Three tips for weed management this fall. Reflecting on some of the weed control issues that came up this past spring, below are three key items where management activities this fall can significantly improve control and/or financial return next season. 1. Fall management provides better dandelion control. In the fall, resource allocation of perennial weeds […]
Bacterial infections in dry beans Growing conditions this season have been ideal for certain bacterial diseases. Adzuki beans in a few different regions are exhibiting symptoms of bacterial brown spot (BBS), and in some cases the injury is severe. Symptoms on leaves appear as small necrotic lesions with a yellow margin (Figure 1). As symptoms […]
For forage producers, the production year starts in the fall. What farmers do from mid-August to the end of the growing season impacts this winter’s feed inventory and next year’s forage yield potential. Feed the crop that feeds the livestock! Forage crops have the highest crop nutrient removal values of any field crop grown in […]
What to do with those stubble fields now? Consider BioStrip Till! Winter wheat combining has almost wrapped up across the province after a challenging harvest due to persistent rainfall. There is a lot of enthusiasm for wheat across Ontario as yields were good to excellent and quality was good. Now, what to do with the […]
Knowing What’s in Your Toolbox It’s the middle of August and we’re in that awkward lull where cereals are off, the last passes of fungicides on soybeans are done and it is almost time to start attending all those in-field plot days. Those days are meant to get producers talking, asking questions and get the […]
Managing Cover Crop Nitrogen / Residue Breakdown Across Ontario, wheat harvest continues, opening the best window for planting cover crops in most field crop rotations. You can find more information on the 2023 winter wheat quality update and achieving success with cover crops after wheat at fieldcropnews.com. But can those cover crops be managed to […]
Getting to Know your Manure with a Manure Analysis The “magical” qualities of manure and organic amendments for providing long-term benefits have been well documented, especially for maintaining and improving soil organic matter. Sourcing off farm manure and organic amendments has become more difficult and expensive with the increased interest in improving soil health, therefore […]
Crop Report – Week of July 17th, 2023 As winter wheat harvest continues, persistent rainfall events are delaying harvest in some regions. While yields have been promising thus far; wheat quality has been a concern for some as harvest delays continue. Black Point As wheat matures and tissue begins to die, fields have turned black […]
Soil Sampling – Matching Field to Method Soil testing is one of the most profitable operations you can perform on your farm in any given year. A soil test is the only way to determine whether your soils contain adequate levels of plant essential nutrients such as phosphorus and potassium, and how soil parameters like […]
Dimethoate Resistant Two-Spotted Spider Mite Populations in Ontario Soybeans Results from bioassays conducted on two-spotted spider mite (TSSM) populations collected in soybean fields across Ontario show the prevalence of dimethoate (Cygon or Lagon) resistance is high in some areas. Through a collaborative project with Dr. Vojislava Grbic, Professor at Western University, Dr. Ian Scott at […]
Corn Tar Spot Watch Begins! Tar spot has now been established in the midwestern US for almost a decade and is an annual concern in many Midwestern states like Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin. While tar spot was not as yield-limiting in these areas in 2022, it continued to expand its range across the […]
Conditions Planting has wrapped up across most of the province with the exception of acres going in after first cut forages or on some heavy clays that received rainfall before they were planted and edible beans. Some areas received back-to-back frost warnings, but damage has been minimal to date. Persistent dry conditions are presenting some […]
Conditions Weather conditions improved considerably beginning on Monday, with sunshine throughout the week and daily high temperatures ranging from the high-teens to mid-twenties (Celsius) in both southern and northern Ontario. Planting has begun on lighter soils and is likely to progress onto other soil types by later in the week. Other field activities, including second […]
Spring conditions have arrived across Ontario this week and some tillage and field preparation has started in fields with light-textured soils. Manure application is also underway. Taking a manure sample at the time of application is recommended and will help fine-tune fertilizer needs. Several heavy rainfall events in early April have some producers concerned about […]
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 […]