Weekly in-season progress reports of the Ontario field crop landscape
Spring Canola There was roughly 36,800 acres of spring canola insured by Agricorp in 2022. Compared to 2021, planted acreage across Ontario was similar. There were regional differences with planted acreage being slightly higher in Northeastern Ontario, and slightly lower in Northwestern Ontario Spring conditions were favourable for early planting throughout most of Ontario with […]
Winter 2021/2022 Conditions Fall of 2021 was very open, and many hay fields grew significantly more than usual. Stands that were predominantly grass created a higher risk for smothering alfalfa where there was too much top growth. Ideally grasses should be mowed to 15 cm (6 in.) to reduce smothering risk. Alfalfa will not smother, […]
When does a killing frost no longer damage soybean seed? Late planted fields or double cropped soybeans may still be green in late September or October. A killing frost will not significantly harm seed quality once the field is at the R7 (beginning maturity) growth stage. R7 is reached when 50% or more of the […]
Tar Spot and Fungicide Application Timings! Although tar spot was detected in Ontario in the first week of July the past two years, 2022 is much different than 2021 and shows the importance of environmental conditions for disease development. Remember, this holds true for any disease! The big difference was the dry conditions early and […]
Managing cover crops ahead of the 2023 corn crop If you’re like many Ontario farmers, you are not only watching as your crops head toward the finish line, but also keeping an eye on the progress of the cover crops you seeded after cereal harvest. With recent rainfall in many parts of the province, cover […]
How Close is Your Corn Nitrogen Rate to Optimum? Testing Nitrogen Rates On-Farm. Simple Summary Three methods can provide insight for how close grower corn nitrogen (N) rates may be to the optimum Multi-Rate N Trial – the most accurate for determining optimum N rates, but also the most work Delta-Yield Estimation – provides a […]
Continuous Corn and Bt Corn Rootworm Resistance Unexpected damage on Bt rootworm (Bt-RW) hybrids – hybrids with below-ground protection – has been found in several fields and new counties this month. The damage includes significant stunting, root clipping, goosenecking, silk clipping and abundant rootworm adult populations mating and feeding (Figure 1). All of these are […]
Root growth of corn plants (V5 growth stage) growing in soil compacted to different bulk densities before corn seeds were planted (Strachan and Jeschke 2017) […]
Weather Much of the province received rain this past week, with significant rainfall (over 76 mm or 3 inches) in Huron Shores and Georgian Bay and eastern Ontario. A 25 to 50 mm (1-2 inch) rain mid-summer can still help finalize average yields, but it is too early to make final yield predictions. Crops that […]
Improved nitrogen testing may be around the corner Ontario’s corn crop is past the halfway point at this time and is left to Mother Nature’s will to help mature the corn and give us a decent harvest. For the most part, that means we can look back at what 2022 brought us and how we […]
Weather Conditions The percentage of average precipitation during the current growing season is quite variable across the province. Crop conditions generally mirror precipitation levels with below average precipitation received in mid-western and southern Ontario causing significant crop stress, especially on lighter textured soils. Conversely, parts of eastern Ontario are above average with generally good crop […]
Managing Weed Seeds in Manure Where manure is applied there often seems to be higher weed pressure. The question: does manure fertilize the weeds already in the seed bank or are the seeds brought in with the manure? Consider that there are up to 15,000 weed seeds per square foot in the soil seed bank according […]
Spring canola across the province is currently at or beyond full bloom. Observations from around the province at this stage are that spring canola is looking better overall than it has in recent years, particularly in Timiskaming District where the majority of the crop is grown. Little to no swede midge damage was observed in […]
Enhancing Corn & Soybean Yields in Ontario How adding complexity to crop rotations and diversity to tillage practices can benefit corn and soybean growers long term. Gone are the days of grandpa getting the tractor and 3 furrow plow out to work the whole farm each fall after harvest. For decades now, producers have been […]
Spring Roundup As we close out the 2022 spring planting window, for the most part we see crops in good shape, but as always, there are regional differences. Alfalfa in western and southwestern Ontario suffered a great deal of die out this winter. Farmers had to make quick plans to address this issue. Alternatively, alfalfa […]