On the Prairies, we are fortunate that we don’t have many insects to deal with when it comes to our corn production. The most prevalent insect is the European corn borer (ECB) and the pressure we see varies by year and location. The following is a summary of the lifecycle of the ECB, how the…
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The meeting circuit this past winter has provided some thoughts on things to try for this coming year. One topic that has repeated itself over the past few years is the advantage to planting early and pushing the planting window as early as possible. The biggest advantage discussed is always yield, however less frequently mentioned…
Maizex territory manager, Laura Johnston, performs an early corn crop uniformity evaluation at Durham Farms. …
The Maizex N Tracker will allow corn producers to assess nitrogen recommendations on a single spreadsheet. The spreadsheet will include both field based and soil nitrogen testing based recommendations. The fundamental calculations in this spreadsheet are based on the OMAFRA N Calculator or OMAFRA PSNT Recommendations with some enhancements and adjustments made based on years…
Manganese (Mn) is one of nine essential micronutrients for plant growth. Corn is only a moderate consumer of manganese and so deficiency in most mineral soils is rare. High organic matter (muck) soils can be more frequently diagnosed with some level of Mn deficiency. In mineral soils under dry conditions and where the soil is…
Before we let corn planter performance and early corn stands get too far into the rearview mirror, here are a few observations from Spring 2016. 1. Residue Management High residue situations can improve soil structure and water infiltration, but residue pinched into the seed trench or interfering with emergence may set a plant back so…
There is unprecedented interest and investment in applying nitrogen on corn later in the season. By later, we mean applications that are beyond the traditional planting or sidedress timings and generally between the V10 to VT (tassel emergence) stages. Some key questions need to be considered as we aim to shift more of the corn…
Over the past week I have been asked a few times about what the correct rate of potassium fertilizer would be to apply this fall to prepare for next year’s crop. There is no doubt that the exceptional weather for fall field work and impressive crops across the province have led growers to wonder about…