Now that planting is over, we look back on how we did at our variable rate management strategies? Did those uniform seeding rates go in as we had intended? That is the value of the as-applied map! Go back to the office download your work into your desktop farm GIS software from your in-cab display and […]
Can nutrient quality and sugar content of hay be improved by cutting in the afternoon rather than in the morning? This is sometimes suggested, but seems to contradict the idea of cutting in the morning to make haylage-in-a-day. There has been a great deal of conflicting information about AM/PM cutting in the farm media that has created some […]
The Ontario Canola Growers, OMAF and MRA and the University of Guelph are working together to monitor swede midge this season. As swede midge is difficult to detect until the damage has been done, monitoring stations have been set up in Ontario’s major canola growing areas. You will find the 2013 trap count maps indicating […]
First-cut is still underway, with the first good opportunity to make dry hay without rain-damage the week of June 17th. Lots of propionate hay preservative and plastic wrap is being used. Some wet fields have been badly rutted. Yields are generally good, but maturity is advanced. Grasses are more mature relative to the alfalfa. Second-cut […]
I have been hearing reports of soybean aphids starting to pop up on non-Cruiser soybeans in Ontario. It has been a few years since we’ve had to deal with them so I thought a refresher might be in order. Soybean aphids initially start to colonize in pockets of early planted fields. Several plants in these […]
Hay sampling should be a very simple, basic task, but is often a weak link in forage quality evaluation. Samples are taken for laboratory analysis so that we can balance rations, achieve livestock performance and determine the market value of the hay . Think about what we are trying to accomplish when we take a hay […]
What’s better on large round bales – net wrap or twine? Of course, the question is largely a matter of personal preference. Some of the suggested advantages of net wrap include faster baling, lower baling losses, better bale integrity during handling and transport, better water shedding ability and lower outdoor storage losses. The net wrap […]
I admit that scouting soys when just the cotyledons are out makes for tough pest injury diagnostics. It does take some years of experience to really get to know what you are looking at. Three pests that commonly feed on the cotyledons include seed corn maggot, bean leaf beetle and slugs. Occasionally, the feeding damage […]
Rainfall accumulation across the region for the past week was approx. 40 mm (1.5 inches), nearly double the weekly normal. Since May 1st, the area accumulated about 130 mm of rain, which is slightly above the average and roughly 600 Crop Heat Units, which is on par with the 30 year average. Forages: First […]
Many growers are frustrated by trying to control the high populations of flea beetles this season. Some have sprayed for control only to see high populations reappear several days later. Although flea beetles are most active under warm sunny conditions, moisture generally favours insect development. It is important to not spray too soon. Expect to […]
Forage harvest has been delayed by frequent and sometimes heavy rains, and limited to haylage and baleage. Making dry hay has been put on hold. Yields have been increasing with the calandar date, but nutrient quality is suffering with advancing maturity. There is still considerable first-cut acreage to be harvested. Second-cut regrowth looks excellent. With […]
Synopsis: Note: the June 25th meeting will be at the Huron Research Station. Excessive rainfall has caused erosion and emergence problems. Corn is recovering from the frost. Zinc deficiency is apparent in corn. A tremendous amount of spraying needs to be accomplished with soils too wet to carry. Spray based on the growth stage of the weed not the crop! […]
Co-Authored by Ian McDonald Background: In 2013 a range of corn fields were sampled to determine what impact the weather has had on the level of residual soil nitrate. This year April was cool and relatively wet while the first half of May came in warm and dry followed by conditions since mid-May that have been […]
Synopsis: Frost damage and problems caused by excessive rains such as erosion, uneven soybean emergence on clay due to dry, then wet conditions. Rains in next few days will help resolve this. Corn drowned by 100 mm of rain near Lake Erie will likely get replanted. In the past two weeks 90 to 1125 […]
Synopsis: Note next meeting location change below. WET and COLD! Frost hit the area the mornings of May 25 to 27 causing damage to corn, tomatoes, wheat and soybeans. Dry soils made affected areas more susceptible to the frost. Rainfall came following the frost: the first significant rain in over a month for some areas. […]