Exeter Crop Advisors Agribusiness Breakfast Meeting – June 26, 2018

Thank you to Mike Verhoef who chaired the meeting and to Alex Zelem (C&M Seeds) for sponsoring breakfast. There was an excellent turnout and discussion. Thank you to everyone who attended this year’s meetings. This was the last meeting for this year so welook forward to seeing you all again next year!

Synopsis: The weekend rainfall received in the area was welcomed by all and has greatly improved many of those fields that were looking tough. There was quite the variation in the amount of rainfall received with the Ilderton and London areas receiving up to 6 inches of rainfall, Exeter and Hensall areas receiving ½ inch to 1 ½ inches and south Waterloo receiving 2 inches of rainfall. Areas further north into Bruce and Huron Counties; Paisley, Chesley and Owen Sound in particular, received minimal rainfall and continue to be very dry with many of the crops now under -severe stress. Those areas are hoping for some relief with rain in the forecast this week. The corn in the area is looking excellent and soybeans are filling in nicely as well Some soybean stands continue to be thin due to poor emergence, especially in areas with heavy clay soils and those that were extremely dry. The winter wheat crop is in the final stages of maturity with some expecting to harvest in the next week or so. Edible bean and seed corn planting is now complete.

Corn: Overall corn in the area is looking excellent with many stands above knee high. Most of the sidedressing is now complete. There may have been some nitrogen losses in areas that received large amounts of rainfall so growers may have to apply more nitrogen to accommodate those losses. Growers who are interested in applying UAN on top of their corn crop can do so up to the V4 stage. Past Ontario research has shown that applications beyond that stage will result in yield loss. There have been reports of herbicide flash but many of these fields have grown out of it. A number of fields in the very dry regions are dealing with thrips causing the corn to be stressed further Growers are encouraged to continue to scout and in extreme cases spray an insecticide if it is warranted. Once fields get a rainfall the corn is growing out of any damage caused by this pest. For anyone concerned with thrips feeding in corn, please contact Tracey Baute for more information. Seed corn planting was wrapped up last week with de-tassling expected to begin in mid-July for the early planted fields.

Soybeans: Most soybean fields are filling in and early planted fields are now flowering. Plant stands continue to stuggle in fields that were deep seeded at planting due to dry weather or crusted over due to heavy rains. Replants in those fields are still underway and are expected to be wrapped up by the end of the week. Growers that received heavy amounts of rainfall over the weekend may experience additional losses if soybeans sit underwater too long. There has been erratic feeding of bean leaf beetle from the 1st generation. Growers should be on the lookout for the 2nd generation in four weeks’ time when they will be out feeding on the pods causing seed damage. Soybean aphids have been reported in Bruce County as well as the Milton area. Ontario research has shown that when implementing a two pass fungicide program for the control of white mould, the first application should be made at the R1 to R 1 ½ stage with the second application being made 14 days later. This will depend somewhat on canopy size and growing conditions. Those fields that were planted in the middle of May will be approaching the R1 stage this week. If implementing a one pass fungicide program an application should be made at the full flower stage. (R2.5) Once temperatures reach above 28˚C spore production is halted reducing the risk of significant disease pressure. It is estimated by the industry that up to 25% of the soybean acres in the province now receive a foliar fungicide. Herbicide re-sprays are now wrapping up with the number of re-sprays being down from last year. Some have observed excellent control of Canada fleabane this year as the messaging around early season control is resonating with growers.

Wheat: Winter wheat continues to flare up in the driest areas due to a lack of moisture.. The dry weather and hot temperatures in some areas has likely taken some yield off. There will also be a reduction in straw volume in those extremely dry fields. Harvest is expected to be 3-4 days earlier this year due to a shortened grain fill period from the weather conditions. There are concerns of wheat roots in tiles in the driest areas as the crop’s roots continue to move down the soil profile looking for moisture. Armyworm is being found at low levels in Essex County but given the stage of the winter wheat crop it is no longer a concern. However, spring cereals should be scouted if pest levels increase. Spring cereals should also continue to be scouted for cereal leaf beetle as levels reached thresholds in a number of winter wheat fields this year.

Edible Beans:

Edible beans in some areas are just germinating now thanks to the recent rainfall. Weed control has been a challenge this year with many of the herbicides failing due to dry weather. Chris Gillard at the University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus, has been doing field and growth cabinet studies on SCN in edible beans and has found that large seeded beans are much more susceptible to SCN than small seeded beans. Aduzki beans are extremely susceptible. Western bean cutworm continues to be a challenge with insect feeding causing an increase in pick. Although the pest is very difficult to scout for in edible beans, scouting will continue for them once again this year. There are currently no thresholds for this pest in Ontario but Michigan State recommends that control is warranted once there are 150 moths/trap. Research to understand how to scout for this pest and to determine thresholds for Ontario is underway.

Agri Corp Deadlines:

Final Planted Acres: June 30th

Upcoming Events:

Southwest Crop Diagnostic Days (Ridgetown Campus) July 4 or 5, 2018

FarmSmart Expo 2018 (Elora Research Station) – July 12, 2018

Eastern Ontario Crop Diagnostic Day (Winchester Research Farm) – July 19, 2018