21 April 2020, 8:00 am Due to COVID restrictions, ag breakfast meetings will be paired and held virtually by video conference on the “zoom” platform in 2020. A reminder that participants can join these meetings by phone without using the Zoom app or logging onto the Zoom website by using the number provided in the […]
It is still too early to predict what western bean cutworm (WBC) might do this year but to help prepare, we have updated the WBC infosheets for 2020. 2020 WBC Infosheet for Corn 2020 WBC Infosheet for Dry Beans WBC activity was delayed in 2019, in step with the delay in growing degree day (GDD) […]
Photo: Scouting a few days after a spring frost is a good way to assess the severity of any damage. Good agronomy is very important for achieving good yield and quality in forage crops. While good agronomy includes a fertility plan, seeding techniques, and harvest management, it also relies on proactive decision-making. The only way […]
It’s the time of year when you can see the impact of erosion on farm fields across the province. Whether it’s subtle (Figure 1) or obvious (Figure 2), erosion affects soil by reducing fertility, decreasing organic matter and lowering productivity. With National Soil Conservation Week happening from April 19th to 25th, I wanted to highlight […]
April 15th, 2020 Overall conditions This spring is starting out with generally favourable weather, particularly when compared with last year. The winter months were also less harsh, resulting in fewer issues with winterkill in forages and winter cereals. Heavy rains and subsequent cold temperatures in the last few weeks have resulted in some kill in […]
The 2020 growing season has begun in Ontario with nitrogen applications being made to winter wheat, manure being applied and even corn being planted! Many have reported field conditions to be much better than they ever were in 2019. Winter Wheat More than 1 million acres of winter wheat has been seeded in the province […]
The Great Lakes and Maritimes Pest Monitoring Network will be running again in 2020. We are monitoring for black cutworm (BCW), corn earworm (CEW), European corn borer (ECB), fall armyworm (FAW), true armyworm (TAW) and western bean cutworm (WBC) across the region and are providing an interactive real-time map and trap data dashboard that summarizes […]
The past couple weeks have been fairly dry and sunny, and the amount of rain on Easter weekend was less than forecasted. However, this week looks cool in comparison, with nighttime temperatures dipping below freezing. The low temperatures should be considered by those thinking about planting or applying herbicides this week. Winter Wheat Winter wheat […]
Alfalfa frost damage can sometimes occur in the spring after growth has started, resulting in damaged growing points. Some wilting can be visible about 24 hours after frost or some yellowish or brownish discolouration 3 or 4 days later. The top of the stems will typically bend over with a “shepherd’s hook”. Damage is often minimal […]
07 April 2020, 8:00 am Due to COVID restrictions, ag breakfast meetings will be paired and held virtually by video conference on the “zoom” platform in 2020. The first 2020 Ridgetown-Simcoe virtual ag breakfast meeting was held April 7 with about 60 participants. Supply Chain: Given COVID restrictions, majority of communication with growers this spring has been by […]
By Mike Staton, MSU Extension Soybean Educator and Horst Bohner, Soybean Specialist, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Some soybean producers in Michigan are experimenting with ultra early planting dates (late-March to mid-April) with positive results. To date, research trials have not shown a consistent yield benefit to planting this early when compared […]
Written by Ian McDonald, Crop Innovations Specialist, OMAFRA and Alex Barrie, Soil Management Engineer, OMAFRA The impact of farm equipment causing soil compaction is primarily a function of soil moisture at the time of traffic coupled with the total weight, axle load and tire pressure of the implement. By lowering the tire pressure, we reduce […]
Written by Jacqui Empson Laporte, Environmental Specialist, OMAFRA From Houston to Toronto, a common theme has been flooding caused by the increase in impermeable surfaces. In June, 2017, part of Southwestern Ontario was hit with a 1 in 100 year storm event, and some areas received 6.7 inches (170 mm) of rain in 7 hours. […]
Over the winter months there has been a quite a bit of discussion around spring cereal yields in Ontario and oat yields in particular. Trendlines for oat yields in Ontario compared to western Canada (Figure 1 and 2) show that while Ontario yields continue to increase, the increase is smaller than for our friends […]
There were a record number of unseeded acres last year. This means not all soybean seed intended for the 2019 growing season was used. Can carry-over seed (grown in 2018) be used successfully in 2020? Before answering that question, it must be stated that soybeans are one of the least storable seeds when compared to many other […]