
2025 Cereals Harvest
Crop Quality
Harvest began in early July in the most southern part of the province and continued through to the north until mid-August. Overall quality was excellent with strong falling numbers. Nearly all grain samples had DON levels < 2 ppm with most samples grading No. 2 or better. The top four grading factors for No. 3 soft red wheat were mildew, Fusarium damage, test weight and sprouting2. Like winter wheat, winter barley and spring cereal quality was generally good with reports of low-test weights in spring cereals likely due to the persistent, hot dry conditions from late June through to August.
Timely harvest in winter barley and wheat provided an opportunity for planting double crop soybeans in the most southern part of the province; however, double crop soybean acreage was down compared to 2024.
Yields
Hot, dry conditions beginning the week of June 23rd shortened the grain-fill period which likely impacted yield potential. However, winter wheat yields were good with the average yield across SRW, HRW and SWW classes reaching 100.4 bu/ac, which is a record high for Ontario (Table 2). Wheat straw yields were excellent. Winter barley yields were average, and spring cereal yields were also higher than anticipated with spring wheat currently running at 109% of average, oats at 110% of average, barley at 112.5% of average and spring grain at 102% of average. Cereal rye and triticale silage harvest began in the southwest in late April through early May with yields reported as being excellent.
Table 2: Agricorp reported yields in 2025 and 2024 for each winter wheat class as well as the previous 5-year yield average (2020-2024)1
| Class | 2024 Yield (bu/ac) | 2025 Yield (bu/ac) | 5-Yr Avg (bu/ac) |
| Soft Red | 100 | 101 | 96 |
| Hard Red | 91 | 90 | 90 |
| Soft White | 101 | 100 | 95 |
| Organic | 61 | 59 | 62 |
Fall 2025 Planting Conditions
Winter wheat, barley and triticale seeding began in mid-September for those planting after canola, short-season soybeans, and some early-maturing edible bean fields. In most regions however, winter wheat seeding was in late September or early October. Persistent dry conditions through much of September resulted in some growers waiting for rainfall before planting. Early planted fields are well tillered with 3-5 tillers/plant with later planted fields at the 2-3 leaf stage. Winter triticale, winter barley and rye fields are also tillering significantly and are comparable to last year. Approximately 1,046,568 acres of winter wheat were seeded this fall.
1Agricorp Crop Insurance Data
2Canadian Grain Commission: Quality of Canada Eastern Soft Red Winter wheat in 2025
