Approximately 5% of the overall acreage has been planted. Once fields dry planting will start in earnest. There is no reason to wait at this date even if soil temperatures are cool. The yield benefit of early planting generally outweighs the risk of planting into cold soils. Seeding rate recommendations are significantly lower in some […]
Pasture growth continues to be modest with cool temperatures and limited moisture until this past week. For optimum pasture performance give the grasses and legumes an opportunity to produce a minimum of 10-12 cm of new growth before turning livestock into a paddock. In an ideal situation each paddock provides one day’s forage for the […]
Corn planting is 20-90% complete depending on the area of the province; provincially planting is estimated at 65%. Some of the early (i.e. April 5-15) planted corn had emerged and the cold temperatures of April 27, 28 & 29 froze the above ground tissue. However, to date, growing point and seed integrity remains high in […]
Freeze injury is a significant concern in the winter cereal crop with the very low temperatures of April 27/28/29. Leaf damage is significant in most fields, but it is head damage that is critical. Split stems in frost prone areas. Heads should be bright green to yellow. Discoloured or water soaked appearance of heads indicates […]
Planting is 70 % complete in southern areas, and freezing overnight temperatures has kept most growers in northern areas out of the field. Cold temperatures are delaying emergence, with early planted canola taking 14-21 days to emerge. There have been several reports of low emergence and frost damage to very early planted canola. Begin to […]
Included: Freeze injury, glyphosate resistant weeds, weed control, wheat disease, soybean seeding rates. Synopsis: Extremely cold temperatures over the weekend caused widespread damage to fruit trees, etc. Temperatures as low as -8 C were measured with one report of -10 at ground level (Norfolk county). Weekend low temperature maps are available at http://www.weatherinnovations.com. Wheat, alfalfa […]
Key messages: Ensure at least 2 modes of action are used in all herbicide applications as part of the resistance management strategy. Where weed escapes from burndown treatments require additional glyphosphate, we need to send the message of combined modes of action as good weed management stewardship, even for in-crop applications. With glyphosphate resistant fleabane […]
Alfalfa Weevil Reports from Michigan and Iowa indicate that alfalfa weevils were activity is early this year. We’ve had some fairly warm weather earlier this spring and the weevils likely have had a bit of a head start. I was out in some fields in Oxford this week and I found some early instar larvae […]
Cool and dry conditions have slowed grass development. Do not start grazing until the grass has the 3rd leaf emerged (a minimum of 7 to 10 cm) and then rotate quickly between paddocks. Management during the first round of rotational grazing can affect the productivity of the pasture for the rest of the summer; do […]
A few fields of soybeans were planted in the province last week. Field conditions were excellent. Little seeding progress is expected this week with cool and wet conditions. Weather permitting it’s expected that considerable acreage will be seeded in the first week of May. This would be ideal for maximum yield potential. When planting soybeans this early do […]
Nitrogen (N) dramatically increases the yield of grass stands, as well as forage protein levels. Optimum rates depend on the cost of N, anticipated value of the hay, thickness of stand, moisture conditions, and whether it is pasture or hay. Good grass stands with less than one-third legume, can generally benefit from at least 70 […]
Depending on the area, 10 to 60% of the corn crop has been planted. Provincially corn planting is estimated at 35%. Soil conditions remain dry and friable in most areas; the lack of soil moisture is an increasing concern and has forced deeper planting especially on light textured soils. Cold temperatures and rain/snow mix has […]
Co-Author: Scott Banks Winter cereals are moving forward slowly with the cool temperatures. Cold nights in low heat unit areas (-5oC) continued to stress the crop and show tip burn on leaves. A few more November acres have been targeted for replant with insufficient stand establishment to qualify for crop insurance. Manganese (Mn) deficiency is […]
Planting is 70 % complete in West – Central Ontario. Early April planted fields are in cotyledon to 1st leaf stage with good emergence. Timely rainfall received in most areas will help even emergence of later planted stands. Emergence is occurring in 10 to 14 days under cold soil temperature conditions. Pay attention to 1000 […]
There is nothing worse than having cattle to feed and then being caught off guard by low forage yields due to winter injury. If you have not already done so, walk alfalfa fields and dig some plants to assess for winterkill, heaving, frost damage and plant health. Watch for crown and root rots, brownish disclouration, […]