- Part 10

2020 Canadian Bt Corn Trait Tables with Events and Resistance Status -English and French

Tracey Baute April 21, 2020 871 Comments Off

The Canadian Bt Corn Trait Tables have been updated for 2020 with additional information including a list of the Bt Events and Pest Resistance Status. English: Bt Corn Trait Table (April 2020) with Events and Resistance Status French: Tableau des caractères Bt (Avril 2020-Français) – Évènements transgéniques et résistances For information on which hybrids or products have obtained EU approval, visit…

Spring Scouting of Alfalfa

alfalfa stem with frost-damaged leaf margins

Christine O'Reilly April 21, 2020 955 Comments Off

Forages

Photo: Scouting a few days after a spring frost is a good way to assess the severity of any damage. Good agronomy is very important for achieving good yield and quality in forage crops. While good agronomy includes a fertility plan, seeding techniques, and harvest management, it also relies on proactive decision-making. The only way to know what is happening…

How Ontario farmers are minimizing erosion on their farms

Jake Munroe April 21, 2020 908 1 Comment

Cover Crops

It’s the time of year when you can see the impact of erosion on farm fields across the province. Whether it’s subtle (Figure 1) or obvious (Figure 2), erosion affects soil by reducing fertility, decreasing organic matter and lowering productivity. With National Soil Conservation Week happening from April 19th to 25th, I wanted to highlight some strategies Ontario farmers are…

Crop Advances: Investigating Strip Till P & K Placement and Timing

Ben Rosser April 16, 2020 1962 1 Comment

Corn

Purpose: As strip till gains in popularity as a reduced-tillage option offering conventional tillage benefits for corn production, some of the most common questions revolve around phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) fertility management. This project was initiated to answer some of the more common questions around strip till and fertility placement and timing, particularly: How does yield of broadcast and…

Cobourg + Winchester Agribusiness Breakfast Meeting – April 15, 2020

Sebastian Belliard April 16, 2020 607 Comments Off

Ag Business Minutes

April 15th, 2020 Overall conditions This spring is starting out with generally favourable weather, particularly when compared with last year. The winter months were also less harsh, resulting in fewer issues with winterkill in forages and winter cereals. Heavy rains and subsequent cold temperatures in the last few weeks have resulted in some kill in depressions where ponding occurred. In…

OMAFRA Field Crop Report – April 16, 2020

Figure 2: Differences in planting date are evident in the winter wheat crop this year. This field was planted October 15th and have 2-3 leaves on March 31st.

OMAFRA Field Crop Team April 16, 2020 955 1 Comment

Crop Reports

The 2020 growing season has begun in Ontario with nitrogen applications being made to winter wheat, manure being applied and even corn being planted! Many have reported field conditions to be much better than they ever were in 2019. Winter Wheat More than 1 million acres of winter wheat has been seeded in the province and for the most part…

2020 Great Lakes and Maritimes Pest Monitoring Network

Tracey Baute April 15, 2020 3068 Comments Off

Great Lakes and Maritimes Pest Monitoring Network

The Great Lakes and Maritimes Pest Monitoring Network will be running again in 2020. We are monitoring for black cutworm (BCW), corn earworm (CEW), European corn borer (ECB), fall armyworm (FAW), true armyworm (TAW) and western bean cutworm (WBC) across the region and are providing an interactive real-time map and trap data dashboard that summarizes the trap results by pest….

Exeter + Mt Forest Agribusiness Breakfast Meeting – April 14, 2020

Meghan Moran April 15, 2020 926 Comments Off

Ag Business Minutes

The past couple weeks have been fairly dry and sunny, and the amount of rain on Easter weekend was less than forecasted. However, this week looks cool in comparison, with nighttime temperatures dipping below freezing. The low temperatures should be considered by those thinking about planting or applying herbicides this week. Winter Wheat Winter wheat looks better than this time…

Spring Frost Damaged Alfalfa

Joel Bagg April 10, 2020 8220 Comments Off

Forages

Alfalfa frost damage can sometimes occur in the spring after growth has started, resulting in damaged growing points. Some wilting can be visible about 24 hours after frost or some yellowish or brownish discolouration 3 or 4 days later. The top of the stems will typically bend over with a “shepherd’s hook”. Damage is often minimal and plants will grow out…

Ridgetown-Simcoe Agribusiness Breakfast Meeting Minutes – April 7, 2020

OMAFRA Field Crop Team April 9, 2020 839 Comments Off

Ag Business Minutes

07 April 2020, 8:00 am Due to COVID restrictions, ag breakfast meetings will be paired and held virtually by video conference on the “zoom” platform in 2020. The first 2020 Ridgetown-Simcoe virtual ag breakfast meeting was held April 7 with about 60 participants. Supply Chain: Given COVID restrictions, majority of communication with growers this spring has been by phone, e-mail or video conference….

Organic no-till soybean production: is it possible in Ontario?

Jake Munroe April 7, 2020 1627 2 Comments

Cover Crops

Why organic no-till? Organic soybean production relies on a significant amount of tillage. When done well, yields can rival conventional production. There are drawbacks, however, including a high labour demand in the spring and the potential for soil degradation over time. Cover crop-based organic no-till soybean production techniques have been developed in recent years and proven to work in parts…

Identifying and Mitigating the Risks of Ultra-early Soybean Planting

Horst Bohner April 7, 2020 885 2 Comments

Soybean

By Mike Staton, MSU Extension Soybean Educator and Horst Bohner, Soybean Specialist, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Some soybean producers in Michigan are experimenting with ultra early planting dates (late-March to mid-April) with positive results. To date, research trials have not shown a consistent yield benefit to planting this early when compared to planting during the last…

To Squat or Not to Squat: How Low can you Go?

Ian McDonald April 3, 2020 689 Comments Off

Soil Compaction

Written by Ian McDonald, Crop Innovations Specialist, OMAFRA and Alex Barrie, Soil Management Engineer, OMAFRA The impact of farm equipment causing soil compaction is primarily a function of soil moisture at the time of traffic coupled with the total weight, axle load and tire pressure of the implement. By lowering the tire pressure, we reduce the impact of soil compaction…

The Problem with Impermeable Surfaces in Rural Ontario

OMAFRA Field Crop Team April 2, 2020 731 Comments Off

Farm Safety

Written by Jacqui Empson Laporte, Environmental Specialist, OMAFRA From Houston to Toronto, a common theme has been flooding caused by the increase in impermeable surfaces. In June, 2017, part of Southwestern Ontario was hit with a 1 in 100 year storm event, and some areas received 6.7 inches (170 mm) of rain in 7 hours. In August, 2018, Toronto received…

Managing Oats for Maximum Yield Potential and Profitability

Figure 1: Oats on October 9th that were seeded following spring wheat for forage.

Joanna Follings April 2, 2020 1206 Comments Off

Oats

Over the winter months there has been a quite a bit of discussion around spring cereal yields in Ontario and oat yields in particular. Trendlines for oat yields in Ontario compared to western Canada (Figure 1 and 2) show that while Ontario yields continue to increase, the increase is smaller than for our friends in western Canada. While there…