The storage and handling of livestock feeds in the ensiled form has several advantages. These, however, can only be fully realized if producers select the type of storage structure (silo) most suited to their farm situation. It is important to think of each part of the feed handling picture, from field to feed bunk, as […]
Stage of maturity at harvest is the most important factor in determining the nutritional quality of a forage crop. Grasses lose nutritional quality faster than legumes. Mixed stands should be harvested when the grass is ready. If the alfalfa is maturing later than the grass, waiting on the alfalfa to reach the ideal growth stage […]
This article was originally written by Joel Bagg in 2012. It was edited August 22, 2025 by Christine O’Reilly to fix broken links to further resources. Dry weather during corn silking and pollination can significantly reduce grain yield expectations. Inadequate moisture can result in poor ear fill or even corn plants without any ear or […]
Resources for Evaluating and Salvaging Moisture Stressed Corn for Corn Silage Under exceptionally dry conditions, there can be corn fields which are severely moisture stressed to the point they will make very poor (or in some cases almost zero) grain yield (Fig. 1). Under these same conditions, forage yields on livestock farms may also be […]
This article was written by Emma Peel, a summer research assistant with OMAFA assisting with corn research and extension projects during the summer of 2025. Emma is an agriculture student at the University of Guelph Background Provided we are always planting into moisture, there can be various acceptable depths to plant corn depending on your […]
The 2025 AgSpray Expo; Innovations & Best Practices in Agricultural Spraying was a one-of-a-kind summer event that was not to be missed! July 23rd was a warm sunny day north of Brockville, ON, perfect for demonstrating sprayers, drones, and sensor equipment. With more than 120 people in attendance, smaller groups took in eight sessions that […]
The Ontario Cereal Crop Committee (OCCC) 2025 winter wheat preliminary trial data for Area 1 and 2 is now available at GoCrops.ca. The 2025 preliminary data can be found in the tables under “winter wheat” in the “performance trial results” tab at GoCrops.ca. The final winter wheat data and PDF report will be finalized at the […]
Maximizing Rainfall Capture Through Soil Management The amount of rainfall that makes its way into soil, instead of running off, matters to maximize crop yields – especially in dry years. Thunderstorms often bring large amounts of water quickly, and not all soils perform equally in the time it takes to soak in for use by […]
There are areas of the province that have received little effective rainfall since early June. Dry and hot growing conditions can limit regrowth in hay fields and pastures. AgriStability compensation rate has been increased for 2025 and Agricorp has extended the deadline to apply to July 31, 2025. If you have questions about crop insurance […]
Early Season Cold Stress Frost damage in May or June will generally have little impact on the crop, provided the growing point of the corn plant is still below the soil surface. This is the case until the young plant reaches roughly the sixth-leaf stage (V6). On more advanced plants and/or where damage is more […]
Diseases Figure 1. Corn scouting calendar, shows diseases that could be causing the symptoms in the field. Individual descriptions of diseases, scouting and management strategies can be found in Chapter 16, Diseases of field crops. Figure 1. Corn Scouting Calendar (Disease calendar with links to various diseases in disease section below) Seedling Blights Anthracnose Leaf Blight […]
Insects and Pests Figure 1. Corn scouting calendar, shows insects and pests that could be causing symptoms in the field. Individual descriptions of insects and pests, scouting and management strategies can be found in Chapter 15, Insects and pests of field crops. Figure 1. Corn Scouting Calendar (Insect and pest calendar with links to various pests […]
Corn Drying The three general types of grain dryers used on the farm are: No single drying system is superior. Grain dryer selection is dependent on desired features, including drying capacity, grain quality, fuel/drying efficiency (BTUs per volume of water removed), convenience, manpower required to run the dryer, ability to dry a variety of crops, […]
Harvesting Physiological maturity (black layering) occurs when the grain moisture content reaches 31%–33% moisture. After this stage, there is no dry matter added to the corn kernel. Harvesting grain corn at moisture contents above 28% often results in significant damage to the grain and makes it more difficult to market commercially. High quality food grade […]