Simple Summary Ontario data suggests planting date from late April to mid-May has minimal impact on corn yields After mid-May, yield declines can start and are quickest in shorter season areas Balance any risks of pushing planting dates (e.g. unfavourable weather events or unfit soil) to the yield losses expected for delaying planting within the […]
Simple Summary When applying moderate amounts of P&K fertilizer (60 lb/ac of both P2O5 and K2O) at ~4″ depth with a shank-style strip tiller across 15 trials on medium to light soil textures and low to moderate soil fertility: Yields of spring strip till and P&K were significantly higher (+4 bu/ac) than where P&K was […]
Simple Summary MERN stands for the Most Economic Rate of Nitrogen, the rate that maximizes economic returns to N fertilizer MERN is influenced most strongly by variability in N response across environments (fields, parts of fields, growing seasons) MERN is also influenced by changes in corn and nitrogen fertilizer prices, but very significant changes in […]
Simple Summary In a recent Ontario dataset of 15 N response curves, reducing N rates 20, 40 and 60 lb-N/ac from traditional optimum N rates (10-year average costs/prices) resulted in: average yield losses of 4, 9 and 16 bu/ac, respectively average net losses of $0, $11 and $37/ac, respectively, using what might represent 2022 costs/prices […]
Simple Summary If you have an N rate you are confident is right for your farm most years, N recommendations and historical work suggests a 15-20 lb-N/ac reduction may be appropriate to adjust for nitrogen/corn economics in 2022 compared to the longer term. The above adjustment assumes relatively normal N responses in 2022… large changes […]
Co-authored with Albert Tenuta, Field Crop Pathologist, OMAFRA. OMAFRA field crop specialists in collaboration with Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) and members of the Ontario Agri-Business Association (OABA) have completed the annual Ontario corn ear mould and DON mycotoxin survey. Corn ear moulds such as Gibberella and their corresponding mycotoxins occur every year in Ontario. […]
If you are interested in learning more about planting green into a strip-till corn system, the video below outlines the experience that Matt Beischlag, a farmer based in Haldimand county, Ontario, had in the 2021 season. Matt and his family have a mixed farm of broiler chickens, corn, soybean and wheat cash crops, and red […]
If you are interested or considering planting green into cover crops, the video below outlines key challenges and successes that Larry Dyck, a Niagara farmer based in Campden, Ontario has experienced. Larry farms with his son Ben and shares some of his experiences planting green into a cover crop mixture on heavy clay soils. This […]
The Making Cover Crops Pay series (available on YouTube and linked below) includes three practical webinars that have discussions and presentations by technical specialists and experienced farmers. This series is presented by Soils at Guelph, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) Soil Team, Grain Farmers of Ontario, and the Ontario Soil […]
Corn: 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 […]
Cereals Since our last meeting cereal growth has been slow in much of the area. From May 1st to today about 65-75 growing degree days have accumulated in the area. Most of the wheat is still at GS 31 to GS 32 in with earlier planted fields approaching flag leaf and late planted fields still around GS 30. Very little progress on herbicide, fungicide and plant growth regulator […]
Nitrogen (N) Corn responds well to nitrogen, so adequate availability of nitrogen is critical to profitable corn production. Excess nitrogen adds unnecessary expenses and increases the risk of nitrate movement to ground water, poorer quality of surface water and production of greenhouse gases through nitrous oxide emissions. Insufficient nitrogen leads to nitrogen deficiency. Nitrogen deficiency […]
Uniformity of Emergence Uniform seeding depth is a critical factor in achieving uniform emergence. Uneven emergence affects crop performance, because competition from larger, early-emerging plants reduces the yield potential of smaller, later-emerging plants. Yields can be reduced by 5% when half the stand suffers from a 7-day delay in emergence and by 12% when half […]
Corn Development The vegetative and reproductive growth stages in corn are described in Table 1–12, Vegetative growth stages in corn and Table 1–13, Reproductive growth stages in corn. Corn Leaf Stages Counting the leaves on a corn plant sounds like an easy task, but there are a few complications that can cause mistakes. It […]
Planting Seeding Date The best yields in Ontario are usually obtained from corn planted in late April and the first half of May, as the crop is able to use the full growing season. Early planting also results in earlier maturity in the fall, reducing the risk of damage from an early fall frost or […]