Identifying and Addressing Soil Structure Challenges A well-structured soil improves water infiltration, air exchange, rooting, and ultimately crop yield. On the other hand, a cloddy, dense, or compacted soil may result in ponding, nutrient losses, and restricted root systems. Poor soil structure contributes to lower crop yields, especially in seasons that are either too dry […]
Join the OMAFRA Soil Team and the Ontario Soil Network in London for a full day of collaborative learning. Dive deep into diagnosing and finding solutions for real soil health challenges in a real field! Share learnings and experiences with other soil health professionals, and pick up a great new ideas along the way. A […]
Managing Cover Crop Nitrogen / Residue Breakdown Across Ontario, wheat harvest continues, opening the best window for planting cover crops in most field crop rotations. You can find more information on the 2023 winter wheat quality update and achieving success with cover crops after wheat at fieldcropnews.com. But can those cover crops be managed to […]
Western bean cutworm (WBC) activity is trending higher this year than the previous three and could reach levels more similar to what we saw in 2018. WBC moth trap catches jumped this week by the 100s, with a few locations in Norfolk and east Elgin jumping into the 500 – 1000 moths per trap range. […]
Getting to Know your Manure with a Manure Analysis The “magical” qualities of manure and organic amendments for providing long-term benefits have been well documented, especially for maintaining and improving soil organic matter. Sourcing off farm manure and organic amendments has become more difficult and expensive with the increased interest in improving soil health, therefore […]
Co-authored by Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA Weed Management Specialist – Field Crops An annual ryegrass cover crop is excellent at scavenging nitrogen, improving soil structure, and preventing erosion. It tolerates low light levels well enough to be inter-seeded into an established corn crop and grows quickly enough with adequate moisture to help suppress weeds. For ruminant […]
With winter wheat harvest beginning in parts of the province, cover crop seeding will be close on its heels. Adoption of cover crops has increased in Ontario over the last number of years, and for good reason – they help improve water infiltration, compete with weeds, and capture left-over nutrients. In this article, I’ll share […]
Crop Report – Week of July 17th, 2023 As winter wheat harvest continues, persistent rainfall events are delaying harvest in some regions. While yields have been promising thus far; wheat quality has been a concern for some as harvest delays continue. Black Point As wheat matures and tissue begins to die, fields have turned black […]
Recent rainfalls have brought about an abrupt change to soil conditions in some Ontario fields in just a few short weeks ago. Localized heavy rainfalls have left some fields with standing water in low-lying areas, while many fields are wet or saturated. This has raised questions about the potential losses of nitrogen (N) for the […]
Soil Sampling – Matching Field to Method Soil testing is one of the most profitable operations you can perform on your farm in any given year. A soil test is the only way to determine whether your soils contain adequate levels of plant essential nutrients such as phosphorus and potassium, and how soil parameters like […]
A few pests are starting to show up in fields. If you haven’t had a chance to take a look yet, plan to check those high risk fields that are prone to seeing soybean aphids (soybeans) or western bean cutworm (corn and dry beans) in the next week or so. Soybean aphids: Soybean aphids are […]
We should be seeing adult rootworm activity very soon so it is the perfect time to put up any CRW sticky traps. If you are new to the CRW Trap Network, Welcome! If you are returning from previous years, there are some new features you should be aware of. Trap Set Up in Field: Corn […]
Dimethoate Resistant Two-Spotted Spider Mite Populations in Ontario Soybeans Results from bioassays conducted on two-spotted spider mite (TSSM) populations collected in soybean fields across Ontario show the prevalence of dimethoate (Cygon or Lagon) resistance is high in some areas. Through a collaborative project with Dr. Vojislava Grbic, Professor at Western University, Dr. Ian Scott at […]
Corn Tar Spot Watch Begins! Tar spot has now been established in the midwestern US for almost a decade and is an annual concern in many Midwestern states like Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin. While tar spot was not as yield-limiting in these areas in 2022, it continued to expand its range across the […]
General Across much of Ontario major crops and forages are progressing well. Evidence of moisture stress is present on various crops, but some relief came over the period of June 11-14th with scattered rainfall periods. Keeping appraised of incoming rainfall is at the back of everyone’s mind. Be aware of various networks and stations where […]