A weekly press release prepared by the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. If you require further information, regarding this press release, please call the Elora Resource Centre at 519-846-0941. Office hours: 8:30am to 5pm. For technical information, call the Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300 or visit the OMAFRA Website: www.omafra.gov.on.ca.
SOYBEAN HARVEST UNDERWAY – Horst Bohner in the OMAFRA Field Crop Report
Soybean harvest has now started in the province. Most fields still need at least another week or two to dry down but leaf drop is progressing quickly. Yield reports so far have been variable ranging from 25 bu/ac to 55 bu/ac. Moisture has ranged from 10 to 13% and no seed quality issues have been reported. Harvest losses and mechanical damage may be high when moisture drops below 12%. A loss of just four beans per square foot represents a loss of one bu/ac. The vast majority of fields are now mature enough that a frost will not impact yield.
MOST CORN STILL NEEDS 20 DAYS TO MATURITY – Greg Stewart, OMAFRA
Cold fronts moved through the province on September 15th and caused some isolated ground frost but damage to the corn crop was negligible. Some areas experienced low temperatures that dipped below 4 C for at least three consecutive nights. Even without frost, these cold temperatures will disrupt photosynthesis and grain filling. However, the expectation is that this cold spell was not long or severe enough, in most areas, to cause any permanent disconnect in the grain filling process. Later planted corn still needs 15 to 20 days to reach maturity.
CURRENT RESEARCH IN CORN MANAGEMENT EFFECTS ON PLANT-TO-PLANT VARIABILITY – Grain Farmers of Ontario – Bottom Line Newsletter
Here is a report on a Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) funded research project from Aric Bos, a crop science Masters student working on the project. For more information, contact Aric at abos@uoguelph.ca.
Plant-to-plant variability (PPV) within corn stands has drawn attention in recent years because of its potentially adverse effect on grain yield. PPV is defined as differences among corn plants in rate of growth and/or stage of development (i.e. leaf number). At the plant level, PPV can reduce kernel number and/or increase the incidence of barren plants due to the competition response that corn shows towards plants of different sizes within the canopy.
Preliminary results from research at the University of Guelph suggests that growers may influence PPV in their corn crop by their choice of tillage method and crop rotation, both of which are factors that impact early-season establishment. Variability in emergence and early season leaf numbers, for example, can manifest into yield loss later in the season as competition for resources increases.
The role that nitrogen rates might play on PPV is less clear. A GFO-funded project was conducted this season comparing a high (180-190 kg N/ha) and low nitrogen (20-30 kg N/ha) rate at four locations (Woodstock (2) London, and Kirkton) to find if the competition for nutrient resources might be a cause of PPV. Plant heights and leaf numbers were recorded at regular intervals throughout the season. Pre-harvest results suggest that although average plant heights of the low N-rate were consistently lower at most locations, the actual variability within the plots did not differ between low and high nitrogen rates for both leaf number and plant heights.
COMING EVENTS:
Oct. 14 – Wellington County Plowmen’s Banquet and Awards Night, Alma Hall at 7:00 p.m. Advance ticket sales, tickets available from any Director or call 519-846-0137.
Oct. 18-19 – Leading Edge Summit – How to Make Change Happen in Your Community: Innovative Tools and Techniques That Work; Hockley Valley Resort, Orangeville. For information, visit www.stepstoleadership.ca.
Oct. 20 – Waterloo Federation of Agriculture Banquet and Annual General Meeting – 7 p.m. Dinner at the New Dundee Community Centre, $10 tickets available from any director. The featured speaker will be Steve Martin of Martin’s Family Fruit Farm. For information, call Richard Cressman at 519-662-2790.
Oct. 22 – Take a Bite Out of Climate Change Bus Tour. Join Canadian Organic Growers on a biodiesel-powered tour of Ignatius Farm, Everdale Organic Farm, and Mapleton’s Organic. See organic farming in practice and learn about its climate-change mitigating potential. $10/person from 9:00 a.m. till 3:00 p.m. Meet at Ignatius Farm Workshop. Fuel from: Everpure Biodiesel Coop, transportation by Sharp Bus Lines. More info: www.cogwaterloo.ca/events.php.
Oct. 25 – Wellington County Farm Safety regular meeting at Husky Farm Equipment, Alma at 8:00 p.m. sharp. For more information, call Walter Grose at 519-846-5329.
Nov. 1 – Wellington Federation of Agriculture, Monthly Board Meeting at OMAFRA Boardroom, 6484 Wellington Rd., #7, Elora. For information, contact Lisa Hern at 519-848-3774, or email: jplh@golden.net.
Nov. 1-5 – 2011 International Goat Symposium, will be held in conjunction with the 2011 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. Watch for details at http://www.ogba.ca.
Nov. 4-13 – Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Exhibition Place, Toronto. Visit http://www.royalfair.org/ for details.
Nov. 13 – Exploring Your New Farm Dream Course. Time: 6:30 p.m. Place – London Training Centre, 317 Adelaide Street South, Unit #110, London. Website – http://www.farmstart.ca/explorer/up-coming-courses/.
Nov. 15 – OMAFRA Sheep Seminar, Atwood – Elma Memorial Community Centre, 8:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more information, call toll free: 1-877-424-1300.
