Ontario research shows an average of 7.5 bushels more wheat. Add in improved winter survival and a more uniform stand and you have an agronomic no-brainer. Stooped over a seed trench late at night, squinting through the beam of a flashlight at dark grey soil, Alan McCallum still doesn’t doubt how worthwhile starter fertilizer is […]
Farmers exposed to silo gas (nitrogen dioxide, NO2) are at risk of severe respiratory distress, permanent damage to lungs, and even sudden death. It is difficult to predict when silo gas will be produced, so always take precautions following harvest. Weather conditions and agronomic practices affect the amount of nitrates in plant material, which set the stage for […]
Cutting Alfalfa This Fall? With reduced forage inventories, it will be very tempting to cut some alfalfa this fall. The decision and the immediate need for forage should be weighed against the increased risk of alfalfa winterkill. The Critical Fall Harvest Period for alfalfa is the 6-week rest period preceeding the average date of killing […]
It can be very tempting to cut some alfalfa for haylage or baleage in the fall, particularly when supplies are tight or there is a lot of growth. The decision to cut or not needs to weigh the immediate need for forage against the increased risk of alfalfa winterkill and reduced yields next spring. How do […]
Stink bugs have been showing up in soybean fields in south western Ontario in noticeable numbers over the past 2 weeks and reports of stink bug numbers from Ohio are showing a similar trend. We may see more stink bug in the soybean crop this year then in previous years so it’s time to be […]
Extended periods of dry weather without rain can severely stress corn plants. When this occurs during tasselling and pollination, cob formation and grain yield can be significantly reduced. As the situation worsens, leaves turn brown and the plants can appear dry and “dead”. Some farmers attempt to salvage this corn by using it as forage […]
The importance of harvest moisture and maturity to corn silage quality and animal performance is often underestimated. Not only is it important to minimize fermentation dry matter and spoilage losses, it is difficult to compensate for poor forage quality in ration balancing and animal performance. Don’t get caught harvesting corn silage past optimum moisture and […]
Corn silage is a useful late-season forage option for livestock producers, particularly in years when hay and haylage inventories are limited. Rainfall has been extremely variable across Ontario this year, with some extremely dry areas and other areas closer to normal. Summer thunderstorm activity even created extreme variations between concession roads. As a result the […]
Although we are missing some data from a few trap locations it appears as if most of the province has experienced peak flight for WBC. We hit peak flight earlier this year then in previous years but this consistent with what we have seen with other Lepidoptera pests this year. Counties with an asterisk “*” […]
Reports of two spotted spider mite in some corn fields have been coming in. This pest is not normally a problem in corn but due to the hot, dry weather this year spider mites are showing up in numbers high enough to cause visible damage. Spider mite infestations start at the field edge and move […]
Note: This post was originally published in July of 2010, but once again in 2012 there are reports of Japanese beetles feeding on soybeans. In particular it would be worthwhile to go and click on the article below that shows what the leaf feeding insects look like along with threshold values. There are quite few […]
In Ontario there are many root/stem diseases which cause wilting symptoms in soybeans. With the hot, dry conditions this year over much of the province some of these diseases such as stem canker, Fusarium wilt, charcoal rot have taken advantaged of the additional stress. Fusarium wilt or blight of soybeans can affect soybeans at any […]
Peak flight is a bit difficult to pin point this week because there is some data missing from our week 10 trap reports however, we have received some missing data from previous weeks so I can provide information on peak flights for some counties and possible peak flights for others. Some areas are still experiencing […]
Since we’ve been getting a bit of rain across the province in the last week I’ve been asked about how the rain will affect spider mite populations in soybeans. Rains are very beneficial to help keep populations of spider mites down but don’t assume that because it rained our spider mite problems are over. If […]
Dry weather has significantly reduced forage regrowth and second-cut yields. Many farmers are examining options to increase their forage inventories, including using corn damaged by dry weather for silage. https://fieldcropnews.com/?p=4243 Seeding oats in late-July or early-August following wheat for an early-October harvest can be a useful low-cost option for extending forage supplies. Oats can make […]