Dairy farmers faced challenges dealing with mould in corn in 2018, as crop farmers dealt with the widespread DON outbreak. Dairy animals can manage mould levels in small doses but once levels reach a certain point, the feed becomes toxic. Why it matters: Mouldy feeds can typically cause performance losses of five to 10 per […] Read more
Tag Archives DON — page 2
The DON year and dairy feed
Dairy farmers have had to manage higher mycotoxin levels in feed after last harvest. Here’s how they did it
Province, federal government announce corn salvage benefit
Program will gives farmers more options when corn quality is poor in the future
Farmers should have more salvage benefit options in future years if they have a serious corn quality problem like this year’s DON challenges. The federal and provincial governments recently announced a new tiered corn salvage benefit that will be introduced to production insurance plans. This is in response to requests from farmers who, as a […] Read more
Grain grading revamp may add falling number, DON as factors
Two significant grain specs that aren’t yet factors for a crop’s official grade are now under consideration to join that official list. The Canadian Grain Commission on Monday put out a call for “grain sector stakeholders” to submit their views before May 10 on a proposal for falling number and deoxynivalenol (DON) to both become […] Read more
DON corn testing: A new era begins
After a disastrous vomitoxin outbreak, the Ontario Corn Committee is implementing a testing program that farmers have wanted for years. But will companies participate?
Ontario corn farmers have been relying on their own observations and those of their neighbours along with scant information from corn companies to make hybrid selections that lower their risk of vomitoxin. When they go to make their selections for 2020, however, they will have new independent disease risk numbers on which to base their […] Read more
Corn committee launches corn DON testing
The voluntary program will inoculate corn hybrids at two locations in the province
The Ontario corn committee is requesting seed companies enter their current and new hybrids in newly created inoculated trials for susceptibility to DON. The committee says the voluntary trials will take place in both Ridgetown and Ottawa and are funded for the next two years. Why it matters: There were extensive acres of Ontario’s corn […] Read more
Loan program gets extension, funding boost
Changes made to the Commodity Loan Program to help deal with DON-infected corn financial challenges
Changes to the Commodity Loan Program (CLP) have been made to help farmers dealing with extreme harvest issues across the province. Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) asked for an extension back in November to assist farmers across the province managing challenges with corn crop quality this year. Why it matters: The CLP changes will help […] Read more
The DON to come – agronomic lessons from 2018
Farmers have new information to consider on hybrid selection, fungicide timing
The vomitoxin problem in Ontario’s 2018 corn crop was more severe than most years and continues to cause problems for producers and buyers. However, the fungus-fostering conditions that caused the issue offer agronomic lessons for managing deoxynivalenol (DON) risk. According to Dale Cowan, senior agronomist and sales manager for AGRIS Co-operative and Wanstead Farmers Co-operative, […] Read more
Ontario farmers make first blockchain system corn sale
An Ontario startup company facilitated the trade of high-DON corn
Some Ontario farmers have used a new grain sales system to sell some of their corn high in DON. Prince Edward County farmers Larry Reynolds and Lloyd Crowe used the Grain Discovery platform to find a new local buyer, confirm the trade and receive payment instantly. Grain Discovery says this is the first corn trade […] Read more
Corn hybrid testing for DON needs industry support
There is currently no screening program for susceptibility to DON for corn in Ontario
Farmers continue to search for better ways to manage risk of an outbreak of deoxynivalenol (DON) in future corn crops. One of the areas of most interest is figuring out which corn hybrids are most susceptible to infection. There is currently no screening program for vomitoxin in corn hybrids in Ontario. Why it matters: Finding […] Read more
How the new DON testing cost-share program works
Funds will share half of the cost of DON testing or equipment purchase so farmers can know what they have in their bins
With vomitoxin (DON) levels prevalent in this year’s corn crop, the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) says a new DON testing cost-sharing initiative will help producers strategically market their grain. Why it matters: OSCIA says the cost-sharing program will help farmers know how severe their deoxynivalenol (DON) issues are, and how to market […] Read more
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