General: Despite recent weather conditions (cool, wet), things have turned around and activity has started back in the field with manure application, wheat management and corn planting. Field conditions for the most part are okay and dust is even been flying in some places. Most farmers have been patient in getting back on the land to avoid […]
Breakfast Sponsor: Thanks from the group to “Roger Bourassa – Dupont Pioneer” Quote of the week – “Lambton County – The Breadbasket of Ontario” from Chad Anderson in his customary introduction. Synopsis: Not much has happened over most of the past two weeks. Most are patient but some have started to push soil conditions especially […]
Two more pests deserve our attention over the next month. Cereal leaf beetle (CLB) is starting to show up in some fields in Ontario. Levels are still low but both adults, eggs and/or larvae are being found by scouts at various locations during routine scouting trips. A few locations tend to experience a higher frequency […]
The storm fronts that pushed up from the southern states over the last month not only carried rain with them but also carried in black cutworm moths. Trap catches have been higher than normal this year in neighbouring states, indicating a higher risk this spring for Ontario. Once they arrive, the adult moths look for […]
Winter Wheat: The winter wheat crop continues to grow well. The cool temperatures have slowed growth a little. The frost on the mornings of May 8 and 9 appear to have had little impact on the crop other than some minor damage to leaf tips. Fortunately, the wheat was not in head. Some fields […]
Thank you to Joanna Follings who chaired the meeting and to Syngenta for spronsoring breakfast. There was an excellent turnout and discussion. The next meeting will be on May 23rd starting at 7:00 a.m. for breakfast (meeting starts at 7:30). Steve Johns will be the chairman. Synopsis: Widespread rainfall last week and over the weekend […]
Correction to Markets section: From Many analysts are expecting soybean prices to continue increasing. Should read: Many market analysts are expecting soybean acres to continue increasing. General Conditions: Wet fields continue to delay field operations. Many farms in the area drain into the Ottawa River, where levels still need to go down before those […]
Calling all WBC Trap Participants! The WBC Trap Network website is now up and running and ready for you to add your trap sites and join our trapping network. Anyone wishing to join must login and create a new user account at www.cornpest.ca. Click on the “Login” menu from the top left of the page […]
Breakfast Sponsor: Thanks from the group to “Richard Anderson – BASF Canada” Quote of the week – “Yellow as a Duck’s Foot” from Peter Johnson in reference to wheat with no N. Synopsis: The cool wet weather has slowed the development of the winter wheat crop. Some corn was planted last week mainly on the […]
Synopsis: Field work is on hold waiting for drier and warmer conditions. Many parts of the Norfolk to Niagara region have had more rain in the past week (up to May 3) than last years’ growing season total. Wheat: September-planted wheat is pushing 2-3rd node and earliest fields could be at flag leaf in the […]
Winter Wheat: The wheat crop continues to grow rapidly in the cool moist conditions and is 5-10 days ahead of normal in general. Following up on last week’s report, by the time sprayers are able to be back in the field, the weed stage and competition from the crop canopy will likely negate herbicide use […]
The when, what and where of wheat leaf and Fusarium head blight (head scab) disease management Martin Chilvers and Martin Nagelkirk, Michigan State University; Albert Tenuta, OMAFRA; Damon Smith, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Kiersten Wise, Purdue University; Pierce Paul, The Ohio State University Wheat leaf diseases such as powdery mildew, Septoria leaf spot and stripe rust […]
YOU’VE CRUNCHED THE data, identified your management zones and created nutrient and seed population prescription maps. Now, how can you be sure that you’re actually making a measureable, positive impact on your fields? This, according to the applied researchers leading the Precision Agriculture Advancement for Ontario (PAAO) project, is why validation needs to play an […]
Winter Wheat: Although progress has been made on nitrogen applications, the rainfall has delayed this operation in some parts of the province. The wheat is roughly 1 week ahead of long term average development. Some winter wheat is at the 1st node stage putting it past the optimal weed control timing window (Figure 1). The […]
Winter Wheat: The winter wheat crop looks excellent throughout much of the province. There is lots of growth with excellent yield potential. This lush growth will increase the risk of foliar leaf diseases like powdery mildew (Figure 1) and Septoria (Figure 2) especially in susceptible varieties; regular scouting will detect early infection and allow for […]