The forage production year starts in the fall, not the spring. How perennial forage crops are managed now helps set them up for 2027. Fall fertilizer applications assist persistence Perennial plants “harden off” to survive the winter. The process changes how water is regulated in the plant, to prevent ice crystals from forming inside cells […]
As winter wheat harvest progresses across south-central Ontario, growers and agronomists have reported a range of yield and quality concerns, including empty heads, partially filled heads, shrunken kernels, premature head death, and lower-than-expected yields. Many affected fields also contained blackened heads and kernels showing symptoms of black point (Figure 1 and 2). While black point […]
The Ontario Cereal Crop Committee (OCCC) 2026 winter barley preliminary trial data is now available at GoCrops.ca. The 2026 preliminary data can be found in the tables under “winter barley” in the “performance trial results” tab at GoCrops.ca. The final winter barley and wheat data along with the PDF report will be finalized at the August OCCC […]
Don’t Turn Your On-Farm Trial into an Expensive Guess On-farm trials are one of the best ways to evaluate new products, practices, and management strategies under real farm conditions. The often provide more useful information than testimonials or marketing claims alone. However, a trial only has value if it is designed to produce reliable results. […]
Spider mite infestations are starting to pop up in some soybean and dry bean fields, especially in regions that have missed the recent rains and those fields with a known history of mite infestations. Scouting soybeans and dry beans frequently for mites this time of year is important, as infestations tend to be noticed too […]
The Winchester and Arnprior Agriculture Business Breakfast Meetings have opted to trial hosting monthly meetings in each location from the end of June until the end of harvest. The notes will be posted after each meeting on Field Crop News, and the schedule can be found below. August’s meeting will focus on lime, amendments, manure, […]
Evaluating the Costs and Benefits of Organic Amendments One of the benefits of cereals in rotation is the opportunity to include cover crops and organic amendments into the rotation. Livestock farmers have always realized the value of manure in building soil fertility and supporting crop production. Today, a wide range of organic amendments—many sourced from […]
Reflection On Spring Planting Season-Did Patience Payoff in 2026? Every spring and in each field, we are faced with the question of whether the soil is “fit” to begin tillage and planting. When you consider the size, speed, and weight of equipment today, starting a couple of days or even a half a day too […]
Rain Rainfall from mid June through mid July is strongly related to corn yields, and in some cases, optimum nitrogen rates. It’s the time of year when high clearance applicators might be gearing up to do late nitrogen (N) applications on corn. Like traditional sidedress applications, moving N supply closer to N demand can be […]
Potato leafhopper is a major alfalfa pest in Ontario. Yield losses may reach 50%, and crude protein content can drop 2-3% from heavy infestations. Potato leafhopper feeding decreases stand vigour, slows regrowth and increases winterkill. The simple answer As alfalfa gets taller it can tolerate more potato leafhoppers before action is necessary to protect forage […]
Soybeans Soybeans are at the unifoliate to 5th trifoliate (V5) growth stage depending on planting date and region. Emergence is variable with some fields struggling to achieve a uniform plant stand. Overall, replanting was not necessary in most regions. Early planted fields are now starting to close the canopy. For maximum yield potential it’s ideal […]
OVERVIEW A cool unsettled week with below-seasonal temperatures and high risk of showers and thunderstorms has slowed crop growth and made crop protection applications a challenge. That said, most of the intended acreage has been planted, and early season crop growth is considered good. Field Corn Soybeans Cereals Edible Beans Canola Forages Weed Control […]
An extremely heavy population of true armyworm (TAW) larvae was found in a field of cereal rye being cut between Strathroy and Parkhill yesterday. This is the second field that TAW have been spotted in the last few weeks; the first being in a YEN wheat field near Oil Springs, though the population was much […]
We are once again reaching out to see if anyone is interested in monitoring corn rootworm (CRW) through the CRW Trap Network this year. Monitoring with sticky traps can help you determine if you have a Bt resistant corn rootworm problem and it helps us keep track of where these problem fields are. It can […]