Manure can be an excellent source of nutrients for forage crops, as it is readily available on livestock farms. The value of manure in crop production is often underestimated. Manure contains all the nutrients needed by crops but not necessarily in the proportions needed for specific soil and crop conditions. In addition to nitrogen, phosphorus […]
Alfalfa has high fertility requirements (Table 1). Because the entire above-ground biomass is removed at harvest, and this plant material is still green, soil nutrient draw-down can be very rapid. Alfalfa growers may wish to soil test annually to ensure the crop is getting enough nutrients. One Production Year (3 cuts) Lifetime (10 cuts) […]
Manure should be applied on forages as soon as possible after harvest. Once regrowth starts — typically within 5 days after cutting — equipment traffic can damage active growing points. The trampled crop must start growing all over, which reduces yield and sometimes delays maturity in the tracked areas compared to the rest of the […]
The Ontario Corn Committee (OCC), the Ontario Cereal Crops Committee (OCCC), the Ontario Pulse Crop Committee (OPCC), and the Ontario Soybean and Canola Committee (OSACC) launched their new website: GoCrops.ca. The new website brings together the four previous crop committee websites under one cohesive banner. Ontario growers rely on third-party variety performance trial information to […]
The Great Lakes and Maritimes Pest Monitoring Network (GLMPMN) website has been upgraded and has a new permanent link: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/7164d23d488246d198dcf7a07d8c9021 Please bookmark this new link and use it going forward to enter any trap sites and trap data. The same link should work well for both desktop browsers and mobile devices. Everything is still the […]
Planting corn directly into a living cover crop before it is killed by herbicide or tillage is not something that would have been considered 30 years ago. However, with advances in planter technology, herbicide options, and a greater awareness of cover crop benefits to soil health, more growers are doing it. According to the 2022-2023 […]
A warmer than normal winter coupled with dry weather through February has led to surprisingly good field conditions in much of southern Ontario. While it looks like it could be an early spring, we know that the weather can change rapidly this time of year. Some are questioning whether it makes sense to take advantage […]
The inaugural 2023 Ontario corn hybrid DON screening trial report is available on GoCorn.net at http://www.gocorn.net/OCC_DON_Report_2023_Final_20230212.pdf. Ontario corn hybrid DON screening trials were initiated by the Ontario Corn Committee in 2019 following high DON levels in the 2018 corn crop. Hybrid susceptibility is one of the greatest factors influencing Gibberella Ear Rot (Figure 1) and […]
The use of certified seed, rather than common seed, is strongly recommended. Only by planting varieties is it possible to know in advance whether the seed will provide the yield, persistence, disease resistance and maturity that is required for each specific field and farm operation. Careful consideration of varietal traits will help match the right […]
Soils are made up of minerals (sand, silt and clay particles), organic matter and pore spaces that contain water and air. Compaction in its purest sense can be defined as “an applied pressure/force exerted on a landscape that reduces pore space within the soil matrix” (Figure 1). Crops grown in compacted soils often have a […]
Planting In April 2023, Statistics Canada estimated Ontario farmers intended to plant 2.3 million acres of grain corn, 5% higher than the 5-year (2018-2022) average seeded acres of 2.19 million acres (OMAFRA Crop Statistics). A warm sunny window opened for one week starting the Easter weekend (April 7 to 9) and provided a small opportunity […]
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To date the provincial average yield reported by Agricorp for 2023 is 53 bu/ac. This number will be updated as more acres are reported. For comparison the 10-year average farm yield is 48 bu/ac. Seeded acreage was also relatively high at 2.91 million acres. The Agricorp floating claim price was $16.56/bu. Canada is the world’s […]
Organisme: Ministère de l’Agriculture, de l’Alimentation et des Affaires rurales Division: Direction du développement de l’agriculture Ville: Guelph, Kemptville, London, Ridgetown Langue du ou des postes: anglais Conditions: 15 Temporaire(s) – postes à temps plein d’une durée de 6 à 18 semaines, de mai à septembre Code du poste: Student 2 – Étudiant niveau 2 […]
Organization: Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Division: Agricultural Development Branch City: Guelph, Kemptville, London, Ridgetown Language of Position(s): English Job Term: 15 Temporary (ranging from 6 – 18 weeks between May and September) Job Code: Student 2 – Student Level 2 Salary: $17.40 – $17.40 Per Hour* *Indicates the salary listed as per […]