A weekly report prepared by the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). If you require further information, regarding this report, call the Elora Resource Centre at 519-846-0941. Office hours: 8:30am to 5:00pm. For technical information, call the Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300 or visit the OMAFRA Website: www.ontario.ca/omafra
WELLINGTON SOIL & CROP SUMMER MEETING
The Wellington County Association is sponsoring a summer meeting at Clovermead Farms (Bruce Whale), 7600 Wellington Rd. 8, RR #2, Alma. This on farm meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 4, beginning at 7pm.
The Ministry of Transportation staff will be on hand to clarify regulations under the “highway traffic act” related to farm equipment used on roadways. This will help increase awareness on safety, requirements for self-propelled implements and licensed machines relating to agriculture.
This hands-on workshop will focus on licensed farm trucks with hitches, trailers and cargo securement. There will be numerous examples of typical licensed machines commonly used by farmers.
We will also tour the Whales’ new bio-digester. All producers are invited to attend this valuable workshop. No pre-registration is required.
FARMSTART – COURSES OFFERED TO “NEW FARMERS”
FarmStart is supporting a new generation of farmers across Ontario. We do this by networking with other organizations who share a common goal of helping new farmers. By working with farmers at the regional level through other organizations, we can offer training programs, internships, help with land access and find resources more locally.
Stay informed of courses, workshops and other training opportunities by visiting www.farmstart.ca and signing up for the monthly Events Bulletin, which covers all kinds of learning opportunities across Ontario.
For further information, contact 519-836-7046 X103 or email: admin@farmstart.ca.
ARMYWORMS ARE MARCHING
by Tom Cowan, Entomologist, OMAFRA Ridgetown
They’re here early this year. We’ve been hearing reports of true armyworm numbers getting fairly high in some wheat fields and even above threshold in some cases. I think it’s a good time to post a refresher on armyworm management.
In Cereals – Armyworms typically feeding in the lower leaves of the wheat and work their way upwards. Feeding is done at night and sometimes on overcast days. During the day you can find the larvae hiding deeper in the canopy or under debris or plant litter on the ground. When scouting for armyworm, look for chewed leaves and brown grass on the plants or on the ground near the plant. Armyworm may also start to clip the heads off maturing plants as they look for food at later crop growth stages. The best time to scout is at dusk when the larvae come out to feed.
Action Thresholds for Cereals – 5 Larvae less than 1 inch long (2.5 cm) per square foot (30 cm x 30 cm), warrant control. 1 square foot is equal to 19″ of row.
With fewer leaves this year after all the frosts, protection of the flag leaf is particularly important. Early control is critical as insecticides are much more effective on smaller larvae and less damage to the plants will have occurred. After the soft dough stage, the benefit of insecticide applications drops dramatically unless head clipping is occurring.
Look carefully at the larvae on the plants and check them for small yellowish oval eggs deposited just behind the head. These are eggs belonging to a parasitic fly and will soon hatch and kill the armyworm larvae. Fungal and bacterial diseases also attack armyworm and can quickly reduce populations. Diseased armyworms can be found at the tops of the wheat plants where they tend to migrate before they die. These larvae look sickly and are sluggish and should not be included in your assessment since they won’t be doing any feeding.
If the larvae are over 1 inch long (2.5 cm) most of the feeding damage has occurred and there is no benefit to applying an insecticide.
Insecticide Recommendations – Before using an insecticide, consider how mature the plants are in order to comply with the pre-harvest interval (PHI). Registered insecticides for armyworm control are:
Matador 120 E (PHI = 28 days)
Dylox 420 LC (PHI = 21 days)
Sevin LXR Plus (PHI = 14 days wheat)
Lannate Toss-N-Go (PHI = 20 days)
Delegate WG (PHI = 21 days).
COMING EVENTS
June 24 – Local Food Fest – a celebration of local food and copies of the 2012 local food map available at Ignatius Jesuit Centre with children’s area, workshops and more. Visit the website at: www.guelphwellingtonlocalfood.ca.
July 4 – National Farmers Union Waterloo-Wellington Local, monthly board meeting at 7:15 p.m. at the Husky Farm Equipment, Alma. (They meet every first Wednesday of the month).
July 4 and 5 – SouthWest Crop Diagnostic Day, Univ. of Guelph, Ridgetown, 8:15 a.m. Check the website: http://www.diagnosticdays.ca/.
July 11- 7th Ontario Forage Expo “Hay Making in Motion” is sponsored by Perth County SCIA, OMAFRA, and the Ontario Forage Council. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free Admission. Lunch Provided. Host Farm Pedro Slits, 4731 Line 55, Brunner. Equipment companies demonstrate forage machinery in side by side field trials. Key note speakers on forage related topics. Forage related trade show exhibitors. Everyone Welcome! Watch for more details to come at: www.ontarioforagecouncil.com or Ontario Forage Council, Ray Robertson: 1-877-892-8663.
