Two pests that are starting to appear in Ontario fields include cereal leaf beetle and alfalfa weevil. Cereal leaf beetle: Both adults and larvae can cause damage by chewing long strips of tissue between the leaf veins, though most of the damage is done by the larvae in June. The larvae look somewhat like slugs […]
Chair for this meeting was Jeremy O’Shea. Chair for next meeting is Joanna Wallace. Thanks to BASF for sponsoring breakfast. Synopsis: Frost across many parts of the province has caused significant damage. Muck soils, sandy soils, and lower elevations were the worst hit. The vast majority of corn will recover since the growing point is still […]
First-cut dairy haylage is started in southern Ontario, and should be in full swing next week. With the dry weather in late-April and May in many areas, forage growth is reduced, particularly in the grasses. Potential yields are quite variable depending on the stand, but looks disappointing in some areas. Grassier fields, forage winter cereals, ryegrass, and alfalfa […]
The early start to the corn season came to an abrupt halt in parts of Ontario on May 23rd when temperatures dipped to -3oC in parts of the province. It is always painfull to see corn seedlings flat on the ground (Figure 1.). However, with corn mostly at the spike to 4 leaf stage when […]
Over-night temperatures on May 22 to 23 dipped to -2 to -3 oC in many parts of Ontario. Cereal crops are hardy to light frosts. Leaf tissue on plants that have not hardened off will withstand temperatures of -4 oC or lower before the cells will freeze and damage occurs, making late spring frosts of […]
Synopsis: Corn planting is virtually complete and soybean planting is between 75 to 80% complete. Earliest planted wheat is at flag leaf stage, while rye is heading. Frost last week did not have any significant impact for field crops. Growers are finding it challenging to keep up with weed control and many planned pre-emerge programs […]
Synopsis: A tremendous amount of field work has taken place over the past couple of weeks. Corn planting is 90-95% complete, soybean planting is 70% complete. Corn emergence has been good. Soil conditions and moisture up to now have been excellent. Concern now is planting into dry soil conditions and need to plant deeper,. Many […]
Some US states to our south have been reporting high numbers of black cutworm moths in their pheromone traps and are starting to see some black cutworm injury in newly emerging corn fields. These moths are carried into Ontario via storm fronts. Once they arrive the adult moths look for weedy patches in fields to […]
Ag Breakfast Meeting Ridgetown – May 19, 2015 Willson Hall, University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus, 120 Main St. East. Ridgetown. This week’s Breakfast courtesy of DuPont Pioneer while last meeting breakfast sponsored by Dekalb Brand Seeds. Synopsis: Dry conditions continue throughout most of the area with the exception being western Essex. Rainfall around area continues […]
Soil moisture levels are variable across the province, with some areas having adequate moisture with good forage growth, while others with little rain are dry with shorter than normal stands. Grass growth has been more affected by the dry weather than the alfalfa. Many alfalfa stands harvested during the Critical Fall Harvest Period are showing […]
I often carry 5 or 6 scouting and management guides with me when walking fields to determining what pests are present and how to control them, if necessary. I find lugging these books around inconvenient and inefficient, especially when I leave the book I need in another vehicle or at home. The pest manager app was […]
With warmer temperatures and recent rains, the alfalfa and grass growth and development is now advancing rapidly, despite a slow start in early April. Older, less healthy stands are beginning to become yellow with dandelions. Many fields that were fall cut are seeing delayed growth that will likely result in reduced 1st-cut yields. Grass stands have […]
Conditions: Warm, sunny and dry conditions over the last 2 weeks were ideal for field work. Timely rains May 10-12 brought 20 mm (5 to 50 mm) of welcome precipitation across eastern Ontario. With most of the cereals, new forage seedings, corn and part of the soybean acreage seeded/planted between April 27th and May 10th, […]
Special thanks to Agri-Food Labs for sponsoring breakfast. Chair: Eric Richter (author of minutes) Chair for next meeting will be Jeremy O’Shea Synopsis: A tremendous amount of field work has taken place over the last 2 weeks. Field work is ahead of where it has been for the last number of years considering the date. […]
Synopsis: An optimism that has been missing from the past few spring planting seasons; field work has started everywhere and planting is occurring into soils that have worked into a mellow seedbed. Less than ideal wheat crops are being kept for rotation purposes (fewer soybeans) and promise of excellent straw prices. On average 20 % […]