“On the tour, we could see that the corn and soybean crops are one of the most advanced crops we have ever seen by August 31,” said Stewart.
Stewart also noted that variability is down significantly in 2018, and consistency is up. Some disease pressure is expected in the coming months in some counties with hotspots, Sudden Death Syndrome was observed. He also indicated that he did not think white mold would be a significant issue this year.
While aphids could be found in isolated pockets in the province, Stewart predicted this would not pull down the yields. He indicated that smut could be more prevalent this year, but that western bean cutworm would likely be less of a problem than it has been in the last two years.
Agostino noted that yields are also very high in many of the “Big I” states in the United States. “From a marketing perspective, high yields normally lead to lower prices. Current price action reflects this market sentiment as we seem to have formed a second early harvest ‘low’ in August -- the first low was in July.” Agostino made several recommendations for farmers on what they should do to maximize profits with market prices and basis.
The tour was organized by host sponsors, Alpine, Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, Farms.com, Farms.com Risk Management, Jaquemet Farms, and Maizex Seeds. For more information and to view all of the sponsors, visit https://riskmanagement.farms.com/events/ontario-yield-tour-2018.