Planting and Development Dry edible bean acres were lower in 2016 than they were in 2015. The total number of insured acres of white beans in 2016 was 46,194 acres, a significant reduction from the 62,693 acres planted in 2015. Coloured bean acres totaled 60,668 acres in 2016 compared to 71,855 acres in 2015. Acreage […]
Fall 2015 Planting Optimal fall planting conditions in 2015 resulted in approximately 1 million acres of winter wheat being seeded. Excellent weather conditions through to November provided an opportunity for wheat to be well tillered before winter. The proportion of HRW acres dropped from 12% of the crop in 2015 to 10% in the 2016 […]
There’s a right time for everything. Every year, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) receives calls about winter spreading. Long, cold winters that come after a wet fall and/or late harvest tend to make winter spreading more common. However, spreading on frozen or snow covered ground, on saturated soil or before […]
Planting and Development Canola acres in Ontario were higher in 2016 than they were in 2015. The total number of insured canola acres in 2016 was just shy of 30,000 acres, compared to 25,000 acres in 2015. With a drier than normal spring throughout much of the province, canola growers were able to plant early. […]
By Joey Sabljic Precision Agriculture Advancement for Ontario: This article is part of a series dedicated to helping farmers understand and implement precision agriculture technology. It is based on research conducted by Nicole Rabe, Ian McDonald, and Ben Rosser at OMAFRA, in conjunction with Mike Duncan, Sarah Lepp, and Gregor MacLean at Niagara College. EVERY SINGLE […]
Windbreaks are a great way to reduce soil erosion and increase crop growth on your farm. They reduce wind speeds, which can increase growth of crops for a distance of up to 20 times the height of the trees. The taller the trees and the longer the windbreak, the greater the area the windbreak will […]
This article originally appeared in Milk Producer Magazine. As another harvest season approaches, it also marks the time for deciding which corn hybrids to select for next year. It is always important to choose hybrids that are well adapted to the area and have good agronomic characteristics for your fields, although some characteristics commonly selected […]
Disposing of non-nutrient agricultural waste responsibly needs to be a year-round effort. Burning and burying non-nutrient agricultural waste can pollute the air, contaminate water and can have other potential harmful impacts on the environment, which can harm people and livestock. Consider recycling or reusing your waste instead – recycling and reuse not only lowers your […]
Author: Joey Sabljic Precision Agriculture Advancement for Ontario: This article is part of a series dedicated to helping farmers understand and implement precision agriculture technology. It is based on research conducted by Nicole Rabe, Ian McDonald and Ben Rosser at OMAFRA, in conjunction with Mike Duncan, Sarah Lepp and Gregor MacLean at Niagara College. For […]
Co-written by Dr. Laura Van Eerd, Associate Professor, Nitrogen Fertility and Cover Crops, University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus Soil organic matter (OM) is the single most important soil health property that you have influence over through your management. Soil OM is all living, dead or long dead (and decomposed) material. Higher soil organic matter translates […]
Co-written by Joanna Follings, Cereal Specialist Should you use 2,4-D to emerged wheat in the fall to control weeds? The short answer is no. First, the label clearly states under the “Application Timing” section: “Do not apply to seedling winter cereals in the fall.” Second, there are other labelled and less injurious herbicide options that provide […]
Co-Authored with Albert Tenuta The OMAFRA Field Crops team conducted its annual vomitoxin survey to assess the presence of corn ear mould and grain vomitoxin in the 2016 corn crop. Vomitoxins can be produced by Gibberella and Fusarium ear moulds and can be disruptive when fed to livestock, particularly hogs. A total of 121 samples […]
Effective control of common burdock doesn’t happen overnight and is most successful when you can control new seedlings in the spring followed by controlling any larger first year plants in the fall so that they don’t overwinter, flower and disperse new seed the following year . Common burdock (Arctium minus) is a biennial that reproduces only […]
Forage production in 2016 was challenging as the cool spring delayed early growth and was followed by a hot, dry summer before rains returned in August. While hay inventories are below average, most of the hay harvested was high quality. This year has seen an increase use of cover crops for emergency forage and fall […]