16 The Business of Ontario Agriculture Better Farming | October 2024 Mother Nature throw a slicing hailstorm curve ball at a field. Luckily both corn and soybean plants can take a lot of hail damage early in the vegetative stages. At the seventh leaf stage corn can lose 50 per cent of its leaf matter, only affecting yield by two per cent. Soybeans before flowering can lose most of its leaf matter early on with no effect on yield. As both crops get closer to reproductive stages, this changes dramatically, showing the importance of keeping the plant healthy during reproductive stages. Soybeans just at emergence time can be more challenging with extreme hail. During early emergence and before trifoliates are set, the plant is more vulnerable to being cut off as the growing point is exposed. We witnessed this in a few fields this year where plants at the VC (cotyledon) stage were cut off at the base of the plant at ground level. Other fields that were earlier planted and in the V2-V3 (two to three trifoliate) growth stage did not have this issue. These fields had more protection from above, with the leaves acting like an umbrella protecting the plant. Soybeans are an amazing crop. Tiny little axillary buds are found on the plant. If these buds are alive and actively growing, vegetative growth will continue. Keep this in mind when scouting fields next year. With heavy, pounding, high-intensity rainfalls occurring more frequently, we are seeing more crusting after planting. Will these future patterns exist? It is hard to say, but over the last five years, the frequency and timing in late May/early June has been increasing. Ask yourself, would it be worth having a rotary hoe (or other equipment) available to deal with this? Explore options to find a decent used one that is sized adequately, so you can get over a lot of acres in a brief period. Explore purchasing one with friendly neighbours sharing the equipment costs. Slug damage was on the rise this year. This was a function of the environment. We had more damage on soybeans planted into corn stubble. In 2023 we had our highest yields ever, which was a function of higher plant biomass. In no-till and minimum-till situations, this extra residue, coupled with delayed, wet planting conditions, harboured the right growing environment for slugs. Just like the hail example above, soybeans can endure a lot of leaf mass loss early on from slugs. In some cases, replanting had to occur. If these environments present themselves in the future, utilizing row cleaners or a light tillage pass will reduce the growing environment for the slugs, allowing the crop to grow ahead and outcompete this pest. Weed control was a challenge this year. In 2023 we had a warm open fall in October/November, which led to winter annual weed germination. Coupled with a wet, delayed planting/ herbicide application season, weeds grew extremely fast. The importance of fall and spring burndowns in these scenarios was evident, as it kept weed species at bay. Remember, as weeds get tall – beyond four to six inches – they are tougher to control, require more product to effectively reduce them, and take away yield from your crop by competing for vital water, nutrients, and sunlight. As you are reading this, I am hoping harvest is progressing without delays on your farm. As you watch your yield monitor go up and down in the combine, take some time to reflect on the spring and how the cards were dealt early-on, yield wise. Reflect on what we can learn from this to make ourselves better for the future down the road. Mother Nature will continue to throw us curve balls. Practising and learning from her pitches will allow us to hit a home run. Adapting to change in agriculture is critical for survival. Understanding crop growth, research and agronomy will help us all with this adaptation. All the best with the fall harvest. BF Look back at spring PAUL HERMANS Paul Hermans, CCA-ON is an area agronomist in Eastern Ontario with Corteva Agriscience. Explore purchasing a rotary hoe with neighbours to share in the cost. Paul Hermans photo
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