Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

My corn is planted and on its way up!  It was none too warm on the weekend while I sat on my open air tractor planting two fields of corn.  The cold rain on Monday gave me a bit to worry about, daytime highs of 13C are not particularly desirable, but the heat has shown up and the corn seed has noticed.  Only5 days in the ground and I have an up shoot. The forecast has some reasonable temperatures called for, so I hope to see it out of the ground by the end of next week.

I have been told, if it doesn't rain after you plant, that seed will look shallower every time you check, get a rain and you won't believe how deep it is.  After planting, I got a good 6 tenths.  I looks a good inch deeper than the day I put it in the ground.  I just about quit digging down when I found that little seed with a good inch of root and a small nub of an up shoot.  The ground is cracking nicely so I don't expect any issue with a crust stopping emersion, but there is a lot more rain in the forecast before that happens.

Planting didn't go particularly smooth.  I am pretty sure I didn't miss planting any rows, although I had to replant one when one of four row ran out of seed early.   Had a chain jump off the drive for the fertilizer, resulting in a second repeat run, but other than that I did my part well.  The fertilizer however, was in a hurry to get in the ground.  It was running a good 60% faster than the chart.  I believe I have one round with close to 400 lbs on it.  But I was thinking clear enough to mark my adjustments with a flag, so i should be able to get some good trial data from the extra 2 tonnes I had to buy.  

I am going to try a bit of non-roundup ready corn, to see how it yields and how weed control compares to the roundup ready variety.  The seed supplier was very concerned about selling me non-RR corn, concerned I would spray it the same way.  Never been a problem using different herbicides between corn and Soybeans, don't see why this was such a concern, other than someone has clearly forgot about the different varieties in the past.  My two fields are separated by a road, so I am not too concerned...until I completely loose my mind.

Next step is the herbicide, I haven't finalized what to use, but likely will take advantage of the next calm dry day to make something happen.  I have a week after all why rush the decision.  Not in any rush to plant the soybeans yet, but I am sure I will get the itch soon enough.

Views: 204

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Comment by Roadrunner on May 17, 2012 at 1:22am

Good work Gus.

I hope your crops do well.

RR

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Will Turmoil in Venezuela Impact US Agriculture

Venezuela’s current instability raises questions about future U.S. ag exports. Will turmoil create new opportunities—or shrink the market?

Ontario Farmers -- Share Your 2026 Planting Plans and Win Big!

Want a sneak peek at Ontario’s 2026 planting intentions? Complete our quick survey for valuable insights, a free report, and a chance to win big!

Registration is now open for the 2026 March Classic

Grain Farmers of Ontario, the province’s?largest commodity organization,?representing?Ontario’s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean, and wheat farmers,?has opened registration for the 2026 March Classic – Breaking New Ground: Embracing Change. 

Hog markets rebound despite ample pork supplies - CME

Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle and hog futures climbed on Tuesday on position squaring between the Christmas and New Year holidays, Reuters reported, citing analysts. CME February live cattle settled 1.500 cents higher at 230.475 cents per pound, and March feeder cattle settled 2.900 cents higher at 344.575 cents per pound. CME benchmark February lean hog futures rose 0.975 cent to 85.450 cents per pound. Cattle futures were buoyed as packers worked quickly with a short week ahead of the New Year holiday, according to an analyst note. But Austin Schroeder, a commodity analyst with Brugler Marketing and Management, said the jumps in both cattle and hog futures were mostly attributable to traders positioning on a day of light trade between two major holidays. Lean hogs bounced back after falling on Monday, with the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) quarterly hogs and pigs report last week showing larger numbers than expected, analysts said. The USDA on Tuesday afterno

Canfax Weekly Article | Report for the week of December 22, 2025

The Western Canadian fed market was a little disappointing given dressed sales in Eastern Canada were $10–20/cwt stronger last week. Last week, the Canfax average fed steer and heifer price closed around $294/cwt live, fully steady with the previous week. Light trade was reported with dressed sales ranging from $492.00–493.50/cwt FOB the feedlot. Competition on the cash market was limited, with one packer not bidding on cattle. Cattle that traded were scheduled anywhere from immediate to mid-January delivery, depending on the packer. Last week’s Alberta fed cash-to-futures basis was reported at -$19.83/cwt, weaker than the five-year average. The Canfax steer and heifer prices closed the week steady to $2/cwt lower. The largest week-over-week price decline was on lightweight calves, with prices $9–10/cwt softer. Last week, feeders weighing over 800 pounds traded $1–4/cwt stronger. From their lows in late November, Alberta 550-pound steers have rallied $15/cwt, while same-weight heifers

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service