Your questions, answered

When you have questions, where do you turn for answers? Grain Farmers of Ontario has developed a suite of resources, all available online, to help farmers address the pressing issues that impact their farm and farm business. Grain Farmers of Ontario also collaborates with other like-minded organizations throughout the value chain to provide farmers with the information they need to succeed.

GRAIN FARMERS OF ONTARIO RESOURCES

FIELD OBSERVATIONS

The weekly Field observations, published during the growing season in the weekly GrainTALK e-newsletter and at www. ontariograinfarmer.ca, includes up-to-date agronomic information and field conditions. This is your one-stop shop to find out what’s happening in the field.

FACTSHEETS, WEBINARS, AND AGRONOMY ALERTS

Grain Farmers of Ontario’s agronomists stay on top of the pressing issues in agriculture. Visit www.gfo.ca/agronomy/crop-management for information on top-of-mind issues like weeds, diseases, pests, and more. Agronomy alerts are sent by email to address pressing and time-sensitive agronomy issues.

VISUAL GUIDE TO WINTER WHEAT STAGING

Understanding the growth stages of winter wheat is critical to making informed and profitable management decisions. This guide provides you with all the information you need to grow great wheat. Find it at www.gfo.ca/agronomy/crop-management.

MARKETING

Grain Farmers of Ontario has developed a Grain Contracts Guide, found at www.gfo.ca/marketing, to help farmer-members make the best marketing decisions for their farm and maintain a good relationship with their customers. Other resources on this page include the Code of Practice for trade in barley, corn, oats, and wheat, the Agreement for the marketing of the Ontario soybean crop, guidance for Clean Fuels Regulations, and more.

GREAT LAKES YEN

The Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) helps farmers better understand their yield potential. The goal of the YEN is to connect agricultural organizations, extension specialists, academics, agronomists, and farmers who are striving to improve crop returns by unlocking the potential of the field by closing the gap between potential yield and actual yield. Find out or at www.greatlakesyen.ca.

GOOD IN EVERY GRAIN

This resource provides answers to common consumer questions about grain farming. Visit www.GoodinEveryGrain.ca.

FARMER WELLNESS RESOURCES

Visit www.gfo.ca/farmerwellness for access to information, services, and support for you, your family members, and your employees.

DO WE HAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS?

Sign up for the GrainTALK e-newsletter or update your Ontario Grain Farmer subscription to receive email alerts at www.ontariograinfarmer.ca.

INDUSTRY COLLABORATION

GOCROPS.CA

This website showcases third-party variety and hybrid performance trial data for major Ontario field crops including cereals, corn, pulses, soybeans and canola. GoCrops.ca is a collaboration between Ontario Cereal Crops Committee (OCCC), Ontario Corn Committee (OCC), Ontario Pulse Crop Committee (OPCC), and Ontario Soybean and Canola Committee (OSACC).

BE DRIFT AWARE

Be Drift Aware, www.bedriftaware.ca, is a collaborative effort that was created to raise awareness and promote best practices that will help reduce spray drift in Ontario. This initiative brings together a wealth of existing knowledge, resources and tools to encourage the use of best application practices by farmers and sprayer operators to reduce the possibility of spray drift. The

resource was developed in partnership with Grain Farmers of Ontario, Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, CropLife Canada, Sprayers 101, and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness.

COVER CROP DECISION TOOL

The Midwest Cover Crops Council’s online resource helps you decide what cover crop best meets your farm’s needs. https:// covercroptool.midwestcovercrops.org.

MANAGE RESISTANCE NOW

Visit https://manageresistancenow.ca to discover effective strategies for managing resistance. This is your one-stop shop for expert insights, practical tools, and advice to help you navigate resistance challenges and cultivate resilience in your fields.

CROP RISK TOOL

The Crop Protection Network’s Crop Risk Tool, https://connect.doit.wisc.edu/cpn-risk- tool/, provides weather-based forecasting and risk assessments for various crop diseases, helping farmers, crop advisors, and agricultural researchers to make data- driven decisions. This free resource forecasts the risk of key foliar diseases by feeding local weather data into the validated models. Currently, this tool has risk models for tar spot and gray leaf spot in corn, while models for white mould and frogeye leaf spot have been deployed for soybeans.

PESTMANAGER APP

The Pest Manager allows you to identify, map and find integrated management options for common weeds, insects and disease in corn, soybean and cereal crops. Find it in your app store. •