Winter canola seed sales have been very strong and Ontario acres in 2020 are expected to be higher than ever before. While research on the crop has been limited, some recommendations are outlined below based on experience over the past few years and experience with spring canola in Ontario. Field Selection Fields should have good drainage and low clay content….
For detailed instructions on how to upload your Western Bean Cutworm (WBC) trap counts to the Great Lakes and Maritimes Pest Monitoring Network, please view this 5 minute video. The Great Lakes and Maritimes Pest Monitoring Network Dashboard mentioned in the video can be found HERE. See also: 2020 Great Lakes and Maritimes Pest Monitoring Network by Tracey Baute 2020 WBC…
Meghan Moran May 29, 2020 867 Comments Off on Flea Beetle in Spring Canola: Monitor, Identify Fields at Risk & Consider the WeatherCanola producers are likely familiar with flea beetle and have an understanding of how to manage them. Many are reporting flea beetle feeding this spring. A few resources have been brought together here to help with scouting and decision making on control measures. “Five Things to Know about Flea Beetle” from Canola watch by Canola Council of Canada (CCC) Comprehensive…
Meghan Moran April 15, 2020 875 Comments Off on Exeter + Mt Forest Agribusiness Breakfast Meeting – April 14, 2020The past couple weeks have been fairly dry and sunny, and the amount of rain on Easter weekend was less than forecasted. However, this week looks cool in comparison, with nighttime temperatures dipping below freezing. The low temperatures should be considered by those thinking about planting or applying herbicides this week. Winter Wheat Winter wheat looks better than this time…
Meghan Moran March 5, 2020 1461 Comments Off on Winter Canola Survival in 2018/2019 in Southwestern OntarioIn the 2018/2019 winter canola season, 17 fields were monitored to evaluate winter survival of winter canola, and to support expansion of regions that can access crop insurance for winter kill. Information was collected from producers on soil type, planting date, planting equipment, fall fertility, canola hybrid, and growth stage prior to a hard fall frost to contribute to assessments…
Meghan Moran October 6, 2019 1803 Comments Off on Made-In-Ontario Yield Monitor Now Available for Dry Bean CombinesIn 2015 an Oxford County farm family, the Vollmershausen’s, were looking around for a yield monitor for their Pickett combine. The Vollmershausen’s grow kidney and cranberry beans which are harvested by pulling and windrowing, then picked up and threshed by a Pickett combine. Large seeded dry beans are somewhat delicate and must be handled gently so that the final product…
Meghan Moran October 4, 2019 1289 Comments Off on Pre-Harvest Herbicide Options in Canola; Managing Re-GrowthSpring canola harvest is not yet complete, with a majority of the crop still standing in northern regions. Many fields were ready to harvest up to two weeks ago, but the weather has not cooperated. Producers are now reporting that canola is re-growing and quite green in the lower canopy. Pre-harvest herbicide application may improve harvest conditions; some details to…
Producers interested in growing winter canola should consider the herbicide history of their field, and the herbicide options open to them following winter wheat harvest. There are a number of restrictions, and some herbicide labels do not mention safety on canola. At this time there is only one winter canola variety that is registered in Ontario and readily available to…
Scouts and agronomists may put biosecurity measures in place with a certain disease or crop in mind, but should ensure protocols are in place each and every time you walk fields. Crops are grown in rotation, so the soil in corn fields may contain soybean cyst nematode and soil in wheat fields may contain clubroot disease that infects canola. What…
Ontario’s dry edible bean producers are top notch farmers. They invest a great deal of time and money in managing this high risk, high reward crop. To keep the scales tipped towards ‘high reward’, dry bean producers need to know the soybean cyst nematode (SCN) status of their fields. SCN is now present in 22 counties (Figure 1), including the…
The Ontario Pulse Crop Committee are very pleased to announce that GoBeans.ca has been updated! The home of our annual dry bean performance testing data has a fresh, new look. Head over to GoBeans.ca to find: Variety descriptions for many of the varieties grown in Ontario – *New Content!* The 2018 Ontario Dry Bean Variety Trials report in PDF format,…
Meghan Moran April 29, 2019 1191 Comments Off on Biological Control for Swede Midge and its Parasitoid in OntarioThis article was written by Charles-Étienne Ferland, MSc Candidate, and Dr. Rebecca Hallett, University of Guelph A biological control agent is a beneficial insect that will help control populations of pest insects. Finding the right biological control agent is a bit like having guests over for dinner for the first time. If you’re not careful in selecting the candidate,…
Meghan Moran April 20, 2019 2257 Comments Off on Should I Always Apply Boron to Canola during Early Flower Stages?Boron application at flowering is a common practice for Ontario canola growers. Canola has a higher requirement for boron than crops like wheat and barley, so it make sense to give canola a shot of this micro nutrient. Timing the application during reproductive stages makes sense too, because boron deficient plants have been shown to express slow growth of pollen…
Meghan Moran April 9, 2019 1717 Comments Off on What are these Flies in my Canola? Understanding Delia SpeciesThis article was written by Meghan Moran (OMAFRA Canola & Edible Bean Specialist) , Travis Cranmer and Dennis Van Dyk (OMAFRA Vegetable Crop Specialists) There have been times growers and agronomists have asked, “What is this house fly-looking insect I am seeing in canola fields?” The flies were particularly abundant in some regions in 2017, and at the time it was…
Meghan Moran November 5, 2018 4009 Comments Off on Fall Review of Winter Canola Fields and Expectations for OverwinteringThis article was written by Meghan Moran (OMAFRA) and Sydney Meloche (AAFC Harrow) Winter canola fields across Essex, Chatham-Kent, Wellington, Hamilton-Wentworth, Haldimand and Niagara have been assessed in fall of 2018. Approximately 900 acres have been scouted in 20 fields. The goal is to take observations on plant populations and plant size in the fall, and assess winter survival in…