Tar spot, a new corn leaf disease, has moved through the U.S. Midwest, into Michigan and Wisconsin, and now sits at the doorstep of Ontario’s corn growing region. Characterized by tar-like speckling on the upper surface of corn leaves, the fungal pathogen has been delivering yield hits ranging from 20 to 60 bushels per acre… Read More
Corn growers in the mid-south and Midwest U.S. are being asked to take a closer look at diseased corn leaves as re-emerging diplodia leaf streak pushes into major corn growing states. The disease looks very similar to northern corn leaf blight (NCLB), a leaf disease Canadian growers typically identify based on its characteristic cigar-shaped lesions…. Read More
Changing weather patterns played havoc with corn planting and harvest in 2019 and they also affected insect cycles and how pests impacted the crop. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs entomologist Tracey Baute notes that the cold, wet spring had a big impact on western bean cutworm (WBC). A significant reduction in early-season… Read More
The good news is tar spot — a new corn leaf disease — has yet to be found in Ontario cornfields. The bad news is it’s only a matter of time before the yield robber is confirmed in the province, says Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plant pathologist Albert Tenuta. On this episode… Read More
Testing for DON in Ontario’s 2018 corn crop was an incredibly frustrating process for growers. With gibberella ear rot infecting a wide swath of corn in the province, many growers were exasperated when samples from the same load of corn taken from a field would show wide variation in DON levels — sometimes from 3… Read More
One of the big questions surrounding the Ontario corn crop of 2019 is whether plant roots can push through tough planting conditions and continue to feed the plant throughout the growing season. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, agronomist Peter Johnson takes a look at the challenges root systems faced in one of… Read More
Western bean cutworm (WBC) moths typically hit peak flight this week in Ontario — but not this year. Cold, wet spring conditions across the province not only delayed crop planting and development but also put the squeeze on the mating and flight patterns of the yield-robbing pest. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School, Ontario… Read More
Difficult planting conditions across Ontario this spring are set to test growers yet again as corn fungicide application timing approaches. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, Ridgetown College, University of Guelph professor Dave Hooker explains that growers looking to control gibberella ear rot can expect a 50 per cent reduction in DON when… Read More
Challenging Ontario planting conditions may follow the corn crop through the entire season and cause 2019 harvest disease headaches for growers. That’s the message Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’s plant pathologist Albert Tenuta shared with growers attending a Huron Tractor combine clinic last week at company headquarters at Exeter, Ont. With corn… Read More
A tough fall, winterkill, and a cool, wet spring are adding up to a condensed and busy herbicide application window for growers across Ontario.One of the first challenges is how to manage best all the abandoned winter wheat acres that are likely to be planted as corn or soybeans. On this episode of the RealAgriculture… Read More
For people who play the stock market, an opportunity to cash in on an 826 per cent return on investment doesn’t come along too often. But Ontario farmers can realize this type of return every time they apply herbicide in corn fields that experience intense weed pressure, says University of Guelph weed scientist Dr. Peter… Read More
When it comes to planting corn into cover crops, cereal rye is a popular option for Ontario growers. It’s also a top choice for Illinois growers, says Crop-Tech agronomist Ken Ferrie who shared cover crop strategies at the CropSmart 2019 conference held earlier this month at Kitchener, Ont. In this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School, Ferrie… Read More
From an environmental standpoint, Ontario experienced a perfect storm in 2018 that produced an epidemic of gibberella ear rot in corn and resulting unprecedented DON levels. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs field crop plant pathologist Albert Tenuta compares the conditions that created the classic silk channel infection in corn hybrids to what… Read More
It’s not the greatest news to start of the winter learning season — corn growers need to be on alert for a new leaf disease making its way towards Canada. Speaking at the Southwest Agricultural Conference, Martin Chilvers, field crop pathologist with Michigan State University, says tar spot has moved swiftly out of Indiana and… Read More
What can corn growers expect from the markets in 2019? In Ontario, will sufficient markets be found for high DON corn? After three years of sideways trade, will world markets finally break the mold and push corn higher? On this edition of RealAgriculture’s Corn School, host Bernard Tobin travels to the ‘Agridome’ at Dresden, Ontario… Read More