Weekly in-season progress reports of the Ontario field crop landscape
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) […]
Winter Wheat Harvest Harvest has been slow to start in the province, lagging 7-14 days behind last year. Early yield and quality reports have been decent given the late planting date and challenging spring, but more acres will need to be harvested before any generalizations can be made. In fields were there are concerns of […]
Winter Wheat Harvest Harvest has been slow to start in the province, lagging 7-14 days behind last year. Early yield and quality reports have been decent given the late planting date and challenging spring, but more acres will need to be harvested before any generalizations can be made. In fields were there are concerns of […]
Pesticide Drift Pesticide drift is a complicated subject and it carries significant financial and emotional baggage. This season has been challenging for many agricultural sectors and practices, and spray applicators have been challenged with difficult timing and limited opportunities for herbicide applications. When sprayer operators are rushed or frustrated they have to make hard decisions, […]
Corn Early planted corn reached the ‘knee-high by the 1st of July’. Crop stages range from 12 leaf stage to still a few acres being planted. More so on the heavier soils some unseeded corn acres remain. Corn planted this late will have high harvest moisture and could be difficult to combine pending fall conditions. […]
Corn Grain corn planting is complete on intended corn acres except on heavy clays that received more rain this week. Crop stages range from 8 leaf stage to newly emerged. Overall plant stands look good on lighter and medium textured soils although plant stress is becoming evident on corn seeded into less than ideal conditions. […]
Corn Grain corn planting is largely wrapped up. Depending on the region, anywhere from less than 10% (heavy clays) to 90%+ of intended corn acres have been planted. There were a small number of growers in higher heat unit regions intending to plant final fields of grain corn before the forecasted rain on Thursday, June […]