Weekly in-season progress reports of the Ontario field crop landscape
Planting The March 2018 planting intentions report by Statistics Canada estimated Ontario farmers intended to plant 2.2 million acres of grain corn, comparing to a 5-year (2013-2017) average of 2.1 million acres (OMAFRA Crop Statistics). A cool April coupled with snow and freezing rain events through to the middle of the month limited early field […]
Summary The saying in cropping “rain makes grain” was certainly true for soybeans in 2018. Above average rainfall in late July and August resulted in the highest provincial yields on record. What makes this achievement especially impressive is that much of May, June, and even the first half of July were very dry. At the […]
Fall 2017 Planting Planting conditions started off well and continued through to mid-October with little disruption. Rainfall around Thanksgiving weekend halted soybean harvest and subsequently winter wheat planting but once conditions dried up planting continued through to November. Approximately 906,000 acres of winter wheat were seeded which is slightly down from the previous year’s 910,000 […]
Planting and Development The dry edible bean season started out positively with good planting conditions at the end of May and beginning of June. There was not much rain in the last half of May, and by May 28th temperatures were reaching 30˚C with no risk of frost. A large proportion of the dry beans […]
Planting and Development In 2018 there was an increase in spring canola acreage in Ontario compared to the previous two years. Insured acres totaled approximately 30,000 ac in 2016 and 2017, whereas there was nearly 40,000 ac insured by Agricorp in 2018. Canola acreage increased across many regions, but the most notable increase was the […]
Photo: Low cutting heights increase the odds of soil contamination in the crop. Soil contamination shows up in ash contents above 9%. This can be prevented by raising the cutter bar. Fall and Winter Conditions Rain delays in 2017 pushed harvest in some areas into the critical fall harvest period. Root reserves that contribute to […]
2018 Seasonal Insect Pest Summary There was no shortage of insect issues in 2018, though some pests we would typically expect were not a big problem this year. Swede midge, armyworm and even western bean cutworm for the most part were not nearly the problem they have been in the past in canola, wheat and […]
Plan to Assess Field for Ear Rot and Mycotoxin Risk With assistance from the Ontario Agri-Business Association (OABA) and funding through the Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO), the Ontario Ministry of Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has begun sampling grower corn fields to determine ear mould incidence and occurrence of mycotoxins in the grain. These […]
Soil Fertility Planning for Fall We’re now half way through September and soybean harvest and winter wheat seeding are quickly approaching. Have you had soil samples taken yet this season? If not, there is still time to make arrangements before the rush of fall harvest. Having up-to-date soil test information is critical for making sound […]
Figure 1. Board displaying corn ear size and plant spacing at harvest time Pre-Harvest Corn Yield Estimates and Late Season Corn Scouting It’s the beginning of September and the growing season is on the final stretch. Perhaps you’re impatient and can’t wait until harvest to get an idea of what your corn yield is looking […]
Selecting the right winter wheat variety for your operation is an important decision but at times can be overwhelming when considering the classes and varieties available. To help Ontario growers with variety selection decisions, the Ontario Cereal Crop Committee conducts performance trials across the province to evaluate registered varieties and/or varieties supported for registration. These […]
Considerations for Hail Damaged Corn Thunderstorms brought some localized hail events through parts of Southwestern Ontario, particularly during the last week of July. Like most plant stresses, yield loss from defoliation increases through vegetative stages, peaks around tassel or pollination, and declines through grain-fill. For example, using the defoliation table from OMAFRA Agronomy Guide – […]
Although the rain in the past month has rejuvenated grass growth on pastures and improved hay yields, forage inventories are still in tight supply for many livestock producers. Harvested cereal fields can be used to produce more forage yet this fall. Seeding a spring cereal like oats can produce up to 2 ton per acre […]
2018 has been an insect year. As we start to approach the end of summer, there are still a few pests to be concerned about before the crops are ready for harvest. Western bean cutworm (WBC): Overall, the WBC population have been lower than previous years. With the majority of the corn crop beyond the […]
Cereals Winter wheat harvest progress is around 7-10 days ahead of last year. Given the relatively dry summer, early reports of yield have been average to below average although crop quality has been respectable. Post-harvest weed management A significant amount of annual weed seeds can be produced and dispersed after wheat harvest if the ground […]