Weekly in-season progress reports of the Ontario field crop landscape
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 […]
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 […]
(This article updated on March 5, 2019 with yield data from Agricorp. See table at end of article) 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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
Fall 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 […]
Strategies 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, […]
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 (Figure 1.), and many fields tasseled in early to mid-August, later then the […]
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 […]
Soil 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 […]
Winter 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 […]
Winter 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 […]
Western bean cutworm (WBC) Peak moth flight is likely taking place this week for many regions of Ontario, putting both corn and dry beans at risk (Figure 1). WBC moths prefer pre-tassel to full tassel corn to lay eggs in so scout these fields first. If corn has passed these stages in the immediate area, […]
Nitrates in Silage Fast-growing crops can accumulate nitrates under dry weather conditions. This is most common in corn, but sorghums, sudangrass, millets, cereals, and Italian ryegrass can all accumulate high levels of nitrates and potentially cause nitrate poisoning in livestock. Figure 1. Fast-growing forage crops like sorghum-sudangrass may accumulate nitrates under stressful growing conditions Why […]
Nitrates in Silage Fast-growing crops can accumulate nitrates under dry weather conditions. This is most common in corn, but sorghums, sudangrass, millets, cereals, and Italian ryegrass can all accumulate high levels of nitrates and potentially cause nitrate poisoning in livestock. Why are high nitrate levels a problem? Nitrates (NO3-N) are converted to nitrites (NO2-N) […]