Thanks to Troy Hamilton and Pioneer for sponsoring breakfast. Not much has happened in the fields since we met two weeks ago. Continued wet conditions, mostly from small rain events and low heat and little sunshine preventing drying, has hampered planting and other spring field activities so far. But the turn around starts now! CHU […]
Joanna Follings, Mike Cowbrough, Peter Sikkema, Dave Hooker and Peter Johnson Mother nature has finally awarded us with some sun and warmer temperatures which will hopefully get the remaining winter wheat stands off to the races. However, as we get out into the fields some are questioning what to prioritize and what practices to avoid […]
Weather conditions Cool and wet conditions throughout much of the province have prevented any meaningful field work from happening during the month of April (Figure 1). A string of warmer, drier weather is needed before the 2019 planting season can get moving at a steady pace. Naturally, this delay causes anxiety amongst the farming community, […]
According to Agriculture and Agrifood Canada, April 2019 brought above-average precipitation to most of the province. Southwestern Despite several thaws, forages seem to have overwintered better than expected in most of the region. See Check Alfalfa Stands This Spring and Make a Plan for scouting information. There are some reports of alfalfa heaving. The freeze/thaw […]
Image: a healthy wheat field near Cobourg, ON Thank you to Nicole Beechey from BASF for sponsoring breakfast. The next meeting will be May 15th at 7:30 am. If there are any suggestions on how to improve the meeting, or topics to discuss if you cannot attend, please let Ian McDonald or Christine O’Reilly know. The […]
Thanks to David Townsend who chaired the meeting and to BASF for sponsoring breakfast. Joanna Wallace has agreed to be the chairperson for the next meeting that will be on May 14th starting at 7:00 am for breakfast (meeting starts at 7:30). Synopsis: Rain, rain, and more rain has been the story for Ontario over […]
Quote of the Day: “Forage soybean is a concept, not a variety.” – Sean Cochrane Sponsor: François Mercier, BASF Consistent rains and cooler temperatures have delayed most field operations. Even where fields look dry enough at the surface, temperatures remain cool and most soils measured are averaging only about 5 degrees C. Field […]
This article was written by Charles-Étienne Ferland, MSc Candidate, and Dr. Rebecca Hallett, University of Guelph A biological control agent is a beneficial insect that will help control populations of pest insects. Finding the right biological control agent is a bit like having guests over for dinner for the first time. If you’re not […]
The weather has not improved significantly from the last meeting, and there are still tough decisions to make on whether to keep fields of winter wheat. In the 5 days prior to the meeting, Caledonia had 2” of rain, Delhi had 2.5” and Belmont just shy of 2.5”. Winter Wheat There are fields that have […]
The snow in the north and wet weather in the rest of the province continues to prevent field work from occurring across the province. Widespread rain over the Easter weekend of 30 to 80 mm will delay field operations for another week. Temperatures are slowly improving with highs in the low double digits up to […]
Ridgetown Ag Breakfast Meeting Minutes – April 23, 2019 Breakfast Sponsor: Thanks, from the group to Lisa Powers, Corteva Synopsis: This is National Soil Conservation Week. Not a lot has been happening in the field in terms of field crops to date and with the heavy rains over the weekend most areas received from 1 […]
Who was in attendance? 26 agricultural professionals working in the counties of Waterloo, Wellington, Huron, Grey, Bruce, Dufferin and Simcoe counties. The past week’s weather summary: 40-50 mm of rainfall fell over the Easter weekend and understandably, field conditions are extremely wet with essentially no field activity. This will put additional pressure on livestock producers who […]
Image: It’s still too early to tell how forages have overwintered in central Ontario. The first East Central Agribusiness Breakfast Meeting of 2019 had a large turnout. With good yields in 2018, there is a lot of optimism among farmers in the region. The next meeting will be May 1st at 7:30 am. If there are any […]
Boron application at flowering is a common practice for Ontario canola growers. Canola has a higher requirement for boron than crops like wheat and barley, so it make sense to give canola a shot of this micro nutrient. Timing the application during reproductive stages makes sense too, because boron deficient plants have been shown to […]
How should one deal with large bare spots in a wheat field that is otherwise in good condition? Unfortunately, there isn’t a one size fits all solution because the size and number of bare spots in fields can vary greatly. Here are some options and considerations for filling in those bare spots. Leave the Bare […]