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 […]
Hybrid Selection Maturity Ratings Corn development is driven primarily by temperature, especially during the planting-to-silking period. Unlike soybeans, day length has little effect on the rate at which corn develops. The Ontario crop heat unit system has been developed to calculate the impact of temperature on corn development. Ontario crop heat units (CHUs) are calculated […]
No-Till Systems In no-till systems, tillage is not used to prepare a seedbed. Minimal soil loosening in a narrow band immediately ahead of the seed opener is performed by planter-mounted coulters and/or residue clearing devices. Successful no-till corn production is partially dependent on effective use of field management strategies which may include alternative production practices […]
Tillage To successfully produce corn in Ontario, it is important to consider factors such as soil texture and crop rotation. Factors that will influence tillage options include risk of erosion, availability of equipment and labour and impact on soil health. Soils in Ontario are usually saturated in early spring, and quick dry-down is necessary to […]
The OMAFRA Soil Team recently hosted a three-part webinar series on strip-tillage. Each event focused on a different aspect of strip-till and featured four different farmer speakers from across Ontario. To view the recordings, check out the videos below. Timing & Tools: Shank vs. Coulter and Spring vs. Fall (recorded December 8th, 2020): Strip-Till and […]
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. […]
Environment Canada has issued frost advisories for most corn growing areas of the province for the nights of September 18 to 20 which are expected to be near or slightly below freezing (Figure 1). This is earlier than we typically observe first frosts, earlier than our long-term season end dates (Table 1) and much lower […]
With the first usher of cool fall weather this past week, there were frost warnings for parts of Northern Ontario. With the introduction of increasingly shorter maturity corn hybrids, there has been more corn grown in shorter season areas than what has been typical in the past, and also growers who may have recently started […]
This week we would like to discuss tar spot in corn as well as soybean cyst nematode and sudden death syndrome in soybean. Tar Spot in Corn There is a lot of discussion and questions surrounding tar spot this year in Ontario. Tar spot is a new corn disease in the US midwest and since […]
Summary Pre Sidedress Nitrogen Test (PSNT) soil samples were collected from 94 sites across the province from June 8th to 10th, 2020 The average PSNT value was 14 ppm, slightly above the long-term average of 12 ppm. Optimal nitrogen (N) rates are a function of both soil N supply and yield. Consider both when determining […]
About 70 people joined the call for the 5th Ridgetown-Simcoe Breakfast Meeting. The next meeting on June 16th will be the last call for this region. Most of the corn and soybean planting has been wrapped up in the area. However, on heavier textured soils in Chatham-Kent, Niagara and Haldimand there still remains anywhere from […]
Weather: Warmer conditions starting late last week have fast-tracked crop growth. Tracking growing degree day (GDD) accumulation – Base 0 – for April and May in Huron county revealed 159 GGD in April and 244 GDD from May 1-25. Rainfall during the past week was sporadic with isolated thunderstorms resulting in flooded fields in […]
With some out of the box thinking, Ken Hartemink, hog and cash crop producer from St. Thomas, Ontario has mounted a strip tiller to the back of his manure tanker for one-pass manure incorporation and seedbed prep for next year’s corn crop. Ken Hartemink is a hog and cash crop producer just outside St. […]
Farmers who may be struggling to get corn dried this year are looking for alternate options. It is possible to use natural (unheated) air to dry the corn. Natural air drying is gentle and does not require any specialized equipment, other than a grain bin with a reasonably-sized fan, and maybe a small heater. However, […]
Many grain farmers may have questions about storing and drying corn this year, with recent propane shortages and a lot of wet corn still in the field. Decisions for harvesting corn will vary from farm to farm based on local conditions and factors (corn moisture, distance to alternative dryers, crop standability). Some farmers may already […]