If you grow soybeans and have had all or either of Canada fleabane, common ragweed and giant ragweed growing in your fields, the use of pre-plant herbicide tank-mixes will be your best chance at achieving good control of these weeds. Management options for these three weeds are either limited or do not provide acceptable control […]
Research Team: Tracey Baute, OMAF and MRA, Dr. Art Schaafsma, UGRC, Dr. Cynthia Scott-Dupree, UG SES, Dr. Yingen Xue, UGRC, Dr. Victor Limay-Rios, UGRC and Jocelyn Smith, UGRC A summary of the results from our 2013 field study can be found here: Neonicotinoid Contaminated Dust and Pollinator Exposure during Planting; Results from 2013. Though this […]
OMAF and MRA and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) have worked together to develop new Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Pollinator Protection and Responsible Use of Insecticide Treated Seed for the 2014 season. The new BMPs can be found here: 2014 BMPs for Pollinator Protection and will also available on both of the pollinator […]
Protecting water from manure nutrients would be a lot easier if the weather would cooperate. Most produers know that applying manure on snow or on frozen ground is a bad idea. Nutrients don’t end up where they are needed and more money is spent on compensating with commercial fertilizer. From an evironmental perspective, however, the risk is high […]
With higher yields, forage inventories have been increased to more normal levels. Hay inventories carried over in the spring were extremely low, and hay prices peaked at historic highs, before softening after first- and second-cuts. Haylage and baleage inventories and quality are very good. Early-cut, green 1st-cut hay is in short supply and selling at […]
by Joel Bagg, Forage Specialist, Jack Kyle, Pasture Specialist, & Melanie Beech, OMAF and MRA Controlling weeds in horse pasture can be challenging. Weeds grow well in poor, overgrazed horse pastures, so good pasture management (sacrifice paddocks, rotation, mowing, fertility, drainage, etc) goes a long way in controlling weeds. Overgrazing thins the grass stand and […]
Co-Authored by: Albert Tenuta, OMAF & MRA Field Crop Pathologist The OMAF and MRA Field Crops team has recently completed a survey of the 2013 Ontario corn crop to determine ear mould incidence as well as the occurrence of mycotoxins in the grain. These mycotoxins, particularly vomitoxin (DON) produced primarily by Gibberella/Fusarium ear moulds can […]
Tracey Baute, Field Crop Entomologist and Paul Kozak, Provincial Apiarist, OMAF and MRA The issue of what is impacting honey bee health in Ontario is complex and multifaceted. There are still many unknowns and research is underway to try and address some of those factors. While there are many theories being promoted in the public […]
Author: Jocelyn Smith, Research Associate, Field Crop Pest Management University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus It appears that in 2013, southwestern Ontario’s hotspot areas for Western bean cutworm (WBC) (large area around Bothwell and Tilsonburg) have a significant problem in their corn fields. OMAF and MRA and University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus staff have completed surveys […]
Field crop stakeholders across the province are expressing a desire to be proactive in protecting pollinators from the risks associated with neonicotinoid seed insecticides. Assessments to date point to fugitive dust (drift of neonicotinoid contaminated dust from vacuum planters) as the likely cause of spring bee deaths. Fortunately, there are significant advancements being made in […]
by Joel Bagg, Forage Specialist, & Greg Stewart, Corn Specialist, OMAFRA “What’s corn silage worth this year?” Grain corn prices have dropped considerably after unprecedented high prices last year, bringing corn silage prices down with them. With current grain corn and hay prices, corn silage still looks fairly attractive as an alternate forage. After excessive […]
Various areas in the province received frost in September and there continues to be concern the impact subsequent frost will have on the soybean crop. The extent of injury will depend on the stage of development as well as the length of exposure to frost. MECHANISM Low temperatures injure plants primarily by inducing ice formation […]
Cold September nights can cause widespread anxiety in corn producers. The level of anxiety for most growers will be determined by the stage of maturity their grain corn crop has reached. As temperatures drop to zero frost damage first occurs to the leaves of the corn plants. This damage will eliminate any further photosynthesis, reduce […]
The importance of harvest moisture and maturity to corn silage quality and animal performance is often underestimated. Not only is it important to minimize fermentation dry matter and spoilage losses, it is difficult to compensate for poor forage quality in ration balancing and animal performance. Don’t get caught harvesting corn silage outside the […]
Synopsis: Using the provincial performance trials to pick the top variety for your farm. By now you should have looked at the wheat variety trials (www.gocereals.ca). What an AMAZING amount of information. With new information, and combined charts, which table should you actually use? Managed or normal? For the first time ever (2013), there are variety comparisons […]