This article shares the findings from a 2021 on-farm trial that compared fall cover crop termination with planting green. It was conducted near Hagersville, Ontario, as part of an Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association Tier Two project. Highlights To watch a short video with in-season footage from the trial, click below: Background Information on […]
Organization: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) Division/Branch: Economic Development Division / Agriculture Development Branch Position Title: Corn Agronomy Research and Extension Assistant Job Term: Temporary for up to 18 weeks, beginning spring 2023 Salary: $16.35 / hour, based on a 36.25 hour work week Office Location: Guelph, Ontario Contact: Ben Rosser, ben.rosser@ontario.ca Get your […]
Some popular insecticides won’t be available for use in field crops in Ontario in 2023. All products containing lambda-cyhalothrin including Matador, Warrior, Silencer, Labamba, Voliam Xpress and Endigo will be limited for use to only horticulture crops in eastern Canada this year. The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) re-evaluated lambda-cyhalothrin and end use products in […]
Organization: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) Division/Branch: Economic Development Division / Agriculture Development Branch Position Title: Student – Field Research Assistant Field Crops – 5 positions available Horticultural Crops – 2 positions available Job Term: Temporary, for up to 18 weeks, beginning spring 2023 Salary: $16.35/hour, based on a 36.25 hour work week Available […]
Co-authored with Ken Janovicek and Dr. Dave Hooker, University of Guelph Highlights By now, you’ve likely heard the message from the long-term rotation trials at Ridgetown and Elora: winter wheat in rotation improves corn and soybean yields. But with greater revenue coming in during corn and soybean years, the real question is whether these yield […]
The value from manure comes in the nutrients provided along with other components that benefit soil health. Manure adds a layer of complexity to fertilizer management, but it also provides benefits to crops that commercial fertilizer on its own cannot provide. Research helps with understanding the principles of how nutrients behave in different environments and […]
Results from the 2022 Ontario trap sites participating in the Adult Corn Rootworm (CRW) Trap Monitoring Network have been summarized in the infographic below. A more detailed report for all trap sites across North America was prepared by Ashley Dean and Erin Hodgson at Iowa State University and myself at: 2022 Regional Corn Rootworm Monitoring […]
Most springs, conversation at some point turns to no-till soybeans and how tough they look compared to their tilled counterparts. 2022 was no exception. With a record corn crop in 2021 and compaction due to a wet fall, there were challenges to contend with in no-till and some fields did get off to a slow […]
Planting In March 2022, Statistics Canada estimated Ontario farmers intended to plant 2.3 million acres of grain corn, 6% higher than the 5-year (2017-2021) average seeded acres of 2.16 million acres (OMAFRA Crop Statistics). Spring arrived slow. Lingering snows and rain limited field work on all but the lightest soils in late April. A very […]
Over three million acres of soybeans were seeded in 2022. High prices have increased the farm gate value of soybeans to over 2.5 billion dollars. The Agricorp floating claim price was $18.72/bu in 2022. Rainfall was sporadic during key plant growth stages, so yields were variable across the province. Field averages ranged below 25 bu/ac […]
2021 Winter Wheat Planting Conditions Planting conditions varied across the province. Areas with ideal conditions and a timely harvest of edible beans, canola, and oats were able to seed winter wheat within the optimum date range. Other areas experienced above average rainfall in October that resulted in pooling and heavy tile-run wheat. Most planting was […]
Total acreage of dry beans insured by Agricorp in 2022 was 101,901 acres (see Table 1.). The number of insured acres has slowly declinedfrom the 2020 high, when acres were the highest Ontario has experienced since 2007. Most market classes declined in 2022, except Adzuki Beans which saw a slight increase. Overall, 2022 acreage is […]
Spring Canola There was roughly 36,800 acres of spring canola insured by Agricorp in 2022. Compared to 2021, planted acreage across Ontario was similar. There were regional differences with planted acreage being slightly higher in Northeastern Ontario, and slightly lower in Northwestern Ontario Spring conditions were favourable for early planting throughout most of Ontario with […]
Winter 2021/2022 Conditions Fall of 2021 was very open, and many hay fields grew significantly more than usual. Stands that were predominantly grass created a higher risk for smothering alfalfa where there was too much top growth. Ideally grasses should be mowed to 15 cm (6 in.) to reduce smothering risk. Alfalfa will not smother, […]
Simple Summary there is limited guidance for safe fertilizer rates for strip till – unlike 2”x2” planter banding, there are many different fertilizer placement options in strip till there is likely some tradeoff with fertilizer placement in strip till – placement closer to the seed likely improves starter fertilizer effect and fertilizer efficiency, but likely […]