Snowfall Puts Brakes on Ontario Corn Harvest

The Ontario corn harvest has been halted or delayed because of the first major snowfall of the season earlier this week, according to the latest weekly update from Grain Farmers of Ontario on Thursday. 

The corn harvest was estimated at 49% complete as of Wednesday, up 10 points from a week earlier but well behind last year when 85% to 100% of the provincewide crop was in the bin. 

A massive push occurred prior to the rain and snow arriving to get as many acres off as possible, the report said. 

A GFO harvest progress map shows the corn harvest most advanced in Essex and Middlesex counties in the southwest, along with the far eastern counties of Glengarry and Prescott.  

As harvest continues, yield loss is a common topic. It can have many different contributing factors, including germinating kernels. In early October, the corn looked great, with excellent quality with exceptional test weight. However, as the month advanced, more frequent rainfall triggered the germination problems. 

“Germinated kernels hit the combine and break apart, creating extra fines. This lowers yields through loss of grain and with lighter test weight, compared to the same hybrid being harvested earlier before the rains arrived,” the report said. 

The Ontario soybean harvest is pegged at 99% complete, unchanged from a week earlier when the GFO report said the final few fields would likely wait for the ground to freeze before being harvested. 

As for the winter wheat crop, the report said fields are saturated with moisture. 

“In the past, when wheat went into the winter months surrounded by water and ice, the largest contributing factor for winter survival was the soil condition, structure, and drainage,” the GFO report said.