Frost seeding is a popular way to renovate an existing forage stand and is most effective in fields where patches of bare soil at least the size of a loonie are visible. With spring around the corner, many producers have questions about how to best use this technique to improve their hay fields and pastures. When can I frost seed…
Photo: It is impossible to tell by looking at frost-damaged sorghum-sudangrass what the prussic acid levels may be. Silage Corn In fields where rootworm Bt hybrids have been used for three or more consecutive years, resistance among corn rootworm populations is suspected. Producers can no longer rely solely on Bt rootworm hybrids for protection against rootworm injury. See the 2020 Canadian…
Caution! Members of the sorghum family – sorghum, sudangrass, and hybrid sorghum-sudangrass – contain dhurrin, a glucoside that breaks down to release hydrocyanic acid, also known as prussic acid (hydrogen cyanide, HCN). A sudden disruption of growth such as frost, drought or cutting, causes prussic acid to be released inside the plant at a more rapid rate. High prussic acid…
Photo: Many winter wheat fields were planted to an annual forage crop after harvest this year. Premiums for summer-seeded New Forage Seeding insurance are due to Agricorp September 15. Silage corn growers should check fields for rootworm resistance to Bt hybrids Scouting for corn rootworm injury in silage fields is important to detect potential resistance to rootworm Bt traits and…
OMAFRA Field Crop Team August 28, 2020 1279 Comments Off on Calibration of a Rising Plate Meter: Measuring the Amount of Available Feed in your PastureThis post was written by Jessica Brasier, OMAFRA summer student. Jessica works under the supervision of Christine O’Reilly (Forage and Grazing Specialist) and James Byrne (Beef Cattle Specialist). Grazing pasture is a great way to save on feed costs and utilize marginal land. To maximize the profitability of a pasture, a producer can use different tools to aid in management…
Photo above: Potato leafhopper damage (called “hopper burn”) is frequently mistaken for insufficient water. To maximize the forage yield of fall cereals next spring, research from New York state suggests planting fall rye or winter triticale 10-14 days before the optimal winter wheat planting date (Figure 1). September 1st is the deadline to report summer-seeded New Forage Seeding acres…
Southwestern • According to AAFC, Lambton, Huron, Perth, Bruce, Grey, Dufferin, Wellington, Waterloo, and Halton counties had average amounts of precipitation for the month of June. The rest of the region had below-average amounts of rainfall. • First cut was fully underway the first week of June. • There have been many reports of true armyworm in fields in the…
Cool conditions in the first half of the month slowed forage growth across the province. Victoria Day – the weekend before May 24th – was early this year, with the holiday falling on May 18th. This further affected perceptions of crop development, as many dairy farmers aim to start first cut based on the long weekend. Supplies of sorghum-sudangrass seed…
Photo: Orchardgrass accumulates anthocyanins during sunny days and cold soil conditions when photosynthesis outpaces root development. Turning purple is temporary; it will grow through this. Winter Conditions Most of the province had average amounts of precipitation over the winter. Areas of Chatham-Kent, Lambton, Huron, Grey, Bruce, Temiskaming, Cochrane, Rainy River, and Kenora received below-average winter precipitation. Overall, reports of winterkill…
by Maja Menegotto, Undergraduate Student Experiential Learning (USEL) program student What is a Falling Plate Meter? A falling plate meter is a tool that can be used to estimate dry matter yield within grazing pastures (Rayburn and Lozier, 2003b). To do this, an acrylic plate is lowered against a metre stick in the center of the plate, onto the grass….
Save the date! Forage Focus 2019 will be held December 5th 9:30 am – 3:30 pm EST at the Stratford Rotary Complex. Registration will open soon. Ontario Forage Council is looking for remote location hosts to receive the live stream in northern and eastern Ontario. If interested in hosting, contact Patricia Ellingwood at 1-877-892-8663. The OntarioHayListings.ca website is a free classifieds database…
The OntarioHayListings.ca website is a free classifieds database for producers looking to buy or sell hay and straw. Southwestern According to AAFC, the northern tip of the Bruce Peninsula, as well as Essex, Chatham-Kent, Lambton, Middlesex, Elgin, Oxford, Norfolk, Brant, Haldimand, and Hamilton received average or above-average precipitation for the month of July. The rest of the region experienced below-average amounts of…
Reports are coming in about insect pressure in forage crops and pastures across the province. Central and eastern Ontario currently have high potato leafhopper pressure, while districts across northern Ontario are challenged by armyworms. The only way to know if a field has insect pressure is to scout it! More information about scouting forage crops can be found in OMAFRA…
Unseeded fields provide an opportunity to boost forage inventories with annual crops. These forage crops have a bonus of suppressing weeds and protecting the soil from erosion. When selecting a forage crop consider the livestock’s dietary needs, the type and quality of forage in inventory, herbicide or fertilizer previously applied, and resources that are readily available. However, during wet conditions…
Christine O'Reilly June 14, 2019 3269 Comments Off on Slowing down the rotation protects pasture yieldCo-written by James Byrne, OMAFRA Beef Cattle Specialist Grass doesn’t just happen. Maximizing pasture yield requires management, and one of the most important decisions a manager can make is to give their grass enough time to fully recover after being grazed. Pastures have fully recovered from a grazing event when the grass plants have 3-4 new leaves. At this stage…