Tracey Baute June 9, 2021 435 Comments Off on Nationwide monitoring pilot project for European corn borerThe European corn borer (ECB; Ostrinia nubilalis), has been an important pest of corn and other crops in eastern Canada for nearly a century now but is also known to be a sporadic pest in western Canada. Despite its name, ECB is actually a generalist feeder, having a wide range of hosts. Although corn is one of its preferred hosts,…
Rain events across the province have interrupted a dry spring. While the water is welcome, the 5-7 days after a rain that ends a severe dry period increases the risk of nitrates in forage crops! Nitrates are of concern because they can increase silo gas production and cause nitrate poisoning in livestock. Silo Gas Silo gas (nitrogen dioxide, N2O) is produced…
Alfalfa weevil and potato leafhopper (PLH) are being reported as extremely high in many fields. Hot dry conditions have made it more favourable for these pests than their natural enemies (especially entomopathogenic fungi). Scout fields to determine if cutting is possible or if an insecticide application is necessary if thresholds are reached. Consider fields at threshold if both pests are…
Summary Soil nitrogen supply (mineralization, loss) can be influenced by weather (soil temperature, moisture) each spring. OMAFRA leads an annual Pre Sidedress Nitrogen Test (PSNT) survey to gauge year-to-year levels across Ontario. PSNT soil samples were collected from 93 sites across Ontario from May 31st to June 2nd, 2021. The average PSNT value was 13 ppm, similar to the long-term…
OMAFRA Field Crop Team June 4, 2021 264 Comments Off on Northern Agribusiness Breakfast Meeting – June 2, 2021Photo credit: Dr. Tarlok Singh Sahota. Canola seeded May 19th in Thunder Bay District. June 2nd was the last meeting of the season. We had good attendance and would like to thank everyone that joined and participated. It is estimated that 8,000 acres of canola and soybeans are being reseeded in northeastern Ontario after the frost events last weekend. Extent…
OMAFRA Field Crop Team June 3, 2021 314 Comments Off on Ridgetown-Simcoe Ag Breakfast Meeting Minutes – June 1, 2021Overview: Rainfall last week was welcomed across the region and relieved the anxiety for those with crops planted into dry soils and for growers waiting for some activation of soil applied herbicides. Crop heat unit accumulation since the beginning of May is about 425 CHU. This is close to last year and long-term average, with cooler temperatures at the beginning of the month slowing a trend from April that was ahead of normal. …
Soybean Update The majority of the soybean crop was planted by May 20th. Although plant stands have generally been good, there are fields with poor emergence. Poor soybean stands can be caused by various issues such as insect or slug feeding, but this year the main problem has been dry soil. Soybeans…
OMAFRA Field Crop Team May 28, 2021 375 Comments Off on Exeter and Mount Forest Breakfast Meeting Minutes – May 25, 2021Corn: Overall the area received very little rainfall since last meeting two weeks ago. The most that was reported was 2/10 of an inch in parts of Huron county. Most of the corn in the area is now planted except for some acres intended to go in after ryelage. Although it is still a little premature to evaluate seeding rate…
OMAFRA Field Crop Team May 27, 2021 400 Comments Off on Cobourg/Winchester Agribusiness Breakfast Meeting – May 26, 2021Weather Conditions The entire eastern region received no more than 4 mm of rainfall in the past two weeks. Dry conditions were a theme throughout all topics of discussion. Cereals The winter wheat crop continues to look very good. Forages First cut has started for producers targeting “dairy quality” forage. Early reports suggest yields are good. This is mostly credited…
Tracey Baute May 27, 2021 682 Comments Off on Introducing the New Adult Corn Rootworm Trap Network – Trap Participants NeededSeveral US states and Canadian provinces are joining forces to monitor for adult corn rootworm (CRW) beetles this year. Though some US states have been monitoring adult rootworm beetles using sticky traps for several years now, trapping for CRW is relatively new for Ontario. Weekly trap data for all trap sites involved will be collected and mapped in real-time by…
Conditions Some thunderstorms through Essex provided some moisture, but most areas of the province received less than 5 mm over the long weekend and conditions throughout the province remain dry. Temperatures have transitioned from colder than normal to summer-like, and double-digit night-time temperatures have helped newly planted crops to emerge quickly. Cereals Early planted wheat fields are starting to head….
With warmer temperatures wheat has really progressed across the province. Fields in southern Ontario are beginning to head out while fields further east and north are at or approaching flag leaf emergence. That being said, all herbicide applications should be wrapped up in those fields that are at or approaching flag leaf. Disease should be monitored for movement up the…
OMAFRA Field Crop Team May 21, 2021 348 Comments Off on Northern AgriBusiness Breakfast Meeting – May 19, 2021The third Northern Ag Breakfast Meeting was held on May 19th. The last meeting will be held at 8:30am EDT on Wednesday June 2nd. Horst Bohner, OMAFRA Soybean Specialist, will provide some updates on soybeans and answer questions. Thanks to everyone who joins in our discussions. Ben Rosser, OMAFA Corn Specialist, shared updates from the first 2 years of…
OMAFRA Field Crop Team May 20, 2021 290 Comments Off on Ridgetown-Simcoe Ag Breakfast Meeting Minutes– May 18, 2021General Progress: Corn planting is basically finished on the loamy soils and 60% completed on heavy clay soils. Soybean planting is in full swing with lighter soils 75% completed and heavier soils 30-40% planted. About 160 CHU accumulation since May 1 in Ridgetown/Chatham area. Conditions are dry, moisture would be welcome. Soils worked before May 13 (cool conditions) were retaining…
Conditions Current weather patterns are generally expected to hold for the next week or so. This will allow for planting of corn and soybeans to be mostly complete by the last week of May, though many fields and farms will appreciate some rain soon, particularly in the far southwest (Figure 1). Significant precipitation is possible in the next two weeks,…
