The topic of conversation this week is “cold conditions”. Temperatures were well below seasonal for much of the past week due to the presence of an arctic air mass. Night-time temperatures reached as low as -8⁰C in some parts of southern Ontario. Many parts of the province experienced low temperatures between 0 and -4⁰C and snow […]
This article is a short reminder for sprayer operators to respect the possibility of tipping a sprayer. Every spring I catch wind of someone tipping over. When I can ask the operator questions I start with “Is everyone alright?” and “Was the sprayer full?“. Hopefully the answers are “Yes” and “No”, but not always. The […]
This article was written by Tracey Baute, Entomologist- Field Crops and Joanna Follings, Cereals Specialist Cereal Leaf Beetle (CLB) is an important pest in cereal crop production feeding on wheat, oats, barley, corn, forages and grassy weeds. CLB overwinters as an adult and then emerges early in the spring and females lay their eggs on […]
Updated: May 18, 2023 With temperatures dipping below zero in much of the province last night, many are wondering what effect this will have on cereal crops. What temperatures will cause injury? Figure 1 shows the various wheat growth stages and when injury is likely to occur to the crop after experiencing cold temperatures for […]
Air temperatures for the week of May 4th were below the seasonal average. This has slowed soil warming and while not hindering planting, it is delaying germination and emergence of seeded crops. But so far, the 2020 season has offered better planting conditions than the past number of springs. Cereals Most of the winter wheat […]
The morning of the meeting conditions were sunny across the north, but still cold. Generally, conditions have been sunny and windy so soils have been dry. A rainfall last week provided welcome moisture. There were no major concerns raised regarding grain crop planting and conditions, other than cold temperatures. Some regions are a week or […]
Prolonged cold weather this spring has led some producers to wonder if soybean planting should be delayed. Over the next few days weather forecasters are even predicting a “polar vortex” with possible daytime highs of 3°C and nighttime temperatures of minus 3. Does this mean soybean planting should be delayed until things warm up? There […]
The warm weather in the last week resulted in lots of corn and some soybean planting in the region, though wet soils on heavier ground has not been touched yet, especially in the Norfolk to Niagara region. Planting progress and conditions are much better than 2019. Some March planted sugar beet and carrot fields had […]
Photo: Orchardgrass accumulates anthocyanins during sunny days and cold soil conditions when photosynthesis outpaces root development. Turning purple is temporary; it will grow through this. Winter Conditions Most of the province had average amounts of precipitation over the winter. Areas of Chatham-Kent, Lambton, Huron, Grey, Bruce, Temiskaming, Cochrane, Rainy River, and Kenora received below-average winter […]
Each year I get more questions about mixing the liquid fertilizer, ammonium thiosulphate (ATS) with herbicides. With reductions in atmospheric Sulphur deposits, Ontario research has shown positive yield responses in some crops when Sulphur fertilizers are applied and so it makes sense that farmers are looking at ways to add Sulphur to their crop in […]
People have commented that the mood is generally good out there and farmers are eager to plant. Field work started progressing quickly in the middle to end of last week. Manure is going out, fertilizer is going out and ground is being worked. Planting has started under very good conditions. The typical issues associated with […]
Corn: Planting began at the tail end of the week of April 20 and continued at a good pace until the widespread rain event on Wednesday/Thursday during the week of April 27th. Many agronomists have commented that soil conditions have been exceptional given the calendar date and what recent spring conditions have been like. As […]
As a reminder, participants can join breakfast meetings by phone without using the Zoom app or logging onto the Zoom website by using the number provided in the breakfast meeting listserv. Corn planting began in earnest on Thursday and continued through Monday. Some producers are nearly done their corn acres, particularly on light ground in […]
In these uncertain times, farmers with grain still in the bin may be considering storing that grain a bit longer than they’d originally expected. If you are in that situation, there are a few steps to take which will help you store your grain long-term in good condition. ENSURE GRAIN IS DRY When it comes […]
As the wheels have started turning and the spring cereals are going in the ground the question that continues to come up is how much nitrogen (N) should I apply? With spring cereals we know there is a balance between having enough nitrogen to maximize yield potential while avoiding lodging issues. However, OMAFRA’s current nitrogen […]