It is safe to call 2024 a good pest year. Mild winters and warm springs tend to help pests overwinter well or expand their range further than usually and get ahead of crops when soil conditions delay planting. Armyworm and cereal leaf beetle are continuing to show up in some wheat fields, while some grubs […]
The Ontario crop residue value estimator tool can be accessed by clicking the icon below. (this is the same tool previously posted on gocorn.net) Simple Summary Ontario Crop Residue Value Estimator Tool Crop residue contains nutrients. Removing crop residue from your farm removes those nutrients. If you are selling straw (or other crop residues) that […]
Cereals Winter wheat is advanced by 10-14 days in southern Ontario compared to other years, particularly in early planted fields. Fields in Essex are now at the early boot stages. Regions of the province further north and east as well as later planted fields are not as advanced and are at the first to second […]
Frequent rains and wet soils across the province have slowed or prevented field work. Soil compaction is likely to be an issue this year, especially for farmers trying to get manure spread ahead of spring planting. Fertilizer has been moving out to farms with storage. Retailers are full and ready to apply product once soil […]
The Ontario Corn Committee (OCC), the Ontario Cereal Crops Committee (OCCC), the Ontario Pulse Crop Committee (OPCC), and the Ontario Soybean and Canola Committee (OSACC) launched their new website: GoCrops.ca. The new website brings together the four previous crop committee websites under one cohesive banner. Ontario growers rely on third-party variety performance trial information to […]
Deb Campbell (Agronomy Advantage) notified me of high levels of bean leaf beetle (BLB) and pod feeding in IP and seed soybeans in Wellington, Grey and Simcoe counties. Fields in other counties could also be at risk, given how behind the crop is. BLB can feed on the surface of the pod which exposes the […]
A few pests are starting to show up in fields. If you haven’t had a chance to take a look yet, plan to check those high risk fields that are prone to seeing soybean aphids (soybeans) or western bean cutworm (corn and dry beans) in the next week or so. Soybean aphids: Soybean aphids are […]
Co-authored with Ken Janovicek and Dr. Dave Hooker, University of Guelph Highlights By now, you’ve likely heard the message from the long-term rotation trials at Ridgetown and Elora: winter wheat in rotation improves corn and soybean yields. But with greater revenue coming in during corn and soybean years, the real question is whether these yield […]
Most springs, conversation at some point turns to no-till soybeans and how tough they look compared to their tilled counterparts. 2022 was no exception. With a record corn crop in 2021 and compaction due to a wet fall, there were challenges to contend with in no-till and some fields did get off to a slow […]
Cereal rye is a versatile cover crop that can be seeded late into the fall in Ontario. Not to be confused with annual ryegrass – a grass that can be challenging to control – it is a winter cereal that overwinters reliably and grows rapidly in the spring. Delayed termination of rye by herbicide prior […]
Growing cover crop-based organic no-till soybeans requires a different system approach than for standard organic production. Three years of extensive research trials in Ontario have guided the development of four key best practices for growing no-till organic soybeans following a cereal rye cover crop. This tip sheet is designed to provide practical advice for Ontario […]
Some areas saw a bit or a lot of rain this past week but likely not enough yet to reduce our risk of spider mites in soybeans and dry beans. What is very concerning is that samples collected last year from 10 fields in southern Ontario all were resistant to dimethoate (Lagon or Cygon). The […]
With some soybean fields in early flowering, it is time to scout fields for soybean aphids. Early planted fields tend to be the first to be colonized. The mom aphids start depositing nymphs in pockets in the field that start to build populations of up to 1000s per plant. Once these pockets of aphids get […]
Reports are coming in that black cutworm larvae are cutting corn and even soybeans. We don’t often see cutting in soybeans but two fields in Niagara region were reported today with significant stand loss and a variety of sizes of larvae (Figures 1 & 2). Fields not treated with an insecticide seed treatment or planted […]
Did you know that a review of Ontario phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertilizer guidelines was undertaken? The work looked at crop responses to P and K for corn, soybeans, winter wheat and alfalfa from 368 trials conducted over the last several decades. It compared most economic rates to current Ontario fertilizer guidelines as found […]