Ontario grain farmers dealing with high DON (vomitoxin) levels in their corn crop can now apply for funding to cover DON testing. The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) has announced a new intake for cost-share opportunities to support DON testing under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP). The initiative will support producers whose corn crop or corn products… Read more »
Category: Harvest Management
Wheat Pete’s Word, Dec 5: Corn wintering strategy, wet wheat, potato shortages, and the theatre
This week’s edition of Wheat Pete’s Word tackles tough questions and comments from the Maritimes, the United States, and across Ontario. In case you missed it, the east has called time-of-death on the potato harvest with a full 10% of the crop abandoned. There’s no shortage of concern for next year’s wheat crop, too, and… Read more »
Corn School: Destroying mouldy corn and managing volunteers
Thousands of acres of Ontario corn will have to be destroyed this fall due to high DON levels. A big challenge growers face when destroying those acres now and into winter is ensuring volunteer corn doesn’t make a mess of next year’s soybean crop. In this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School, our resident agronomist Peter… Read more »
Supplemental heat or a grain dryer? Tips for the step between just air and drying
A difficult harvest will push farmers to figure out ways to allow a little more harvesting done or protect what is already in the bin. Getting grain fit to store safely is always a challenge, but if a dryer is at capacity or not an option, can supplemental heat be enough? Rene Deschamps, with Ag Growth… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, Nov 14: Winter wheat acres, salvage values, and rut repairs
Harvest weather has not been kind, but some great yields make up for it at least a little for many Ontario farmers. We’ve also got some good news on wheat acres, too. It can’t all be good, of course, and this fall weather has left many fields rutted and compacted. What to do about tillage?… Read more »
9 factors that contributed to this mess of a corn crop
By Peter Johnson, RealAgriculture agronomist Many producers can’t wait to put the 2018 corn crop behind them. Despite big yields — even record yields for some growers — mycotoxin levels in the crop has turned harvest into a nightmare. And that’s not to mention the constant downpours and totally saturated fields that will likely make… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, Nov 7: Combine mods, cereal rye, and soy storage tips
Let’s start this week’s Word on a super positive note — Peter Johnson is a grandpa for the sixth time! Host Johnson takes that wonderful piece of news as inspiration for this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word and tries to keep it upbeat and positive (meaning, yes, he talks corn, but mostly not, OK?) From winter… Read more »
Corn School: Fine tuning the combine to reduce DON levels
How can growers adjust their combines to reduce vomitoxin levels when harvesting the 2018 crop? RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson has some answers. In this episode of Real Agriculture’s Corn School, Johnson visits with custom combine operator David Killins, of Killins Custom work, at Dorchester, Ontario. Johnson acknowledges that while cleaning corn does help, it’s not… Read more »
Three options for high DON corn
By Peter Johnson, RealAgriculture agronomist It has been one TOUGH harvest. Constant showers, have led to very wet condition, and now record levels of deoxynivalenol (DON, produced by gibberella) in the corn crop has stress running high in the countryside. Coffee shop rumours abound. The urgent questions though, are: Do I harvest this corn at… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, Oct 31: What do you do with a problem like this corn crop?
Happy Halloween, everyone. Did you corn crop dress up as a high yielding, but also high mycotoxin-infused monster? Do you dress up as a Wheat Pete’s Word listener a little tired of hearing about what to do with this corn crop? Well, we only partially apologize, as there are still so many questions about how… Read more »
This year proves you should never give up on the growing season
Growing a crop is not easy with all of the variables and factors impacting your decisions made and results achieved. If only we could make all agronomic decisions with hindsight, it would allow us to be way more effective agronomists and farmers. This year has brought its own challenges across Canada that have proven to… Read more »
Crop insurance will have to grind through this brutal Ontario corn harvest
“Brutal” is just one word being used to describe some of the corn coming off in Ontario. While yields are good, a perfect storm of disease-inducing conditions at and following pollination has left a chunk of the 2018 corn crop riddled with myctoxins, most notably vomitoxin. “There is still lots of good corn in Ontario,”… Read more »
Agricorp examining options for high vomitoxin corn in Ontario
EDITOR’S NOTE This situation is evolving daily — please contact Agricorp directly for the latest parameters on dealing with high-ppm corn. ** Agricorp is keeping a close eye on vomitoxin levels in Ontario’s corn crop and telling growers not to destroy any crop at this time. The provincial risk management program provider has indicated it… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, Oct 17: Horsetail control, cleaning corn, and new answers for cereal rye
Harvest has picked up in both Western and Eastern Canada, though the challenges facing each region are unique. On this episode of Wheat Pete’s Word, Peter ‘Wheat Pete’ Johnson tackles late season weed control decisions (mostly: just don’t), diseased corn crop management, and shares some new findings on including cereal rye as a cover crop. Have… Read more »
Heavily diseased corn crop has farmers wondering how to market tonnage
The 2018 growing season has thrown Ontario farmers more than a few curve balls, including severe drought, but this latest at harvest is likely the toughest to manage. Ontario’s provincial agriculture department has released its annual corn crop toxin survey, and the numbers are not good. A whopping 25% of crop surveyed came in at… Read more »