Despite the wet and cool spring, Ontario field crop experts say there is still a lot of potential in late-planted corn and soybeans – that includes both long and short-season varieties. Despite anxious feelings and generally unfavourable planting conditions, that is, things could still work out. Why it matters: Shorter-season corn and soybeans bring tradeoffs […] Read more
Tag Archives OMAFRA — page 10
Seed switch timing factors in a wet spring
Yield potential still high for late-planted crops, so don’t panic yet
Wet weather continues to delay spring seeding
Ontario Field Crop Report for the week of April 29
The past two weeks have been wet with very little getting done in the fields. Growers in the region are waiting for the weather to break and fields to dry out enough to carry equipment. While it is wet, there is very little flooding or standing water in the region. Regular, significant rainfall events keep […] Read more
OMAFRA takes a large cut in Ontario budget
Investments made in broadband internet, focus put on reducing deficit
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) was budgeted for a cut of more than $200 million by 2020 in the recent provincial budget. The first budget from the provincial Progressive Conservative government included modest increases to health and education budgets, but cuts to most other ministries, including agriculture. The actual budget […] 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
Variable land good place to start with variable rate fertilizer
Best strategies, hiring custom operators or DIY
Farmers on land that’s variable in soil type, such as southwest of London, are likely already thinking about variable rate fertilizer application. Darryl Boersma, who farms a large number of acres in Mt. Brydges southwest of London, has been doing variable rate for 17 years. “This whole area is pretty variable, one of the more […] Read more
Keeping equipment warm, but not letting it burn
Poor electrical connections around block heaters are a leading cause of fires on farms
Faulty equipment stored or parked in barns or sheds remains a leading cause of farm fires. And the use of portable heaters, extension cords and block heaters in tractors significantly increases the risk. Even properly functioning block heaters can cause a fire if they are plugged into a cord with a poor connection. Poor connections […] Read more
Former OMAFRA manager appointed OPVG chair
Dave Hope succeeds Suzanne van Bommel as appointed chair of the processing vegetable board
Dave Hope has been named as the new chair of the Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers (OPVG) board. Hope succeeds Suzanne van Bommel in the position after van Bommel’s recent resignation. Hope is a retired assistant deputy minister of OMAFRA, and a former mixed livestock farmer. He was raised on an eighth-generation farm in Ontario, said […] Read more
Who will inspect livestock welfare complaints?
Restructuring at OSPCA casts doubt on future of livestock inspections. Here are some potential outcomes
OSPCA gets $5.75 million annually through the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, specifically for investigation services. This funding supports a call centre for complaints/concerns, officer training, and the operation of the officers in the field. There are about 75 officers across the province. Representatives from Ontario’s livestock commodity groups will meet in early […] Read more
What to do with mouldy corn
There are several ways to sell – or dispose of – corn with high DON levels
With comparatively high mycotoxin issues this year’s corn crop, Ontario farmers are increasingly wondering what to do with infected grain. But while circumstances may not be ideal, options do exist – some perhaps more appealing than others. Why it matters: Finding a market for mycotoxin-infected corn is not easy, but there are options. However, many […] Read more
Corn mycotoxin levels high this harvest season
The provincial agriculture department advises special care to limit the effects of various toxins and moulds in feed
It’s a corn crop mycotoxin year. The annual survey conducted by OMAFRA field crop staff in collaboration with the Grain Farmers of Ontario and the Ontario Agri-Business Association has found that 60 per cent of samples tested low (less than two parts per million) for vomitoxin. The mycotoxins that are of concern are produced primarily […] Read more
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