Ontario’s corn crop is past the halfway point at this time and is left to Mother Nature’s will to help mature the corn and give us a decent harvest. For the most part, that means we can look back at what 2022 brought us and how we can adjust and improve our field and nutrient […] Read more
Tag Archives OMAFRA Field Crop Report
Improved nitrogen testing may be around the corner
OMAFRA Field Crop Report for the week of August 1
Enhancing corn and soybean yields in Ontario
OMAFRA Field Crop Report for the week of July 4
Gone are the days of grandpa getting the tractor and 3 furrow plow out to work the whole farm each fall after harvest. For decades now, producers have been developing and adapting new technologies and practices to optimize land use, while continuing to care for it. Thirty-one years of data evaluated by the University of […] Read more
Ontario crop conditions mostly favourable
OMAFRA Field Crop Report for the week of June 27
As we close out the 2022 spring planting window, for the most part we see crops in good shape, but as always, there are regional differences. Alfalfa in western and southwestern Ontario suffered a great deal of die out this winter. Farmers had to make quick plans to address this issue. Alternatively, alfalfa and winter […] Read more
Insect issues appear for Ontario growers
OMAFRA Field Crop Report for the week of June 20
Cereal leaf beetle (CLB) populations have reached threshold in some spring cereal fields this week. CLB larvae and adults feed on the tissue between leaf veins, leaving long scratch marks that can make plants appear silver or frosted from a distance. Before boot stage, the threshold is an average of three larvae per tiller. One CLB […] Read more
Timely rains support Ontario crops
OMAFRA Field Crop Report for the week of June 6
For most of southern and central Ontario, this week’s rains were timely to support crop establishment. Precipitation June 7th ranged from 12 to 50 mm (1 to 2 inch), with regional reports in southern Ontario (Lambton, Middlesex, Bruce and Grey counties) reporting over 50 to 55 mm (2 to 2.3 inch). Cereals Herbicide applications are […] Read more
Weather conditions make for minimal planting progress
OMAFRA Field Crop Report for the week of April 25
Due to cool temperatures and wet conditions (in some areas) over the past week, essentially no meaningful acreage of corn or soybeans have been planted. Most field activities thus far have been field preparation such as manure applications and tillage. Winter wheat Fields that went into last winter in good shape, with uniform emergence and […] Read more
Weather makes way for corn, soybean planting
OMAFRA Field Crop Report for May 19
Current weather patterns are generally expected to hold for the next week or so. This will allow for planting of corn and soybeans to be mostly complete by the last week of May, though many fields and farms will appreciate some rain soon, particularly in the far southwest (See Figure 1 below). Significant precipitation is […] Read more
Understanding and managing low pH knolls
The OMAFRA Field Crop Team wants farmers to get to know their knolls
While high pH knolls tend to be more common in Ontario, often caused by soil erosion leaving higher pH calcareous subsoils, this is not the case for all regions. How do low pH knolls develop? Low pH knolls can develop on undulating landscapes where surface soils formed from deposits of sand, such as where glacial […] Read more
Wheat pests are still a concern
OMAFRA Field Crop Report for June 25
True armyworm (TAW) larvae are in many winter wheat and spring cereal fields across southern Ontario, thankfully not always at threshold. Some fields have populations at threshold (4-5 unparasitized larvae smaller than 2.5 cm per square foot) or above and with minimal feeding damage. Larvae sometimes choose not to do as much feeding and move […] Read more
Cool temps delay germination, crop emergence
OMAFRA Field Crop Report for May 7
Air temperatures for the week of May 4th were below the seasonal average. This has slowed soil warming and while not hindering planting, it is delaying germination and emergence of seeded crops. But so far, the 2020 season has offered better planting conditions than the past number of springs. Cereals Most of the winter wheat crop […] Read more
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