Overview Crop progress across Ontario has advanced significantly over the past two weeks, with most regions wrapping up planting and moving into early-season crop management. The majority of the province has received rain in the past week. Crops are generally progressing well. Variable emergence is evident in some heavy-textured soils where late May rainfall resulted […]
Crop conditions across Ontario reflect a generally positive start to the season, although variability in soil moisture and temperature has influenced planting progress, crop development and pest dynamics. Other key concerns moving forward include: Corn Corn emergence has been largely uniform with good early stand establishment with some localized replanting. Plant populations remain a key […]
Breakfast meetings bring crop agronomists and industry professionals together during a key time of the growing season to discuss current field conditions. These meetings are a great opportunity to ask questions, work through field challenges, and share clear, consistent messages for growers across the industry. Participants are welcome to purchase their own breakfast, and the […]
Wet conditions stalled many field activities with significant rainfall received over much of the province over the weekend. Field drying weather has occurred since and will allow for remaining crop acres to be planted with continued warm and dry weather in the forecast. Winter Wheat The most advanced fields of winter wheat are at head […]
Co-authored with Joanna Follings, Cereal Specialist – OMAFA Some consultants and scouts have started to notice some cereal pest activity in fields this week. Some fields have cereal leaf beetle larvae starting up while many fields have some lower levels of cereal aphids. That said, cereals play a huge role in building up our natural […]
Alfalfa weevil is a major alfalfa pest in Ontario. Larvae feeding on alfalfa leaves can reduce both yield and forage quality. The simple answer As alfalfa gets taller it can tolerate more weevils before action is necessary to protect forage yield and quality. Action thresholds for managing alfalfa weevil are as follows: Stem Height Number […]
As of June 5, 2026 stripe rust had been identified in fields in Oxford, Huron, Wellington, Bruce, Perth, Waterloo, Brant, Essex, Lambton, Middlesex, Elgin, Brant, Hamilton, Niagara and Haldimand Counties. Leaf rust was also previously identified in a field in Essex County. Growers across southern Ontario should scout their winter wheat fields closely, particularly where […]
Summer weather arrived suddenly over the Victoria Day weekend. Hot temperatures and sunshine created good conditions, and a lot of field work was accomplished quickly. Soil temperatures have also been rising, which will speed up germination. Violent storms moved across the province on Tuesday evening ahead of a cold front, which will bring temperatures back […]
Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench)is a summer annual broadleaf plant that is grown as a cover crop for its fast-growing, weed-smothering and pollinator-promoting properties. It establishes rapidly (Figure 1) and flowers as soon as three weeks after planting. Buckwheat is well proven to smother warm-season annual weeds through shading and competition. With very fine roots, it […]
Radish (Raphanus sativus) is a cool-season brassica that is grown as a cover crop for its compaction-fighting, weed-suppressing and nitrogen (N)-scavenging qualities. It thrives when seeded in late summer with adequate access to moisture and nitrogen. Radish grows quickly and establishes a deep taproot that can penetrate compacted soil layers. It is easily manageable in […]
Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) is a winter annual legume that is grown as a cover crop for its nitrogen (N) production, weed suppression and the mulch it provides. When seeded in late summer, hairy vetch grows slowly throughout the fall while establishing its root system. In the spring, it grows rapidly and can fix […]
Field peas (Pisum sativum) are a cool-season annual legume that are grown as a cover crop to fix nitrogen, complement other species in mixtures and to boost protein levels in mixtures seeded for forage production. Peas have viny above-ground growth (Figure 1) and shallow roots compared to other species. They germinate and grow best in […]
This factsheet explains the nature and properties of soil organic matter (SOM) and describes its benefits for crop production. It provides guidance on management practices that can be used to increase SOM in agricultural soils, with specific references to Ontario research. Read on to learn more. Why organic matter matters Soil organic matter makes up […]
This factsheet describes soil structure, the factors that influence it, and provides suggested practices to improve it in agricultural soils. Soil structure refers to the way that soil particles are arranged into larger units called aggregates. A well-structured soil contains plenty of aggregates and pore spaces both within and between aggregates; this provides favourable conditions […]
Cool temperatures have influenced the start of the growing season across Ontario. Despite this, fieldwork has advanced steadily where soils are fit. Soil moisture and temperature variability across the province are driving differences in planting progress – with significant activity on loam soils in relatively drier areas and no activity to date on clay soils in wetter regions such as Haldimand and Niagara. Parts of northern Ontario have experienced drier than […]