Soybean Aphids and Western Bean Cutworm Activity
A few pests are starting to show up in fields. If you haven’t had a chance to take a look yet, plan to check those high risk fields that are prone to seeing soybean aphids (soybeans) or western bean cutworm (corn and dry beans) in the next week or so. Soybean aphids: Soybean aphids are […]
Crop Conditions – Week of June 19th, 2023
General Across much of Ontario major crops and forages are progressing well. Evidence of moisture stress is present on various crops, but some relief came over the period of June 11-14th with scattered rainfall periods. Keeping appraised of incoming rainfall is at the back of everyone’s mind. Be aware of various networks and stations where […]
Crop Conditions – Week of June 12th, 2023
General Field crops in general across Ontario are doing well and welcomed the rain of the past few days. The need for moisture is coming up as the corn begins rapid growth. Winter wheat looks good across the province although have been impacted by dry conditions in areas. Rain across the province was welcomed but […]
Crop Conditions – Week of June 5th, 2023
Conditions Field conditions across most of the province are drier than normal. This generally will have little effect on corn and soybeans since both are at the early vegetative growth stage. The impact on winter cereals could be significant since they are already out in head and at, or nearing, pollination. Forages There is an […]
Crop Conditions – Week of May 29th, 2023
Conditions Planting has wrapped up across most of the province with the exception of acres going in after first cut forages or on some heavy clays that received rainfall before they were planted and edible beans. Some areas received back-to-back frost warnings, but damage has been minimal to date. Persistent dry conditions are presenting some […]
Crop Conditions – Week of May 15th, 2023
Conditions Field conditions across the province have improved vastly over the last ten days. With sunshine and temperatures in the high teens to even high twenties in some areas, planting is rolling across a majority of the province. Field work began early last week with lighter soil but by late last week, work on heavier, […]
Crop Conditions – Week of May 1, 2023
Conditions Overall, April rainfall has been slightly higher than average. This week, cold and wet weather slowed crop and planting progress. Eastern Ontario received above average rainfall, while most of the rest of the province had average rainfall. Winter Wheat Weather conditions have caused winter wheat growth to stall. The crop continues to look very […]
Crop Conditions – Week of April 24, 2023
Winter Wheat Winter wheat stands continue to look excellent with very high stem counts (up to 144 stems/sq ft) in the southwest. Most fields have received at least one application of nitrogen, with many opting to add sulphur. Fields that have not yet received a nitrogen or sulphur application are showing signs of yellowing. Manganese […]
Fall Armyworm Trap Counts are High
Traps south of London and in Essex County have had very high captures of fall armyworm. Winter canola, winter cereals, forages and cover crops should be monitored for larvae – not just limited to the region of these traps. Some fields of newly-seeded winter canola had extensive feeding damage in 2021 and had to be […]
Ontario Field Crop Report – June 29, 2022
Spring Roundup As we close out the 2022 spring planting window, for the most part we see crops in good shape, but as always, there are regional differences. Alfalfa in western and southwestern Ontario suffered a great deal of die out this winter. Farmers had to make quick plans to address this issue. Alternatively, alfalfa […]
Exeter/Mt Forest Breakfast Meeting Minutes – June 7, 2022
The morning of the meeting, rain was still falling and had been since the previous evening. Reported rainfall amounts at the time ranged from 0.5- 1.25 inches, with some in southern counties (Lambton, Middlesex, Bruce and Grey counties) reporting over 2 inches. Cereals Herbicide applications are underway in spring cereals and reports indicate these crops […]
Black Cutworm Alert – Corn and Soybeans At Risk
Reports are coming in that black cutworm larvae are cutting corn and even soybeans. We don’t often see cutting in soybeans but two fields in Niagara region were reported today with significant stand loss and a variety of sizes of larvae (Figures 1 & 2). Fields not treated with an insecticide seed treatment or planted […]
Ridgetown-Simcoe Agribusiness Breakfast May 31, 2022 Meeting
Synopsis: The majority of the crop has been planted, with most of the remaining acres in the heavy clay soils of Lambton, Essex, Haldimand and Niagara. Growing conditions are good resulting in rapid crop growth. Sporadic rains over the region have left many area soils dry with hopes of rain later this week. Fields of […]
Exeter-Mount Forest Ag Breakfast Meeting Minutes – May 24, 2022
The week of May 17-24 saw a dip in temperatures, followed by the return of high heat and humidity late in the week, culminating in a derecho (a widespread, long-lived windstorm) on Saturday, May 21st that caused widespread downed trees and power outages across southern Ontario. Rainfall from Saturday’s storm was not significant (1-15 mm […]
Crop Report – May 25th, 2022
Conditions A large storm system with high winds, and variable amounts of rain on Saturday swept across Windsor to Quebec City, and left widespread power outages, downed trees, and property damage. The storm was classified by Environment Canada as a Derecho, (Figure 1.) which is defined as a line of intense, widespread and fast-moving windstorms and […]