Co-author Ken Janovicek, University of Guelph. Background The OMAFRA field crop unit in collaboration with farm cooperators, agribusiness and SGS-AgriFood Labs conducted the annual survey of soil nitrate nitrogen levels across the province from June 3rd to June 5th, sampling over 130 fields. The samples were collected after heavy rainfall events during the weekend of May 30-31, where […]
Conditions: Warm, sunny and dry conditions over the last 2 weeks were ideal for field work. Timely rains May 10-12 brought 20 mm (5 to 50 mm) of welcome precipitation across eastern Ontario. With most of the cereals, new forage seedings, corn and part of the soybean acreage seeded/planted between April 27th and May 10th, […]
Conditions: Below average temperatures persisted throughout most of April. At Ottawa, approximately 100 CHU and 65 mm of rain were accumulated in April. Soils dried slowly and field activity only picked up during the last few days of April. Forages: Alfalfa winter survival is excellent, generally in the 90% plus range. Alfalfa fields not harvested […]
Conditions: Moderate temperatures at the end of winter, combined with limited precipitation minimized spring water runoff and soil erosion. Soil is drying slowly, allowing for only limited field activity to date. Alfalfa: Winter survival generally looks excellent. Alfalfa has 1 to 2 inches of new growth at this point and is showing no sign of […]
A well-planned and run on-farm trial is a great way to test new ideas, products, and equipment. But, to provide meaningful information, even a simple on-farm trial takes time to plan and carry-out. For an on-farm trial to provide useful information, two basic requirements need to be met. First, the trial has to be set […]
Greg Stewart, Peter Johnson and Ian McDonald, OMAF & MRA Background In 2014 the OMAF & MRA field crops team once again surveyed a range of corn fields to determine the impact that this springs weather has had on the level of residual soil nitrate. This year April was cool with less growth than […]
Conditions: Over 75% of the manure is out and 40-50% of the ground has been worked. Forages: Nitrogen fertilizer has largely been applied on grass hay fields. Alfalfa growth has picked up over the last week (6” to 8”). While alfalfa winter survival is generally good, winterkill (Figure 1) is becoming evident and some fields […]
Conditions: Fields have been slow to dry. Only a small amount of manure has been applied. About 25% of the nitrogen/fertilizer has been applied to winter wheat and grassy forage stands. Alfalfa: Winter survival is very good (Figure 1), generally in the 90% range, except for areas along the St Lawrence (Morrisburg/Brockville), which have up to 80% […]
Early season corn insect pests can significantly impact stand establishment. Below are the main corn seedling pests along with scouting technique, action thresholds and management strategies. (OMAFRA Publication 811, Agronomy Guide, Chapter 13 and Publication 812, Field Crop Protection Guide) Wireworm Description: Wireworms are 7 – 35 mm (1/4 to 1-1/3 inches) long, cylindrical, copper-brown […]
Conditions: More rainfall in region south and east of Ottawa over the April 12th weekend. Fields are generally saturated. Upper Ottawa Valley has drier conditions. Moisture from snow melt got away with very little ponding in most areas. Alfalfa: Winter survival looks good to date. Alfalfa has 2 to 3 inches of new growth at […]
Co-Authored by: Albert Tenuta, OMAF & MRA Field Crop Pathologist The OMAF and MRA Field Crops team has recently completed a survey of the 2013 Ontario corn crop to determine ear mould incidence as well as the occurrence of mycotoxins in the grain. These mycotoxins, particularly vomitoxin (DON) produced primarily by Gibberella/Fusarium ear moulds can […]
When you don’t have the luxury of starting with multiple years of corn yield data how does one get started with a variable rate nitrogen strategy? Initial assessment of the field needs to question how variable the field actually is, and more to the point – what is driving the variability across that field? Greg […]
From May 1st to 12th, accumulations of 15 to 30 mm of rain and 220 Crop Heat Units (CHU) were recorded. The long term average for this same period is about 130 CHU. There was frost on May 14th across eastern Ontario with a low of -2o to -3o C. Little damage expected as the […]
Written by: Tracey Baute – Field Crop Entomologist and Greg Stewart – Corn Specialist, Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Ministry of Rural Affairs A high level of concern was raised last spring regarding bee kills and corn planting. Many growers are asking what actions they can take to help reduce the risk of bee […]
The hot, dry weather conditions to date have not been very conducive to foliar leaf diseases across most of the province. In most cases, besides high relative humidity, prolonged wet conditions on the leaves are necessary for infection but only under favourable temperatures (16-30oC). What has started to show recently in the southwest are the […]