A weekly report prepared by the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). For more information call 519-846-0941. Office hours: 8:30am to 4:30pm. For technical information, call 1-877-424-1300 or visit www.ontario.ca/omafra.
Upcoming environmental farm plan workshop
A two-day environmental farm plan workshop has been scheduled for Nov. 18 and 25 in the OMAFRA boardroom in Elora. Producers are invited to attend free environmental farm plan two-day workshops to assess farm business, learn more about best management practices, develop action plans and learn more about cost sharing opportunities. Workshop materials and snacks are provided but participants are asked to bring a lunch.
To register or for more information, check the website at: www.ontariosoilcrop.org or contact: Ingrid at 519-852-0621.
Pricing corn silage in 2014
Corn development is delayed for a significant portion of the crop and could be at risk of frost. Farmers may be looking at salvaging frost damaged corn that hasn’t matured adequately for optimum yield, moisture or quality by harvesting or selling some of those fields for silage. Silage piles and silage bags can provide flexible storage options. Local supply and demand and negotiation between buyer and seller ultimately determines the price. It is important that you make your own assumptions for your situation and calculate your own costs. Then negotiate the best you can.
Buyers need to consider the nutrient quality of frost-damaged corn silage. It will have a lower grain-to-stover ratio. Use wet chemistry laboratory analysis, and newer measures (including crude protein, Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF) digestibility, starch, ash and fat) to more accurately estimate corn silage digestible energy.
Slightly immature, frost damaged corn that has dented can make good silage. In general, this will have slightly higher fibre and crude protein and slightly lower energy levels than normal corn silage. Quality may not be optimum for high producing dairy cows, and it is sometimes a good idea to consider harvesting the better corn fields for silage. Very immature corn silage at the milk or early dough stages will have lower starch and higher fibre levels. This can be fed to animals with low to moderate energy requirements, such as beef cows and stockers. Additional grain can be more easily included in feedlot rations to increase the energy content.
Harvesting at the proper whole-plant moisture is critical for producing quality corn silage. Harvesting frost damaged corn silage too wet is the most serious problem. At moisture greater than 70%, clostridial fermentations produce butyric acid, resulting in high fermentation losses, lower intakes, ketosis and poor cow performance. Refer to Frost Damaged Corn Silage and OMAFRA fact sheet 13-051 Harvesting Corn Silage at the Right Moisture.
Growing Forward 2 application deadlines
Producers and Processors: The next implementation application intake for producers and processors will open on Nov. 10 and close on Dec. 11. Please note that the capacity application stream is still open.
Organizations and Collaborations:
The 2015 deadlines will be available on the Agriculture and Agri-food Canada (AAC) website mid-December.
Before submitting an application to AAC, organizations and collaborations should first review the capacity building and project implementation program guides.
Next, AAC encourages applicants to complete a preproposal and submit it to: info@adaptcouncil.org. Full Growing Forward 2 applications are due on the deadline dates listed on the AAC website. Capacity building funding requests $20,000 and under are accepted on an ongoing basis and reviewed within 20 business days.
Coming events
Nov. 7-16: Royal Winter Fair, Exhibition Place, Toronto;
Dec. 11: Rockwood Farmers’ 22nd annual Parade of Lights, Rockwood, at 7pm; and
Jan. 29 – Feb. 1 – Guelph Organic Conference and Expo 2015, Guelph University Centre.
