Fall Rest Period for Alfalfa

Key Points When is the fall rest period? The fall rest period (sometimes called “critical fall harvest period”) for alfalfa is 450 growing degree days, base 5°C — or approximately 6-weeks — before the average date of the first killing frost (-4°C for several hours), when alfalfa stops growing. Not cutting during this period allows […]

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Alfalfa Weevil

This article was originally written by Joel Bagg in 2013. It was edited May 1st, 2023 by Christine O’Reilly to reflect current insecticide options to control alfalfa weevil. Alfalfa weevil can be an issue in Ontario, particularly in south-western parts of the province. While outbreaks tend to be isolated, they can be severe and dramatically […]

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Spring Scouting of Alfalfa

alfalfa stem with frost-damaged leaf margins

Photo: Scouting a few days after a spring frost is a good way to assess the severity of any damage. Good agronomy is very important for achieving good yield and quality in forage crops. While good agronomy includes a fertility plan, seeding techniques, and harvest management, it also relies on proactive decision-making. The only way […]

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Killing off Roundup Ready Alfalfa

Six tank-mix partners are recommended for the removal of Roundup Ready Alfalfa and since they vary significantly in cost (Table 1), their effectiveness was evaluated in a trial conducted at the Elora Research Station in 2018-19. Growing degree day accumulation after herbicide application appeared to have the greatest effect on the control of Roundup Ready […]

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Diagnosing Nutrient Deficiencies

Nutrient deficiencies can seriously impact crop yield. Certain deficiencies are seen every year in Ontario field crops, such as nitrogen deficiency in corn and manganese deficiency in soybeans. Others are brought on or made worse by environmental conditions – for example, potassium deficiency in soybeans and boron deficiency in alfalfa (Figure 1) during dry spells. […]

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Mount Forest Ag Breakfast Minutes – April 23, 2019

A field of winter wheat in April, 2019 that shows parts of the field with adequate stands and areas of the field that have winter killed and are bare.

Who was in attendance? 26 agricultural professionals working in the counties of Waterloo, Wellington, Huron, Grey, Bruce, Dufferin and Simcoe counties. The past week’s weather summary: 40-50 mm of rainfall fell over the Easter weekend and understandably, field conditions are extremely wet with essentially no field activity. This will put additional pressure on livestock producers who […]

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July 2018 Forage Report

percent of average rainfall Ontario July 2018

Map shows the percent of average rainfall received across Ontario in July, 2018 Lab analyses indicate that quality decline for first cut was very fast, and test results range from low to very high quality. Producers cutting based on calendar date rather than crop stage may have lower quality forages than expected. Pasture regrowth has […]

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May 2018 Forage Report

precipitation map May 2018

Southwestern: Most alfalfa stands overwintered well; however those on heavy soils and in low-lying areas may have suffered winter injury. New seedings and annual forage acres are expected to increase this year in response to weather conditions over 2016 and 2017. As of May 27th, alfalfa weevils had reached 1st instar. Scouting is advised to identify […]

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Winchester AgBreakfast Minutes – April 26, 2016

Conditions: Soil drying up, but below average temperatures are limiting field activity to manure/fertilizer application and forage/spring cereal seeding. Forages: Alfalfa winter survival is good, generally in the 80% plus range. Winterkill is mostly limited to low/poorly drained pockets. The combination of heavy and moisture saturated soils has led to some heaving. Alfalfa fields not […]

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