Will 2019 be a soybean aphid year? With a short, late-developing crop that lacks a dense canopy, growers will have to be on the look out for the minuscule, light green, pear-shaped pests, says Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs entomologist Tracey Baute. With smaller plants, it doesn’t take as many aphids to… Read More
Have cattle? A project through the Ontario Veterinary College and supported by the Ontario Animal Health Network Bovine Group is looking for your manure. Well, more specifically, a project led by Dr. Jessica Gordon of OVC is looking to assess gastrointestinal parasite loads in grazing cattle. The project is open to Ontario producers with grazing… 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
The Ontario government announced $1.3 million in funding through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, a funding partnership with the University of Guelph. The research projects at the University of Guelph will focus on increasing production and decreasing economic losses caused by crop diseases and pests on Ontario farms, including: Surveillance for blight management decisions in… Read More
Soybean growers looking for cover crops that can deliver soil health benefits and weed suppression without a yield hit may want to consider planting into cereal rye. Based on Ontario testing conducted in 2017 and 2018, planting soybeans into standing rye doesn’t hurt your soybean yields, says Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs… Read More
With poor spring planting conditions across Ontario, many farmers have run out of time to get major crops in the ground and thousands of acres will remain unplanted in 2019. What should farmers do with those acres? We asked Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs weed management specialist Mike Cowbrough and RealAgriculture agronomist… Read More
Retiring alfalfa fields used to be a simple process. Conventional tillage farmers would just drop the mouldboard plow in the fall, while those under a minimum tillage system would rely on a glyphosate burndown before planting a new crop the following spring. With the introduction of glyphosate tolerant (GT) alfalfa, however, glyphosate is no longer… 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
It’s been an unusual year across Ontario and growers could see more of the same as the soybean crop emerges from cool, wet soils, says Albert Tenuta, plant pathologist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs. Tenuta believes the backward spring, which has pushed soybean planting to late June across the province,… Read More
The provincial government of Ontario has informed the Agricultural Adaptation Council (AAC) it will no longer act as the delivery agent of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) to organizations and collaborations. AAC say it is “shocked” by the decision. The organization has been a delivery agent of federal/provincial funding programs for more than 23 years. The… Read More
Planters are parked across Ontario as rain-soaked and flooded fields are far from fit for corn seed. But soil conditions can turn around in a hurry with better weather and there’s still plenty of yield potential for growers to chase, says Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) corn lead Ben Rosser. In… Read More
The Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is launching a video series focusing on mental health for farmers, their families and rural communities. The videos, featuring information and advice from farmers and leaders in the agriculture sector, will be posted on twitter via @OMAFRA and the ministry’s website throughout the season. “When we… Read More
It’s the beginning of the week which means it’s time for agronomic Monday on RealAg Radio! Host Shaun Haney has the following guests on the show: Pam de Rocquigny, general manager of the Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers Association discusses seed treatments; Horst Bohner from OMAFRA explains why a producer should consider seeding soybeans first;… Read More
Traditionally, when the soil is fit for planting, growers fill the planter with corn seed and start to roll. But is it time to rethink that time-honoured approach? Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) soybean specialist Horst Bohner believes so. He says there’s plenty of evidence to suggest early-planted soybeans deliver a… Read More
It’s agronomic Monday on RealAg Radio and you’re in for a treat as host, Shaun Haney, will be covering all five of the major crop types in the country! Guests on the show include: Horst Bohner, OMAFRA soybean specialist on dealing with corn residue; Peter ‘Wheat Pete’ Johnson talks all about fertilizer timing; Ken Ferrie,… Read More