Ben Rosser, Corn Specialist, OMAFRA While high pH knolls tend to be more common in Ontario, often caused by soil erosion leaving higher pH calcareous subsoils, this is not the case for all regions. How do low pH knolls develop? Low pH knolls (Figure 1) can develop on undulating landscapes where surface soils formed from deposits of sand, such as…
Environment Canada has issued frost advisories for most corn growing areas of the province for the nights of September 18 to 20 which are expected to be near or slightly below freezing (Figure 1). This is earlier than we typically observe first frosts, earlier than our long-term season end dates (Table 1) and much lower than our normal low temperatures…
With the first usher of cool fall weather this past week, there were frost warnings for parts of Northern Ontario. With the introduction of increasingly shorter maturity corn hybrids, there has been more corn grown in shorter season areas than what has been typical in the past, and also growers who may have recently started growing corn the first time….
Purpose: As strip till gains in popularity as a reduced-tillage option offering conventional tillage benefits for corn production, some of the most common questions revolve around phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) fertility management. This project was initiated to answer some of the more common questions around strip till and fertility placement and timing, particularly: How does yield of broadcast and…
Ben Rosser March 24, 2020 1007 Comments Off on Thinking Outside the Strip – One-Pass Manure Incorporation and Seedbed Prep with Strip TillWith some out of the box thinking, Ken Hartemink, hog and cash crop producer from St. Thomas, Ontario has mounted a strip tiller to the back of his manure tanker for one-pass manure incorporation and seedbed prep for next year’s corn crop. Ken Hartemink is a hog and cash crop producer just outside St. Thomas, Ontario. Ken wanted to…
Co-authored with Albert Tenuta, Field Crop Pathologist, OMAFRA OMAFRA field crop specialists in collaboration with Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) and members of the Ontario Agri-Business Association (OABA) have completed the annual Provincial corn ear mould and mycotoxin survey. Corn ear moulds such as Gibberella and their corresponding mycotoxins occur every year in Ontario. These mycotoxins, particularly deoxynivalenol (DON,…
Ben Rosser October 18, 2019 2263 Comments Off on Marketing Immature or Frost Damaged Corn: Livestock Feed Harvesting and Storage Alternatives for Corn Originally Intended as Dry Grain CornThis article was written by James Byrne and Megan Van Schaik, OMAFRA Beef Cattle Specialists, and Ben Rosser, OMAFRA Corn Specialist. In many parts of the province, 2019 proved to be a challenging year to get crops in the ground in a timely fashion. The impacts of spring conditions are still felt as we approach harvest and there are concerns…
Ben Rosser September 24, 2019 1783 Comments Off on Will 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 (Fig 1), and many fields tasseled in early to mid-August, later then the middle to late July we normally expect. Naturally, the common question now is what…
This article was written by Ben Rosser, OMAFRA Corn Specialist, and James Dyck, OMAFRA Engineer- Field Crop Conditioning & Environment A number of growers cleaned corn this fall in efforts to reduce DON. Whether it is on the combine or at the bins, the general message is to remove as much fines or cob as possible as these harbour the highest levels of…
Ben Rosser March 15, 2019 1151 Comments Off on 2019 Summer Jobs – Student Field Crop Assistant – Corn Agronomy and Nutrient ManagementJob Term: Temporary for 16 weeks, beginning spring 2019 Salary: $14.85 / hour, based on a 36.25 hour work week Job Ad Closing Date: Friday, March 29, 2019 Available Positions/Locations: Position Focus Location Contact Person Corn Agronomy and Nutrient Management Guelph Ben Rosser and Christine Brown Are you serious about making your mark, getting hands-on work…
Ben Rosser October 12, 2018 18926 Comments Off on 2018 Grain Corn Ear Mould and Vomitoxin (DON) SurveyCo-authored with Albert Tenuta, Field Crop Pathologist, OMAFRA OMAFRA field crop staff in collaboration with the Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) and members of the Ontario Agri-Business Association (OABA) have completed the annual Provincial corn ear mould and mycotoxin survey. Corn ear moulds such as Gibberella and their corresponding mycotoxins occur every year in Ontario. These mycotoxins, particularly vomitoxin (DON)…
As occurs most years, summer thunderstorms brought localized hail events through parts of Ontario, particularly during the last week of July (Figure 1). After a hail event, our first question is usually how much leaf tissue is still out there? When evaluating damage, it’s good to wait a week or so before going in. This gives time to let dead…
Co-authored with Ian McDonald Background OMAFRA Field Crop Unit staff have traditionally conducted an annual Pre Sidedress Nitrogen Test (PSNT) survey across Ontario at the beginning of June to measure background soil nitrate levels mineralized from the soil as an indication of year-to-year soil nitrogen status. In past years, 80-100 samples would be collected from corn fields across the province…
2017 Corn Seasonal Summary Planting The March 2017 planting intentions report by Statistics Canada estimated that Ontario farmers intended to plant 2.2 million acres of grain corn. This compares to a 5-year (2012-2016) average of 2.1 million acres of grain corn planted in the province (OMAFRA Crop Statistics). While April was warmer than normal, some large rainfall events in the…
Ben Rosser October 26, 2017 6753 Comments Off on 2017 Grain Corn Ear Mould and Vomitoxin (DON) SurveyCo-Authored with Albert Tenuta, Field Crop Pathologist, OMAFRA OMAFRA field crop staff with the assistance from members of the Ontario Agri-Business Association (OABA) have completed the annual Provincial corn ear mould and mycotoxin survey. These mycotoxins, particularly vomitoxin (DON) produced primarily by Gibberella/Fusarium ear moulds can be disruptive when fed to livestock, especially hogs. The purpose of the annual survey…