Reading Time: 2 minutes Aside from concerns regarding drier conditions in different potato-growing regions of Ontario, some growers are testing for late blight. Spore traps near Delhi came back negative recently — but did indicate an increase at the end of the experiment. Eugenia Banks, a consultant for the Ontario Potato Board, stated such a “signal” might indicate an […] Read more
Pearce: Tests negative, weather positive for late blight in Ont. potatoes
Subsurface drip irrigation
Interest is growing even in corn and soybeans, although it’s not for everyone
Reading Time: 9 minutes When it comes to being a better farm manager, many retailers, extension personnel and researchers talk about cost of production and “controlling the controllable,” which leads to the usual factors coming up, including seed selection, soil fertility, residue management and weed control. But the one factor that is always left off anyone’s list of controllable […] Read more
Get more from cover crops
Our panel of producers keep their eye on maximizing the very real benefits that cover crops can deliver. Here’s how
Reading Time: 7 minutes Cover cropping is certainly the hot topic of the last two years, with lots of interest in everything from traditional oat and red clover covers to multi-blending and inter-seeding covers into standing crops. Recently, Twitter has been alive with photos and links, and with descriptions of progress and the impacts of various cover crop regimens. […] Read more
Pearce: Rain expected to stall Ontario potato planting progress
Reading Time: 2 minutes Rainfall expected for much of southern Ontario is expected to narrow what’s been a relatively early planting window for Ontario’s potato growers. Two weeks ago, the reports from the Ontario Potato Board were full of warm temperatures and dry soils, and growers, particularly around Leamington and Delhi, took full advantage. One farmer in the Delhi […] Read more
The swede midge threat
Swede midge continues to confound Near North canola growers, and it could migrate farther south
Reading Time: 5 minutes By 2015, Terry Phillips, then chair of the Ontario Canola Growers Association, was advising growers in Ontario’s Near North to stop planting canola on farms that had been hit by the recent arrival of the swede midge. By then, yields were already getting cut by as much as 50 per cent by the pest, with […] Read more
Tighter spray control in the field
Should you be looking at the InterLock system to reduce off-target risk?
Reading Time: 6 minutes What’s in a name? Plenty — especially when it comes to reducing off-target movement of spray applications. The buzz around the launch of Xtend soybeans in 2017 is creating a new level of scrutiny on spray applications. Like it or not, consumers and governments are watching, and increased diligence is warranted. Re-enter the InterLock system. […] Read more
Pesticide review a huge issue for horticulture sector
Time of worker re-entry after application and use of protective equipment are stumbling blocks
Reading Time: 5 minutes Canada’s horticultural growers say they’re concerned about a review of many of the broad-spectrum crop protection chemistries they’ve relied on for years. The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is conducting the review, with a final outcome due in 2018. That gives growers and other industry stakeholders the rest of 2017 to strengthen their arguments and […] Read more
Clubroot calls for diligence, not alarm
The surprise discovery of clubroot in Ontario will force canola growers to adapt to the disease now in order to avoid future complications
Reading Time: 6 minutes In the mid-2000s, Albert Tenuta raised a few eyebrows when he referred to the discovery of soybean cyst nematode east of Toronto as good news. The field crops pathologist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) meant that once the pest was identified, it could be monitored, and growers could better […] Read more
Crown rust comes after oats
Part of the management challenge comes from its sources and its choice as a cover crop
Reading Time: 5 minutes In a production agriculture world where corn and soybeans have dominated the scene for much of the last 25 years, oats are supposedly one of the forgotten crops. There have been attempts to revive the grain’s standing, including the formation of the Oat and Barley Council of Ontario back in the early 2000s, as well […] Read more
Southwestern Ontario potato planting underway
Reading Time: < 1 minute Close-to-seasonal temperatures and good planting conditions across parts of southwestern Ontario have growers in the Leamington region planting potatoes. According to Eugenia Banks, a special consultant for the Ontario Potato Board, potato planting began Wednesday morning, ahead of a weather system that’s forecast to dump up to 40 mm of rain by Friday. According to […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
