First-cut yields are quite variable, depending on location and management. Rains have delayed harvest for many, increasing yields but decreasing quality. In wetter areas, some haylage was rain-damaged and fields have been “rutted”. Grasses are more advanced in maturity than alfalfa. With tight forage supplies, and high land and forage costs, reducing fermentation dry matter […]
Synopsis: Rainfall over the weekend varied from 25-75 ml. Several areas report receiving over 7.5″ rain in past 2 weeks. Corn emergence is generally good. Soybean planting is generally 75% complete but varies from 20-100%. Growers in north Dufferin and south Simcoe have had particularly difficult time completing field work due to wet conditions. Most […]
I was concerned about the potential risk for armyworm this year, given that we had a cool, wet April which is not ideal for their natural enemies. But to have back to back armyworm years is rare. Will Ontario beat those odds this year? I have had reports of armyworm being present in many wheat […]
Rain in the past week ranged from 25 to 100 mm across the region. The upper valley and the far east of the region received the most. During the month of May the region accumulated roughly 450 Crop Heat Units (CHUs) or about 20 CHUs above the 30 year average. Precipitation was extremely variable across […]
Silage inoculants are forage additives containing lactic acid producing bacteria (LAB) and other anaerobic bacteria (such as Lactobacillus buchneri). These inoculants are used to manipulate and enhance fermentation in haylage (alfalfa, grass, cereal), corn silage and high moisture corn. The goals are faster, more efficient fermentation with reduced fermentation losses, improved forage quality and palatability, longer bunk […]
First-cut dairy haylage is underway in southern Ontario as the weather allows. Yields are quite variable. With the cooler weather, grass maturity is more advanced relative to alfalfa. Frost damage to alfalfa seems to be minimal. With some below average yields, low carryover inventories, and high hay prices, forage supplies will likely continue to be […]
Wide swath haylage to achieve “haylage-in-a-day” and improve forage quality is a management practice that more dairy farmers in Ontario are adopting. This is contrary to the more traditional practice of using the mower-conditioner to place the swath in a narrow windrow for a day or two of wilting, and then chop directly. Wide swath […]
Liquid manure targeted to forage crops has value beyond the convenience of application. With phosphorus and potassium prices increasing over time, no one has to tell a livestock producer that manure has value. With the realization of the manure nutrient value, there has been a greater effort to target the manure beyond just corn […]
Bunker silos offer many advantages over tower silos for the storage of haylage and corn silage, but require careful management to minimize fermentation and spoilage losses. Along with proper harvest moisture, length-of-cut and the use of a research proven silage inoculant, additional attention must be applied to proper site selection, sizing, filling, packing, covering, rodent […]
Synopsis: Rain has been welcome especially further south, where it was very dry. Up to one inch of rain was reported. Hopefully, all the dry areas receive rain this week. Spraying will start in earnest as soon as the rain stops. Further north things are wet and not all field work is complete. Some severe ponding and significant soil erosion in hardest […]
Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is our newest pest of concern for Ontario agriculture. Though we have not detected it yet on any of its crop hosts, we have confirmed it has established breeding populations here in Ontario and is successfully overwintering in homes in Hamilton, Toronto, Newboro and most recently Windsor. It is likely […]
With three consecutive days of morning frost in many parts of the province, the two most common questions are 1) Will the corn be alright? and 2) When can I start to apply herbicides? Question 1 is answered nicely by Greg Stewart in this story (the abbreviated version is that things will be fine but if […]
Synopsis: DRY! Excellent planting progress with corn finished and beans ranging 70% +. Small % corn seedlings showing abnormal/poor germ. Soil conditions EXTREMELY poor on heavy clays with excessive April rain (Lambton, Elgin). Excellent tillage discussion, with divergent viewpoints. Disappointment with uptake of proper burndown herbicide combinations in light of glyphosate resistant weeds. Advanced wheat […]
Synopsis: Planting conditions have been excellent with greater than 95 percent of corn and over 75 percent of soybeans planted. Rainfall is needed to activate pre-emerge herbicides and capitalize nitrogen applied to wheat crops after the rains stopped. Alfalfa weevil populations are high and control is recommended in fields where harvest is still over a […]
First-cut forage yield expectations are quite variable, with some drier areas and winter damaged, older, and fall harvested stands showing reduced yield potential. There is some concern about rebuilding forage inventories to adequate levels. Many new seedings were planted with cereal and cereal-pea mixtures to supply summer forage. (Forage Production From Spring Cereals and Cereal-Pea […]