Frost seeding or the broadcasting of forage seed on frozen ground in late-winter or early-spring can be an effective way of improving the forage quality and yield of thinning pastures. It allows for the establishment of forages at reduced cost in an undisturbed sod and also shortens the non-grazing period in the spring. For frost […]
Written by: Tracey Baute – Field Crop Entomologist and Greg Stewart – Corn Specialist, Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Ministry of Rural Affairs A high level of concern was raised last spring regarding bee kills and corn planting. Many growers are asking what actions they can take to help reduce the risk of bee […]
Many horse owners are finding it increasingly challenging to find and purchase suitable hay at a price they can afford. Low hay yields due to dry weather in 2012 were followed by poorer quality as a result of rainy haying weather in 2013. However, there are also long term economic factors in play that […]
Manure Injection – New technology = More Options The goal: To increase the opportunities for injecting manure into a variety of growing crops with nutrient placement as similar to commercial fertilizer placement as possible. Traditional manure injection combined manure application with primary or secondary tillage gives the benefit of full disturbance of the soil profile […]
It seems to be an annual question. Do I add ammonium sulfate (AMS) to glyphosate? Will it improve weed control especially if my water source is hard? The short answer is no. Skeptical? I understand. There are many areas within the United States that insist the addition of ammonium sulfate (AMS) to glyphosate is critical, […]
Last summer, potato leafhopper (PLH) certainly lived up to its reputation as the most damaging alfalfa insect pest in Ontario. In many parts of the province, PLH feeding resulted in yield loses of over 1 tonne of alfalfa per acre or roughly a loss of $200/acre. While PLH damage was far greater than normal, it […]
Record acreages of emergency annual forages were seeded this summer after wheat and spring cereals were harvested. Low yields of first- and second-cut hay left many farmers with very low forage inventories. Emergency forages used included cool-season cereals (oats, barley, triticale) and cereal pea mixtures, as well as some warm-season sorghums, sorghum-sudans and millets […]
When we make corn silage and haylage, we are using our skills as microbiologists, just like winemakers, brewers and composters. As a biological system, silage making doesn’t always work perfectly. During an anaerobic silage fermentation, microorganisms feed on sugars and other soluble carbohydrates in the forage material and produce organic acids, such as lactate and […]
Forage production was extremely challenging in 2012, with low yields and tight forage inventories. Significant reductions in forage acres occurred from 2006 to 2011, of 500,000 acres of hay and 250,000 acres of pasture. Inventories of hay carried over in the spring were historically low. Export demand for quality hay to the US is very […]
A winter wheat field near Owen Sound has 4 to 5 acres of “missing plants”, cut off at the soil level. Not many insects could do that kind of damage this time of year. It sounds like a case of winter cutworm. It was to the day, 4 years ago when I wrote a CropPest […]
Leaving a minimum of 30% crop residue has been proven to minimize top soil losses from wind and water erosion. But what does 30% soil cover look like? Do certain tillage implements leave less than 30% crop residue? Crop residue in the form of corn stalks or cereal straw, or green cover (growing crops or […]
Co-Author: Albert Tenuta, OMAFRA Field Crop Pathologist The annual corn ear mould and vomitoxin survey by the OMAFRA Field Crops team indicates that the 2012 Ontario corn crop is distinctly low in ear moulds and vomitoxin. However, stakeholders are reminded that individual field conditions (environmental, hybrid, tillage, rotation, etc.) are important in ear mould and […]
A beautiful stand of red clover can provide as much as 75 kg of nitrogen per hectare (when at 40 cm tall) for next years corn crop. However, if the clover crop is not “killed off” in the fall, then preparing a suitable seedbed to plant next years crop in is often significantly delayed resulting […]
The University of Guelph Pest Diagnostic Clinic confirmed this week Soybean Vein Necrosis Virus (SVNV) infection in soybean plants OMAFRA collected in Kent and Elgin counties last week. SVNV is a new soybean disease which was first identified in Tennessee in 2008. Since then the disease has been reported in many other States and most […]
Compiled by Chris Brown, edited by Horst Bohner 2012 Soybeans were originally introduced to Ontario as a forage crop for cattle. Today, the vast majority go for crush and the IP market. Letting the crop mature and harvesting the seed is far more profitable than using it as a forage crop but in some cases […]