Some growers prefer 30” rows because of reduced seed costs and reduced white mould pressure. But it’s known that wide rows yield less, especially in northern climates. A number of research trials were conducted in 2022 and 2023 to determine if applying both starter nitrogen (N) and fungicides along with early planting could close the […]
Co-written by Dr. Lori Phillips, AAFC Harrow Multicropping practices like double cropping and relay intercropping hold the promise of increased productivity and profitability through the harvest of two crops per year on the same acres of land. Double cropping in southern Ontario is not a new practice; farmers in Essex, Kent and Lambton have for […]
Sulphur (S) is an essential nutrient necessary for plant growth. In the past it was assumed that soil sulphur supplies were adequate to meet soybeans full yield potential. Since air-borne sulphur emissions have been drastically reduced in the Great Lakes Basin, is it now necessary to feed soybeans sulphur? The simple answer In 2023 three […]
A wet spring pushed Ontario soybean acres to a record high of 3.1 million acres seeded in 2024. This was up 7% from 2023. To date, with approximately half of yields reported the provincial yield is above average at 108%. This number will be updated in January when all acres have been reported. The Agricorp […]
Pre-Harvest Weed Control in Soybeans With many soybean fields turning yellow, the timing for pre-harvest weed control, if needed, is imminent. A pre-harvest herbicide treatment can make harvest more efficient when there are an unacceptable number of weeds in a soybean crop. Drier plant matter will pass more easily through the combine, lowering seed losses […]
Corn Diseases, Fungicide Timing, Fungicide Resistance and Nematode Surveys! Corn diseases such as tar spot, northern corn leaf blight, common rust, gray leaf spot are easy to spot this year especially in areas which have had considerable rain events. The good news is the incidence and severity has still been low as many corn fields […]
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 […]