Ontario corn and soybean crops have shown major improvement with better rainfall and cooler temperatures over the past several weeks, but production risks remain.
Big corn plants and lush soybean fields give the appearance of strong yield potential that may not actually translate at harvest, Real Agriculture agronomist Peter Johnson said Wednesday.
“Rain in August makes soybeans, and we are getting rain, so the crop should be excellent,” he said. “But many growers would think, ‘record crop,’ and for some reason it doesn’t always turn out that way with extremely lush soybeans.”
Similarly, the corn crop may not measure up to appearances. Johnson said the uneven emergence of the crop due to dryness in May can never be fully made up, adding the crop is also about 10 days behind in terms of normal development. That pushes grain fill and maturity into early to mid-October, something that often puts test weight at risk, especially in the lower heat unit zones. Typically less solar radiation in October may also cap yield potential from a kernel weight standpoint.
“Heavy kernels can shift yield by about 10%,” he said. “So, yield potential is high, but it is not in the bin.”
In their latest field observations, Grain Farmers of Ontario agronomists Marty Vermey and Laura Ferrier said the corn and soybean do crops look “exceptional” but also suggested the potential for problems.
With adequate moisture and rapid growth, the pair warned that soybean plants have a higher chance of lodging as they get taller. Lodging can cause harvest troubles, and diseases can become more of an issue on lodged plants, commonly white mould, that can reduce yields.
As for the corn crop, Vermey and Ferrier noted the earlier dry conditions resulted in short ear husks in some areas, while better moisture later caused ear length to extend longer than normal. The end result is some cobs now have exposed tips that render them vulnerable to insect and bird damage, impacting yield and potentially quality closer to harvest.
The provincial winter wheat harvest is now over 80% complete, and while rain at harvest did result in quality problems – most notably declining test weights – yields have been generally strong, with reports of up to 110 bu/acre.
Oats and barley are ripening and will be harvested within the next few weeks.
