Bale moisture probes are great once a bale is made, but trying to determine moisture of a hay swath is another challenge entirely. Most methods — including drying down a sample and doing some quick math — still take more time than is ideal, especially if hay is drying quickly and is intended as ensiled… Read More
Category: Forage
Buckle up, it’s time for Day 2 of Ontario Diagnostic Days! The annual Ontario field crop diagnostic days held at Ridgetown, Elora, and Winchester are again virtual in 2021. Cover crops, forage and wheat management is the focus of this episode. We get started with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs soil management specialists… Read More
It’s possible Ontario could set a new wheat record for 2021, and that’s saying something, as reports are that many fields are yielding smaller than average seeds. Also this week on Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson tackles if corn will yield double cobs, why you need to be out scouting the soybean canopy, and… Read More
As the drought continues across the Prairies, ranchers and grain farmers are navigating baling and grazing drought-affected crop. There are insurance considerations when offering field crops as grazing, but there are also several considerations for livestock producers when determining the suitability of a field as feed. Shannon Argent, business manager with VBP+, says that ranchers… Read More
It’s been a tough year for growers in the west — some crops are getting by rain to rain, and some are relying on soil moisture alone with the chance of rain being a hope. Drought can affect silage quality and yield, obviously, but how can smoke from wildfires affect the corn crop? Sara Meidlinger,… Read More
In the early 2000s, Canadian farmers from the east helped out those in the west with hay supplies, after the drought of 2002 left very little for feed. Dubbed Hay West, the grassroots movement was revived 10 years later, when western Canadian farmers returned the favour for many farmers in Ontario’s Ottawa Valley with Hay… Read More
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau has announced $2.6 million in federal funding for the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association (CFGA) to support three projects that will assess and improve alfalfa growth using artificial intelligence and develop a carbon offset system for grasslands. Some of the funding announced July 19 will also be used… Read More
The University of Saskatchewan is establishing a new beef industry integrated forage management and utilization research chair position. The intent of the position is to connect the study of soils, plants, animals, economics, and ecosystems, to top into forage crops’ full range of benefits. “The chair will help to address concerns raised for a number… Read More
By John McGregor With calls for a searing, west-approaching heat wave bearing down on us this week and next, the moisture situation across the province remains pointed at a significant moisture deficient with our hay and pasture fields. A very well-timed rain in late June brought a bit of relief at the time, however, it… Read More
Soil health, in a rotational grazing and cattle operation sense, starts with ground cover and consistently adding organic matter that will eventually become sequestered carbon. Logistics-wise and from a management stand-point, how is improved soil health achieved in a cattle operation? In this Soil School episode, Bernard Tobin is in the field with Aaron Bowman,… Read More
Last week’s insect alert of weevil hitting second-year alfalfa fields has now been expanded to include the potato leafhopper and more acres. Leafhopper can be especially hard on newly-seeded alfalfa, even if it is a resistant variety. The resistant trait is not expressed in the first growing season, explains Peter Johnson, resident agronomist for RealAgriculture…. Read More
Huge areas of Ontario saw frost over the weekend, in some cases as low as -7 degrees C. The full impact of the lighter frost in other areas is still being assessed, but there are replants already happening on plenty of soybean acres. Wheat Pete’s Word host Peter Johnson talks about that this week, and… Read More
After a week away, we’re glad to be back! This episode of The Agronomists focuses on something we don’t always talk about: forage! Host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Christine O’Reilly, forage specialist with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), and Peter Johnson’s alter ego: Peter “Wheatgrass” Johnson. Catch a new episode… Read More
As we approach the first long weekend of the summer season, farmers are thinking about relaying winter wheat and barley for forage, protecting N on dry ground, and skipping a pre-emergent herbicide pass. As to whether all or some (or none) of those are good ideas, Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson has the answers in this… Read More
The Ontario Forage Council, Ontario Hay Listings, Ontario Biomass Producers Co-op, and the Ontario Hay and Forage Co-operative have worked together to provide one online hub for forage, pasture, and biomass crop production for Ontario. The Ontario Forage Network at ONForageNetwork.ca will host information on seeding, growing, harvesting, storing, and marketing these crops. The network… Read More