There are some “hot spots” with armyworm taking out hay fields, mostly south of the 401 in western Ontario (Niagara to Elgin County and surrounding areas) and up into Perth County. Grasses have been stripped of leaves with only stems and heads remaining. After fields are cut, armyworm feed on the windrow for a day […]
Included: Yellow corn, armyworm, aphids, soybean herbicide injury and more. Synopsis: Rainfall has been good for the most part. 1.0 to 2.0 inches 10 days ago and about 0.5 inches fell last weekend. Rainfall was not a heavy downpour. Some sporadic showers came last night. There still are dry areas that got only 0.5 inches […]
I’ve had a few calls in the past few days asking about armyworm and black cutworm damage in soybeans. I had the chance to get out to a few fields and found that the damage is being caused by the variegated cutworm (Peridroma saucia). The variegated cutworm is another migrating moth that comes into Ontario […]
Discussion: From May 1st to June 5th the area accumulated approx. 600 CHUs, which is 100 CHUs above the 30 year average. A significant portion of Glengarry county was hit by hail on June 8th, but damage is mostly limited to some leaf shredding with little or no crop replant necessary. Soil moisture is generally […]
Trying to make dry hay between rainstorms can be frustrating. When haymaking periods without rain are short, we frequently get into a no-win situation. Either the hay isn’t dry enough to bale before the next rain and it gets rain-damaged, or it gets baled “tough” before it is quite dry enough and becomes mouldy, poor […]
Synopsis: In the past a general rainfall of about 58 mm fell across the region and about 300 chu have been accumulated – 600 chu since May 1. The rainfall was welcome and helped crops struggling to emerge as well as under-seeded red clover and new growth alfalfa. Rainfall was enough to finally activate pre-emerge […]
How late can you apply post emergent soybean herbicides without causing significant injury and yield reductions? Most herbicide labels specify a maximum crop stage (Table 1). A three year study by Dr. Peter Sikkema reveals that of all the herbicides tested, Pursuit (imazethapyr) and Pinnacle SG (thifensulfuron) should not be applied at advanced crop stages […]
Synopsis: Most areas received between 1-2″ of rain, although few areas (Goderich) only received 1/2 this amount.. Fungicide application to wheat is ongoing with most fields sprayed. Corn advanced for leaf stage. Populations of corn and soys generally excellent although those planted last 10 days variable. Watch for armyworm, alfalfa weevil, cabbage seedpod weevil(canola). Wheat: […]
Included: Weed control, armyworm, corn field notes, double crop soys and more. Synopsis: Rainfall varies widely across the region, from 0.5 to 4.5”. Most areas have excellent moisture now, with a few dry pockets and a few waterlogged areas. Crops remain well ahead in development, with a suggestion that Michigan Sugar will open the plant […]
First-cut yields are variable across the province, with below average yields in western Ontario. A combination of factors have contributed to low yields, including dry April and May weather, frost damage, cutting during last fall’s Critical Fall Harvest Period, saturated soils going into the winter, alfalfa disease, winterkill and stand thinning. Recent rains have helped […]
Making wrapped large bale haylage, also known as “baleage”, reduces the risk of rain damage within shorter harvest windows. Baleage can provide excellent quality forage. Existing baling and feeding equipment can be used, and it comes with its own storage. However, the risk of spoilage can sometimes be frustrating, particularly when forage supplies are limited and hay […]
Coordinated by: Ian McDonald and Greg Stewart, OMAFRA Background Annually the OMAFRA field crops team surveys a range of corn fields to determine what impact the weather has on the level of residual soil nitrate. In 2012 weather conditions have been almost polar opposite to last year when April was cool and May was wet. […]
Early-season leaf feeding before the 3rd trifoliate can look serious because plants are small. However, soybeans can compensate for large amounts of leaf loss with little impact on yield. Soybeans will put on new leaves quickly at the top of the plant and unaffected leaves actually grow larger to compensate. Before the plants begin to […]
They’re here early this year! We’ve been hearing reports of true armyworm numbers getting fairly high in some wheat fields and even above threshold in some cases. I think it’s a good time to post a refresher on armyworm management. In Cereals Armyworms typically feeding in the lower leaves of the wheat and work their […]
From May 1st to 27, eastern Ontario accumulated about 400 CHUs, which is close to the 30 year average. Precipitation was also close to average for the month of May. Forages: There was concern that hay/haylage would be in short supply this spring due to reduced number of acres in forages and the amount of […]