Weekly in-season progress reports of the Ontario field crop landscape
Variable weather has led to short windows for field work across the province. Most areas have had at least a few days to spread fertilizer and manure and begin tillage and planting. Manure applications are being strategically planned to reduce some rates of starter or broadcast fertilizer. Very windy days across the province this week have emphasized soil […]
Weather conditions: Seasonal temperatures and relatively good drying conditions allowed fieldwork to begin in some regions. Nitrogen application on wheat, fertilizer applications and tillage on lighter soils, and planting of spring cereals, new forage seedings and even corn all began as soil conditions permitted. Manure application, some from storages near capacity, was evident by smell […]
Cool temperatures with persistent rainfall have slowed field drying which has resulted in little field work completed to date. Very few winter cereals outside of the deep south have received an application of nitrogen and sulphur but are expected to receive an application before the weekend. Manure applications and tillage operations are slowly beginning where the conditions allow. Very little corn and no soybeans have been seeded to date. Cereals The majority of winter […]
Spring has returned following a cold, snowy winter; however, weather conditions through March and early April remains cooler than normal, and soils continue to be wet and cool in many areas. As a result, meaningful field activity has been minimal to date across the province. Ontario field crop producers are entering the 2026 growing season […]
Planting In March 2025, Statistics Canada estimated Ontario farmers intended to plant 2.3 million acres of grain corn, 5% higher than the 5-year (2020-2024) average seeded acres of 2.2 million acres (OMAFRA Crop Statistics). Spring came early for many, but not all parts of the province in 2025. The first half of April delivered a […]
The 2025 growing season was challenging in many parts of Ontario, mainly due to moisture stress. Outcomes varied tremendously by region and from field to field. Some growers in central Ontario had complete crop failures, while other regions had above average yields. Acres dropped by 7% to 2.865 million acres compared to 2024. The provincial […]
2024 Planting Conditions In the fall of 2024, growers across Ontario were able to seed winter wheat, barley and triticale into almost perfect conditions. A significant portion of winter cereal acres were seeded in September, but with persistent summer-like conditions, growers continued seeding well into late October. The optimum conditions also allowed for many to make a fall herbicide application resulting in excellent dandelion and perennial weed […]
Acreage Overview In 2025, approximately 130,000 acres of dry beans were insured by Agricorp in Ontario. This is higher than the 116,000 acres harvested in 2024 and the highest since 2020, when over 156,000 acres of dry beans were harvested in Ontario. The acreage of each market class in 2025 is presented in the table […]
In 2025, there were nearly 46,000 acres of canola insured by Agricorp. This includes winter canola seeded in 2024 and spring canola seeded in 2025. There were about 12% fewer acres compared to last season. Spring Canola Acres of spring canola in the Temiskaming District, where the greatest acreage of canola is grown in Ontario, […]
Optimizing Crop Residue Management for Overall Profitability When and where should crop residue management start? It’s an ongoing and system-wide aspect of overall crop management, so choices such as crop rotation, fertilization and tillage feed into it. However, crop residue management generally starts with the combine. Combining crops without the proper equipment or setup can […]
Fall Herbicide Applications: Maximize Impact on Perennial Weeds Many farmers have seen the benefits of applying systemic herbicides in the fall, especially for the control of perennial weeds (Figure 1). Dandelion control can be improved by over 20% with fall application timings (Figure 2), while the population of other perennial species will be reduced and […]
Hazardous Gases on the Farm: A Silent Threat to Safety Hazardous gases are an often-overlooked danger on farms, lurking in silos, manure storages, anaerobic digesters, grain bins, and any confined space with poor ventilation. They can pose serious health risks to both humans and animals. Common farm gases include: Some gases, like nitrogen dioxide and […]
Crop Conditions – Week of September 1st, 2025. As the 2025 corn season nears its end, two significant diseases—tar spot and southern rust have been getting considerable attention from agronomists and growers across Ontario and the US Corn Belt. Tar spot has been confirmed from Ontario to Kansas, while southern rust’s fast-moving progression from the […]
Pre-harvest Management of Soybeans Many soybean fields are now beginning to yellow, which indicates they are at the R6 (full seed) growth stage. This means that green soybean seeds fill the pod cavity on one of the 4 top nodes. At this stage, pods have reached their full length and no new pods form. Root […]
Resources for Evaluating and Salvaging Moisture Stressed Corn for Corn Silage Under exceptionally dry conditions, there can be corn fields which are severely moisture stressed to the point they will make very poor (or in some cases almost zero) grain yield (Fig. 1). Under these same conditions, forage yields on livestock farms may also be […]