Ontario Grain Farmer - September 2021

SCHOLARSHIP DONATION MADE Grain Farmers of Ontario contributed $30,000 to the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus' Agri-Food Entrance Scholarship Program. This new entrance scholarship program encourages students to pursue their education and careers in diploma programs focussed on the environment, plants, and animals. It offers scholarships of $1,500 to recognize the academic success of students entering the Associate Diplomas in Agriculture, Horticulture, or Environmental Management programs. CLASSROOM RESOURCES As your children head back to the classroom this September, don’t forget to encourage their teachers to include grain farming in their lesson plans. We have several resources available for teachers under the ‘Good in Every Classroom’ tab at www.goodineverygrain.ca . Resources, such as our seed kits and ‘Draw with Rob’ video series, are based on the current grade school curriculum and provide students with a fun way to learn about farming, the environment, and agriculture technology. SIGN UP TODAY FOR GRAINTALK E-NEWS GrainTALK is Grain Farmers of Ontario’s weekly e-newsletter that highlights the organization’s latest activities, breakthroughs in research and timely production information. Sign up today at www.gfo.ca and get your weekly dose of Grain Farmers of Ontario in a concise email. MARKET COMMENTARY by Philip Shaw Is the crop made? July is when corn pollination took place. Soybeans depended on August rains to fill those pods. On July 12, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released their latest WASDE report pegging domestic corn production at 15.165 billion bushels, based on the updated June 30 acreage figure of 92.7 million acres with a yield unchanged of 179.5 bushels per acre. The USDA left U.S. soybean production unchanged at 4.405 billion bushels based on a yield of 50.8 bushels per acre. In Ontario, wheat harvest was challenged by almost daily rain but by August was mostly complete. The Canadian dollar lost about four cents against the U.S. dollar from June 1 to July 27, which helped sustain basis levels across Ontario. DON IN CORN During the pollination stage of corn this summer, the environment (weather) was conducive to the development of gibberella ear mould and fusarium ear mould and the potential production of DON toxins in some regions. Regions that saw temperatures around 27°C to 28°C with higher humidity, fog, or precipitation will be at a greater risk of infection. Locations with continual wet periods during grain fill will have been more susceptible to DON toxin production. Many farmers proactively applied a fungicide to supress the development of gibberella ear rot and fusarium ear rot. Even with these applications, DON can still form, as the applications only supress the disease development and applications on the silk can vary based on equipment and timing. The 2021 Ontario Grain Corn Ear Mould and Deoxynivalenol (DON) Mycotoxin Survey will be occurring later this month. Please watch for survey results to help gauge if DON hot spots are appearing. If the survey shows a high rate of DON/ear moulds are present in your area, walk your field to assess your potential risk. Ear moulds and DON toxin levels can continue to develop through October and severe infections will need to be addressed early. Harvest and dry infected corn as quickly as possible to reduce the potential for increasing DON levels in your corn. Adjust harvest equipment to minimize retaining infected grain. Follow @GrainFarmers on Twitter, provide us your email address for member updates, and go to www.gfo.ca to stay up-to-date on DON developments. GREAT LAKES YEN The Great Lakes YEN is a ground-breaking cross-border collaboration launched this summer in Ontario and Michigan. Grain Farmers of Ontario is a partner in this research project along with Michigan State University, Michigan Wheat Program, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and the University of Guelph. The goal is to learn more about specific crop and field characteristics that could uncover opportunities for closing the gap between potential and actual yield. Farmers planting winter wheat in 2021 (for harvest in 2022) are still needed for this project. Contact the Grain Farmers of Ontario agronomy team mvermey@gfo.ca or lferrier@gfo.ca for more details or go to www.greatlakesyen.com to apply. 21 ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER SEPTEMBER 2021 Win! Enter the monthly online contest for 2021 at www.ontariograinfarmer.ca . In September - enter to win a gift card courtesy of Princess Auto (valued at $500). The contest is open to all farmer-members and is online only.