Student – Field Research Assistant Organization: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) Division/Branch: Economic Development Division / Agriculture Development Branch Position Title: Field Research Assistant (Field Crop) & Field Research Assistant (Horticultural Crop) Job Term: Temporary, for up to 16 weeks, beginning…
Planting In March 2019 Statistics Canada estimated Ontario farmers intended to plant 2.2 million acres of grain corn, higher than the 5-year (2014-2018) average seeded acres of 2.0 million acres (OMAFRA Crop Statistics). Unlike some springs where a large majority of the provincial crop is often planted in a 1 to 2-week window, frequent rainfall and poor drying conditions (overcast,…
Summary Some years it’s a pleasure to grow soybeans. Other years producing a crop can be a real challenge. The 2019 growing season will be remembered as being very stressful for those involved in crop production. During this challenging year, Agricorp focused on optimizing resources to ensure that customers had the information they needed and that program payments were delivered….
Fall 2018 The cool, wet spring in 2018 resulted in delayed soybean planting for many producers across the province. This ultimately had an impact on winter wheat seeding in the fall of 2018 as soybean harvest was also delayed due to prolonged wet conditions. Growers who opted for early maturing soybeans were able to get their soybean crop off and…
Planting and Growing Conditions Acreage of dry beans in 2019 increased approximately 20% over 2018 acreage, with notable growth in acres of white and adzuki beans. Challenging planting conditions for corn and soybeans were likely a factor in the increased acres of dry beans in 2019. The general target for planting dry beans is June 1st or after the last…
Spring Canola Planting and Development Spring canola acreage in Ontario declined 25 per cent in 2019 compared to the previous year. Insured acres totaled just over 30,000 compared to approximately 40,000 in 2018. Five counties that grew canola in 2018 did not appear in the insured acreage statistics this year. Some producers were unable to plant all their intended canola…
2018/2019 Fall and Winter Conditions Environment Canada stations recorded higher than average rainfall in August and the resulting forage growth prompted many harvests during the fall rest period to increase feed inventories. Southwestern, central, and eastern Ontario experienced several thaws between January and March. These reduced or eliminated snow cover and were often followed by cold snaps that caused ice…
We all agree that this has been one of the most challenging cropping years in Ontario, but there were some pest lessons learned from the experience. Effect of Delayed Planting Delayed planting can reduce the risk of some early season pests. Pests like bean leaf beetle (BLB) move into the earliest emerging fields first. With much of the acreage…
OMAFRA Field Crop Team September 19, 2019 920 Comments Off on Ontario Field Crop Report – Week of September 16, 2019Fall Means – Sampling for Soybean Cyst Nematode! As fall approaches, two things are certain – winter will come and soybean cyst nematode (SCN) has done its business! For many growers, managing soybean cyst nematode means planting SCN resistance varieties BUT effective SCN management does not end when you have selected your soybean varieties! It is imperative to not only…
OMAFRA Field Crop Team September 12, 2019 940 Comments Off on Ontario Field Crop Report – Week of September 9, 2019Strategies for Reducing Compaction from Wheel Traffic Farm show season is upon us! As we admire the many types and sizes of farm equipment, most of us would rather ignore the elephant in the room; a lot of new farm machinery is simply too heavy to drive across the field without risking deep, potentially permanent, subsoil compaction. Deep compaction is…
OMAFRA Field Crop Team September 5, 2019 1394 Comments Off on Ontario Field Crop Report – Week of September 2, 2019Will My Late Planted Corn Mature Prior to a Frost? Spring of 2019 was clearly frustrating to be a corn grower. Frequent rains and cool weather delayed planting for large parts of Ontario. A significant amount of corn was planted into June (Figure 1.), and many fields tasseled in early to mid-August, later then the middle to late July we…
Manure application after wheat harvest is occurring and provides an excellent opportunity for taking a sample for analysis. In addition to the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content of the manure, testing for micronutrients (zinc, magnesium, manganese) and sulphur, C:N ratio, organic matter content and pH will highlight the full value and give some insight into nutrient availability. Sulphur content can…
OMAFRA Field Crop Team August 22, 2019 1139 Comments Off on Ontario Field Crop Report – Week of August 19, 2019Soil Fertility Benefits of Wheat in Rotation Winter wheat harvest is now complete and before long the 2020 winter wheat crop will be seeded across the province (Figure 1). Yields have been better than expected for many. September planted wheat ranges from 100-130 bushels per acre, early October wheat ranges from 80-100 bu/ac and late October planted wheat yielded from 30…
OMAFRA Field Crop Team August 15, 2019 973 Comments Off on OMAFRA Field Crop Report – Week of August 12, 2019Winter Wheat Winter wheat harvest is winding down across the province and reported yields to date have ranged from 80-130 bu/ac which compares well to the five-year average yield of 82.7 bushels/ac. This was a pleasant surprise for many growers’ considering all the stresses the winter wheat crop had to endure. Good reports of straw yield averaging 4000 pounds per…
OMAFRA Field Crop Team August 15, 2019 727 Comments Off on Exeter Agribusiness Breakfast Meeting Minutes –August 13, 2019Thank you to Martin Harry for chairing the mid-summer meeting and to Bill Norman (Belchim Crop Protection) for sponsoring breakfast. Thank you to those who came out to all the meetings this season. Synopsis: The status of crops varies in the region with some areas not looking too bad while others are showing signs of moisture stress with growers…