The weather story continues this week with very little change across the province in terms of field activity, including fertilizer and pesticide application to wheat, manure application, field preparation and planting. A small number of acres were planted on the lighter soils across the province, where conditions permitted, but to date less than 10 per […] Read more
Tag Archives Cover crop — page 3
Limited progress seen with planting, seeding efforts
Ontario Field Crop Report for the week of May 13
Keeping cool under cover a benefit of cover crops
American farmers use cover crops to moderate soil temperature
Cover crops can positively affect a wide range of soil health characteristics. According to some American farmers, the ability of cover crops to moderate soil temperature is also important but less visually noticeable. Why it matters: Extreme soil temperatures limit biological activity. Keeping the ground covered helps moderate those swings, benefitting crops. According to Adam […] Read more
TESA winner matches cover crops with cow herd
Steve Sickle rotationally grazes his cows and calves on pasture, but uses cover crops at the end of the season
Steve and Amanda Sickle of Brant County ended up in the beef cow business when they realized a rolling part of a farm they’d turned from pasture to crops was much better suited to pasture. The family had sold their beef cows when Steve’s dad broke his hip. “We brought them back when we realized […] Read more
Nurse crops help potatoes face environmental factors
Starting crops with potatoes adds to organic matter and helps with erosion and droughty conditions
Young potato shoots are up against many environmental factors, such as drought, wind and water erosion, all of which are mainly due to a large decrease in soil organic matter. Now, researchers from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) have found that nurse crops may be able to help potatoes by adding green manure to the […] Read more
Relay cropping adzuki beans into winter wheat
A Woodville-area farmer aims to benefit from multiple crops in one field
A volunteer crop from the previous year growing between the rows of the present year’s crop represents a nuisance to most farmers, but not to Dustin Mulock. Instead, a patch of volunteer adzuki beans growing — as he described it to the recent annual general meeting of the Ontario Bean Growers (OBG) — “a stone’s […] Read more
Tillage tools quickly becoming seeding tools
There are now many options to add cover crop seeding boxes to tillage equipment
As cover crops have increased in popularity, farmers are finding creative ways to plant them. For many farmers that has meant finding a way to get a seeder box onto a tillage implement of some kind. Why it matters: Cover crops can increase available nutrients, water and organic matter and reduce soil erosion over winter. […] Read more
A double-barreled approach to fleabane control
Combined herbicide-cover crop approach can provide effective control
As herbicide-resistant Canada fleabane and other problem weeds continue to frustrate farmers, more creative control solutions are being sought. Planting cover crops, specifically cereal rye is a good tactic, say researchers from the University of Guelph and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. Why it matters: Herbicide-resistant weeds are creating more challenges […] Read more
Denys, Verhallen named 2019 soil champions
A farmer and an OMAFRA soils expert are being recognized for trying new practices to improve soil health
The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) has named a farmer and a long-time supporter of soil health as its 2019 Soil Champions. The OSCIA made the announcement at its annual conference in Kingston in early February. Jim Denys is a Middlesex County farmer, producing pork farrow-to-finish while cropping corn, wheat and soybeans. He […] Read more
Eastern Ontario farmer named 2019 Innovative Farmer of the Year
Warren Schneckenburger places emphasis on minimizing tillage and compaction on his farm
Warren Schneckenburger’s attention to soil health, environmental stewardship and progressive production has resulted in winning the 2019 Ontario Innovative Farmer of the Year award presented by the Innovative Farmer Association of Ontario (IFAO). The IFAO cited Schneckenburger’s commitment to soil health and environmental stewardship through his practice of no-till soybeans and wheat, strip-tilled corn and […] Read more
Dresden farmer limits tillage in sugar beets and tomatoes to build soil structure
Mark Richards used his experience in strip tilling in other crops to make it work in vegetable crops
This story was part of Farmtario’s Chatham-Kent Farm Show guide Mark Richards has worked hard to assess and improve his farming practices over the last 20 years. He began with cover crops, then progressed into no till and strip till, notably in sugar beets and tomatoes, a practice not typically used in those […] Read more
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