An uncommon scene the morning of May 21 was ponded water in fields of the Norfolk sand plain, where soils have saturated hydraulic conductivity in excess of 9 cm per hour. Some areas including north Oxford received more than 2.5” of rainfall May 20-21; many areas (Niagara, west Elgin) received just under 1”. Patience waiting for […]
Forage crop growth is delayed about 7 – 10 days behind normal. First-cut yield expectations are quite variable, with some winter injured, older, and fall harvested stands showing reduced yield potential. There is concern beginning to develop in some areas about producing adequate forage to meet livestock requirements. Grass stands have responded very well to […]
SYNOPSIS: Wet, wet, wet ! Most areas are struggling to get more than a couple of dry days for field work. Cool temperatures and frequent showers are forcing many to do field work 1-2 days before fields are fit. Corn planting is about 40%-50% complete across the region. Wheat damage claim calls have diminished, although […]
Synopsis: FRUSTRATING! Very little progress over the past 2 weeks. 3″ plus rainfall. South-west estimate 10-15% corn planted, 2% soybeans. Early corn is 1-2 leaf. Many growers will not switch corn hybrids: they will switch to soys. Sulphur deficiency is obvious in some wheat fields. Manganese deficiency in the odd field: but less prevalent with current […]
Find below recurring questions I’ve been asked lately and my response. Q: Do you have a list of new soybean herbicides with details of what they are, what they control and when they should be applied? A: Find a summary that includes a weed control rating table here: New Soybean Herbicide Comparisons 2014_Final Q: How does […]
Synopsis: Considerable field work accomplished since Saturday in some areas: no movement in others. Unfortunately the rest of this week looks wet. Recent showers have been spotty: 0.1” at St Marys to 2” at Varna. The south west was also hit with a lot of rain. Corn planting estimates range from as little as 7% […]
Conditions: Over 75% of the manure is out and 40-50% of the ground has been worked. Forages: Nitrogen fertilizer has largely been applied on grass hay fields. Alfalfa growth has picked up over the last week (6” to 8”). While alfalfa winter survival is generally good, winterkill (Figure 1) is becoming evident and some fields […]
Alfalfa winterkill and winter injury occurred across much of the province this spring. Many areas in lower risk western and central Ontario were hit hard with extensive damage. Winterkill is about 10% in the normally higher risk Ottawa Valley, well below what is a more typical 30% for that area. There were also scattered reports […]
Central Ontario Crop Consultants Next meeting: Tues May 20th, 7:30 am @ Felix Weber, Agri-Coach, Palmerston Synopsis: Cold, backwards weather has delayed decision making on a number of questionable winter wheat stands. The majority of Agricorp damage claims are now coming from mid-western Ontario. Estimated that 10-20% of wheat may be replanted. In southwestern Ontario, […]
Pesticide spray drift is the aerial movement and unintentional deposit of pesticide outside the target area. Spray drift has many negative impacts, including: less product being deposited on the target, resulting in reduced efficacy financial loss associated with wasted pesticide and time the risk of damage to human health, susceptible plants (e.g. adjacent crops), non-target […]
Synopsis: The growing point is moving in advanced wheat, making weed control critical. N loss from early applications is not expected to be significant due to cool temperatures. Annual weeds have emerged and pressure is high in many fields. Early corn has barely sprouted, with little field activity to date. Corn under plastic is emerging. Early […]
The contrast between what has been accomplished on light verses heavy-textured soils widens. On Haldimand clays, nothing has been done, other than about 25% of the nitrogen application on wheat, which left behind wheel-track ruts in the process. On the sands of Norfolk, nitrogen is on the wheat and rye, corn is being planted, and […]
When fall management fails to eliminate a red clover cover crop what are the options to manage it ahead of soybeans? Ideally one should plant the field to corn and take advantage of red clover’s nitrogen credit (The Ontario corn nitrogen calculator credits it for as much as 73 lbs N/ac). Planting corn also provides […]
When springs are cool and wet, it results in two things. 1) Difficulty with getting good weed control in before planting and 2) Pushing planting into cooler soils that may cause the seed to sit for a while. Both of these can increase the risk for early season pest issues. Here are some of the […]
Winterkill! Check your alfalfa stands! Winterkill and winter injury are being reported across much the province, including many areas in western and central Ontario where winterkill is not normally an issue. Many stands are showing extensive damage. Forage crop green-up and growth has been delayed about 2 weeks by cool weather, particularly fields that were […]