Better Farming – September 2016

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4 Farm News First > Better Farming September 2016
This year, the Ontario ag community adjusts
to the new reality of neonics regulations. There
certainly have been some challenges and
learning curves. In my family farm operation,
for example, my sister spent a notable amount
of time trying to track down the Municipal
Property Assessment Corporation roll num-
bers for our rented acres, necessary for the pest
assessment reports. And, across the province,
farmers have seen the variable stands.
Despite these challenges, the industry has
announced some exciting biotech and seed
treatment developments. Monsanto’s Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans, for
example, will be available for the 2017 growing season. These beans are
tolerant to both dicamba and glyphosate herbicides.
Our family grew some of these seed beans last year, giving me a first-hand
glimpse of this exciting new technology. The joint herbicide program enabled
us to keep the field clean of weeds.
As an industry we’ll have to learn the protocols to efficiently manage these
new products. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in Missouri, for
example, some farmers reported crop damages, allegedly from dicamba
herbicide that was improperly used and subsequently drifted.
In our main feature, writer Lisa McLean delves into a seed report for the
province. She explores some of the challenges the industry has faced so far this
cropping season and highlights lessons learned for moving into 2017. McLean
also discusses new technologies and options as we begin to plan our inputs for
next year. BF
ANDREA M. GAL
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Heather Latter
Pat Lynch
Lisa McLean
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Kyle Rodriguez
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Ralph Winfield
Rainfall has been sparse to none at all for the first
part of August across most of Ontario. Corn Heat
Units (CHU) have kept pace with the 30-year
average. Since May 1, CHU in Mount Forest, for
example, are in the mid 1,900s; they are in the
high 2,100s in Ottawa and low 2,500s in Windsor.
Crop advancement is at expected growth
stages. Corn and soybeans are now in the middle
of their reproductive stages. Soil moisture is
critical to keep up with the crops’ nutrient
demands and to keep plants photosynthesizing lots of sugar to fill the kernels
and beans. The yield components for corn are the number of cobs multiplied
by the number of kernels multiplied by the kernel weight.
The number of cobs and kernels have been set; the final yield will be a ques-
tion of how heavy the kernels will become. If there is a saving grace to this
season’s weather, it is cooler night temperatures that reduce respiration rates
resulting in more sugar to fill grain. However, rain makes grain and we won’t
refuse any. BF
Dale Cowan is a senior agronomist with AGRIS Wanstead Cooperatives. Data
fromWIN and the Ag Grower Daily Dashboard Program.
FARM WEATHER REPORT
2016 CHUs in line with average
BEHIND THE LINES
Cash crop hurdles and options