After a month of good growing conditions and positive reports amid sporadic news on disease potential, word from one of Ontario’s potato-growing regions is that roughly 1,000 acres of potatoes have been lost due to flooding. Drenching rains in midwestern Ontario have left both commercial fields and variety plots ruined. Rainfall amounts from June 22 […] Read more
Pearce: Heavy rains cause losses in Ontario potato fields
Pearce: Tests negative, weather positive for late blight in Ont. potatoes
Aside from concerns regarding drier conditions in different potato-growing regions of Ontario, some growers are testing for late blight. Spore traps near Delhi came back negative recently — but did indicate an increase at the end of the experiment. Eugenia Banks, a consultant for the Ontario Potato Board, stated such a “signal” might indicate an […] Read more
Pearce: Rain expected to stall Ontario potato planting progress
Rainfall expected for much of southern Ontario is expected to narrow what’s been a relatively early planting window for Ontario’s potato growers. Two weeks ago, the reports from the Ontario Potato Board were full of warm temperatures and dry soils, and growers, particularly around Leamington and Delhi, took full advantage. One farmer in the Delhi […] Read more
Southwestern Ontario potato planting underway
Close-to-seasonal temperatures and good planting conditions across parts of southwestern Ontario have growers in the Leamington region planting potatoes. According to Eugenia Banks, a special consultant for the Ontario Potato Board, potato planting began Wednesday morning, ahead of a weather system that’s forecast to dump up to 40 mm of rain by Friday. According to […] Read more
Pearce: Initiative aims to bridge rural-urban gap
In agriculture today, some see only the negative and the naysayers when it comes to “ag awareness.” Dave Baute and Stephen Denys see opportunity, and they’re building a partnership they hope can break down barriers and create new information channels between those in the country and those in cities and towns. “Be Rooted. Be Involved” […] Read more
Quebec farmer wins ‘Seed for Life’
Farming continues to grow more complex, as costs vary for land, fuel, fertilizer, equipment, chemicals and seed, many of which can challenge a grower every year. But what if seed costs were greatly reduced — not just for one year, but for 25? The question of “What if?” no longer applies to Marc-Andre Pilon, who […] Read more
Pearce: Precipitation maps have Ontario farmers seeing red
It’s official: Spring 2016 will go down as an excessively dry season for Ontario growers — and most hope the summer will be considerably wetter. Last week, we cited reports of stressed-but-surviving corn and soybean crops in midwestern Ontario, which had received spotty showers early in the week. The crops were showing signs of drought-stress […] Read more
Pearce: Ontario corn, soy look good despite dryness
One part of Ontario is wilting under the absence of moisture, another part is… managing. As farmers in eastern Ontario look to the skies and the long-term forecasts for rainfall and relief, their colleagues in some parts of southern Ontario are doing a little better — concerned, but making do. Regions north of Toronto and […] Read more
Pearce: Eastern Ontario weather challenges corn, soybeans
Times are tough for corn and soybean growers across parts of Ontario, with reports of wrapped leaves and low moisture levels. Hardest hit are the areas north of Toronto, through parts of Niagara and across eastern Ontario, where moisture levels in some locations are less than half of normal levels for May through to late […] Read more
Pearce: Stripe rust in winter wheat is Ontario’s biggest threat
Normally, stripe rust in winter wheat isn’t a huge problem for growers in Eastern Canada, and particularly in Ontario — at least, not at this stage of the growing season — but the 2016 growing season isn’t shaping up to be “normal” either. For now, the immediate challenge before growers is to get out and […] Read more
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