Past research in Ontario and abroad has demonstrated the importance of uniform emergence for maximizing corn yield. At the Southwest Ag Conference in January, Randy Dowdy, 2014 National Corn Growers Association yield contest winner from Georgia proposed the “flag test” – returning to a plot every 12 or 24 hours and flagging every newly emerged plant using a different coloured flag for each […]
Online and In-Class course offered for FREE until August 31, 2016. Starting on August 31, 2016, successful completion of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Course for Corn and Soybeans will be required in order to purchase or plant neonicotinoid-treated corn and soybean seed. Following successful completion of the course, farmers will receive a certificate […]
The corn nitrogen calculator app generates a recommendation for the most economical N rate for a corn field. It is based on more than 40 years of Ontario research and takes into account soil type, rotation, and the cost scenario (i.e. anticipated cost of N and price of corn). The app allows you to save […]
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 […]
Purpose: Pre-sidedress soil nitrate test (PSNT) provide a means of estimating soil nitrogen supply, and can aid producers in fine-tuning their nitrogen application rates for corn. One drawback of current soil nitrate tests is that they are only calibrated for situations where all of the nitrogen being measured has come from soil mineralization, that is […]
by Joel Bagg, Forage Specialist, & Greg Stewart, Corn Specialist, OMAFRA “What’s corn silage going to be worth this year?” Corn development is delayed for a significant portion of the crop and could be at risk of frost. Farmers may be looking at salvaging frost damaged corn that hasn’t matured adequately for optimum yield, moisture […]
by Joel Bagg, Forage Specialist, & Greg Stewart, Corn Specialist, OMAFRA “What’s corn silage worth this year?” Grain corn prices have dropped considerably after unprecedented high prices last year, bringing corn silage prices down with them. With current grain corn and hay prices, corn silage still looks fairly attractive as an alternate forage. After excessive […]
Cold September nights can cause widespread anxiety in corn producers. The level of anxiety for most growers will be determined by the stage of maturity their grain corn crop has reached. As temperatures drop to zero frost damage first occurs to the leaves of the corn plants. This damage will eliminate any further photosynthesis, reduce […]
The importance of harvest moisture and maturity to corn silage quality and animal performance is often underestimated. Not only is it important to minimize fermentation dry matter and spoilage losses, it is difficult to compensate for poor forage quality in ration balancing and animal performance. Don’t get caught harvesting corn silage outside the […]
Helmut Spieser, Agricultural Engineer, OMAF Ridgetown Peter Johnson, Cereal Specialist, OMAF, Stratford Albert Tenuta, Field Crop Pathologist, OMAF, Ridgetown Weather conditions in 2013 have been ideal for Fusarium Head Blight development in areas of Ontario and surrounding US states. Every year we deal with or try to minimize Fusarium impact on the crop and this […]
I took the above video in 2010 when a lot of corn was planted in mid April and had emerged nicely only to be hit with a frost in May. Although the injury looked bad at the time, because the growing point was below the ground the crop made a complete recovery and 2010 saw […]
Purpose: Aftermarket planter modifications to control row unit down pressure have been well promoted into the Ontario marketplace, and are advertised for their ability to improve planter function, and final yields. The basic principles behind the modifications have merit, but the relative yield impacts of the different modifications, and their ability to respond above and […]
Corn silage is a useful late-season forage option for livestock producers, particularly in years when hay and haylage inventories are limited. Rainfall has been extremely variable across Ontario this year, with some extremely dry areas and other areas closer to normal. Summer thunderstorm activity even created extreme variations between concession roads. As a result the […]
Fields that usually get nitrogen applied prior to planting and incorporated may have been planted this year without any nitrogen in order to speed up the process. Post planting N application of UAN (28%) is a good option in these situations but there are a few things to consider. Nitrogen application using UAN will cause […]
Rain! Rain! Go away and come back another day (preferably June, July and August)! At this time it would be premature to switch from adapted hybrids to shorter season hybrids. When field conditions delay planting and necessitate switching to less than full-season hybrids, factors to consider in this decision include yield potential of shorter-season hybrids, […]