2022 Corn Seasonal Summary

Black tar spot fungal structures (stromata) on leaves in a field near Ilderton in late September 2022.

Planting In March 2022, Statistics Canada estimated Ontario farmers intended to plant 2.3 million acres of grain corn, 6% higher than the 5-year (2017-2021) average seeded acres of 2.16 million acres (OMAFRA Crop Statistics). Spring arrived slow. Lingering snows and rain limited field work on all but the lightest soils in late April. A very […]

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2022 Soybean Seasonal Summary

Poor soybean plant stands in Lambton County. (June 23, 2022)

Over three million acres of soybeans were seeded in 2022. High prices have increased the farm gate value of soybeans to over 2.5 billion dollars. The Agricorp floating claim price was $18.72/bu in 2022. Rainfall was sporadic during key plant growth stages, so yields were variable across the province. Field averages ranged below 25 bu/ac […]

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2022 Cereals Seasonal Summary

Wheat during stem elongation. As the leaf sheath lengthens, plants will appear to stand more upright compared to earlier vegetative growth stages.

2021 Winter Wheat Planting Conditions Planting conditions varied across the province. Areas with ideal conditions and a timely harvest of edible beans, canola, and oats were able to seed winter wheat within the optimum date range. Other areas experienced above average rainfall in October that resulted in pooling and heavy tile-run wheat. Most planting was […]

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2022 Dry Bean Seasonal Summary

Dry bean puller in desiccated dry bean field

Total acreage of dry beans insured by Agricorp in 2022 was 101,901 acres (see Table 1.). The number of insured acres has slowly declinedfrom the 2020 high, when acres were the highest Ontario has experienced since 2007. Most market classes declined in 2022, except Adzuki Beans which saw a slight increase. Overall, 2022 acreage is […]

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2022 Forage Seasonal Summary

Winterkill between tile runs in southwestern Ontario.

Winter 2021/2022 Conditions Fall of 2021 was very open, and many hay fields grew significantly more than usual. Stands that were predominantly grass created a higher risk for smothering alfalfa where there was too much top growth.  Ideally grasses should be mowed to 15 cm (6 in.) to reduce smothering risk. Alfalfa will not smother, […]

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Crop Report – September 14, 2022

No Fungicide Check

Tar Spot and Fungicide Application Timings! Although tar spot was detected in Ontario in the first week of July the past two years, 2022 is much different than 2021 and shows the importance of environmental conditions for disease development. Remember, this holds true for any disease! The big difference was the dry conditions early and […]

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Ontario Field Crop Report – August 24, 2022

Unexpected damage on Bt-RW hybrids can include goosenecking (left) and lodging due to significant root clipping caused by rootworm larvae and silk clipping by adults that impede pollination of the ear (right).

Continuous Corn and Bt Corn Rootworm Resistance Unexpected damage on Bt rootworm (Bt-RW) hybrids – hybrids with below-ground protection – has been found in several fields and new counties this month. The damage includes significant stunting, root clipping, goosenecking, silk clipping and abundant rootworm adult populations mating and feeding (Figure 1). All of these are […]

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Crop Report – June 1, 2022

Early vegetative stages are a great time to scout fields for gaps or delayed plants and troubleshoot for issues that may have led to these.

Conditions Some sporadic rains have occurred across the province this last week. In areas where planting is mostly complete, these rains have generally been well received. Temperature swings between stretches of very warm and cooler weather has continued this spring, though crop heat unit (CHU) accumulation is similar to slightly ahead of normal. Cereals Emergence […]

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Crop Report – May 25th, 2022

Figure 2. Alfalfa weevil feeding on leaf-tips reduce forage yield and quality.

Conditions A large storm system with high winds, and variable amounts of rain on Saturday swept across Windsor to Quebec City, and left widespread power outages, downed trees, and property damage. The storm was classified by Environment Canada as a Derecho, (Figure 1.) which is defined as a line of intense, widespread and fast-moving windstorms and […]

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Crop Report – May 18th, 2022

Figure 2. Corn coleoptile ready to emerge from a sandy loam in Eastern Ontario on May 13th.

Conditions Large swaths of the province saw rain early this week, which put a pause on a very productive planting window over the previous week and a bit. The forecast predicts slower progress due to more regular precipitation, which will provide some stress relief on fields that were starting to turn alarmingly dry. Northwestern Ontario […]

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