I spent the day out on the four wheeler soil sampling. I'd be lying if I said I didn't plan this for today when I saw that it was going to be 24C. What a beautiful day and I am only slightly sun burnt.
The first field I went to was mostly muck. Still quite wet in spots so I had to be careful where I drove. I was amazed to see the amount of Lambsquarters that had emerged on the warm dark muck soil. The chickweed was flowering already, the fleabane and dandelions looked like winter hadn't touched them.
The second and third fields were mostly clay loam. Only a scattering of annuals at the cotyledon stage but enough sow thistle to be worried about. The sow thistle as well looked like winter never slowed it down. These fields were drying off nicely and the dust was flying as I drove over them.
My concern after seeing the amount of weeds emerged is that we had better keep an eye on any fields that will not be planted till late May or June. Not a good idea to let the weeds get too big before burning them off. However, if the sow thistle is growing now, a couple of L of glyphosate might do a good job setting it back for the year.
I apologize for no pics of what I saw today. Soon I'm going to be toting a smartphone along with me and I will truly be blogging while outstanding in a field.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
N on wheat
Wow this weather is amazing! The wheat is loving it. I took a stroll thru a few fields the other day and overall, the wheat looks really good.
There has been a lot of chatter in the paper and online about N on wheat. Here's my Cole's notes version:
-Frost application on dormant wheat. A study out of the US shows no response to the N applied at this time and increase risk of leaching.
-Split application with 30-40lb N applied early on growing wheat with the rest followed later in April. For tillered, well established wheat OMAFRA trials have shown no yield response. For non tillered wheat, there is about a 4 bus yield response.
-Rates. Take a look at how thick your stand is and the lodging score for the variety you have planted. If your stand is well tillered and has a low lodging score, use caution when selecting your rate.
-Sulphur. We are still receiving about 10lb/ac of Sulphur from the atmosphere. Wheat needs about 15lbs, so if you want to experiment with some sulphur in the blend don't go over 5lb/ac.
Now get out there and enjoy this weather!
There has been a lot of chatter in the paper and online about N on wheat. Here's my Cole's notes version:
-Frost application on dormant wheat. A study out of the US shows no response to the N applied at this time and increase risk of leaching.
-Split application with 30-40lb N applied early on growing wheat with the rest followed later in April. For tillered, well established wheat OMAFRA trials have shown no yield response. For non tillered wheat, there is about a 4 bus yield response.
-Rates. Take a look at how thick your stand is and the lodging score for the variety you have planted. If your stand is well tillered and has a low lodging score, use caution when selecting your rate.
-Sulphur. We are still receiving about 10lb/ac of Sulphur from the atmosphere. Wheat needs about 15lbs, so if you want to experiment with some sulphur in the blend don't go over 5lb/ac.
Now get out there and enjoy this weather!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Set for Snow...
Last night while watching TV, there were quite a few tornado warnings for Michigan streaming at the bottom of the screen. After last summer's F3 in nearby Goderich, nervous me went to the Exeter radar page and had a look, and then freaked. There's a lot of purple in it! I watched it moving across the screen for a few minutes, debating whether or not to wake the kids up at 11pm to head for the basement. What to do, what to do? There were no warnings issued for the area yet, was Environment Canada missing something?
And then I saw it - Precip: Snow.
http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/radar/index_e.html?id=WSO
And then I saw it - Precip: Snow.
http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/radar/index_e.html?id=WSO
I believe I warned you all about this previously on my blog about useful websites. At this time of year, the radar is still switched to snow so any precipitation coming down as rain shows up much heavier than it really is. Good thing I took my own advice (insert sarcasm here).
Monday, March 12, 2012
Ontario Weather Lore
I once worked with a a true "bushman". This older gentleman could tell you what the weather was going to be for the next six months by when a certain bird returned from the south, the colouring of a caterpillars back or the stars in the sky. Sadly, this man is no longer with us and I regret not learning more from him. Here is a few tidbits that I have picked up over the years - no guarantee of accuracy though!
Ring around the moon - Some nights, you may notice a faint ring around the moon. Count the stars visible in the ring, that is how many days till rain or snow. If there are no stars visible, you'll see rain in the next 24 hours. I find that this one is actually quite accurate. The ring has to do with the moisture in the air.
The underside of a leaf - If a tree's leaves are flipping over in the wind and showing their undersides, rain is coming soon.
Low flying swallows - If the barn swallows are flying low and fast, there is a storm coming. The change in air pressure is pushing the the flying insects down towards the ground and the swallows are feasting on them.
High clouds - The higher the clouds, the better the weather for the next day or so.
Pasture animals - If it starts to rain and the pasture animals stay out in it, the rain will be a long one. If they head for cover, the rain will be short.
The morning dew - a heavy dew in the morning predicts clear weather while the lack of dew predicts rain that day.
Winter and animals - There is lots of lore about the thickness of different animals coats and the severity of the coming winter. Not sure if I can vouch for any of that lore. I do find the best indicator of spring is when the horses and cows start to shed, spring is here for good.
Of course the return of the robin and the tundra swans to this area is a pretty good indicator of spring, but we've all seen them freezing their tails off in an April snowstorm too!
If you have any other interesting weather lore, please share!
Ring around the moon - Some nights, you may notice a faint ring around the moon. Count the stars visible in the ring, that is how many days till rain or snow. If there are no stars visible, you'll see rain in the next 24 hours. I find that this one is actually quite accurate. The ring has to do with the moisture in the air.
The underside of a leaf - If a tree's leaves are flipping over in the wind and showing their undersides, rain is coming soon.
Low flying swallows - If the barn swallows are flying low and fast, there is a storm coming. The change in air pressure is pushing the the flying insects down towards the ground and the swallows are feasting on them.
High clouds - The higher the clouds, the better the weather for the next day or so.
Pasture animals - If it starts to rain and the pasture animals stay out in it, the rain will be a long one. If they head for cover, the rain will be short.
The morning dew - a heavy dew in the morning predicts clear weather while the lack of dew predicts rain that day.
Winter and animals - There is lots of lore about the thickness of different animals coats and the severity of the coming winter. Not sure if I can vouch for any of that lore. I do find the best indicator of spring is when the horses and cows start to shed, spring is here for good.
Of course the return of the robin and the tundra swans to this area is a pretty good indicator of spring, but we've all seen them freezing their tails off in an April snowstorm too!
If you have any other interesting weather lore, please share!
Monday, March 5, 2012
Winter Wheat Stand Assessment
Have you checked out the 14 day forecast? Not a flake in sight and temperatures are showing a very upward trend.
So first things first. Once the snow is gone and the field dries a little, it's time to take a good look at your wheat.
-take a walk over the field with your trowel. Dig up a few plants here and there and look at the roots and crown. Are the roots clinging to the dirt? Are the roots a whitish colour? When the crown is cut open, is it whitish green? If the roots and crown are brown in colour... you might have a problem. If time allows, bring a few shovel fulls of wheat inside and watch for growth over the next 5 to 7 days.
-now take a stand count. Not just a plant count but a HEALTHY plant count. Those ones with brown roots, heaved out of the soil or dead crowns should not count. Average your stand counts over the entire field.
-compare your counts to OMAFRA's Stand assessment chart found at http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/field/news/croppest/2007/01cpo07a5.htm
Even with 7 healthy plants per foot of row, you can still expect a yield potential of 68 to 81 bus/ac depending on planting time.
-If the field is marginal, give it some time if you can. A warm rain and a week of warm weather can make a huge difference. If the field would be going into corn anyways, try applying 30 or 40lb of N to see if it will help. Fields with few tillers can benefit from an early split ap of N to get things growing and promote some early spring tillering. Of course, N application should wait till the fields are fit and the plants have started to grow again so that they can actually use the Nitrogen.
-For a second opinion, ask you seed rep or crop insurance agent to have a look.
So first things first. Once the snow is gone and the field dries a little, it's time to take a good look at your wheat.
-take a walk over the field with your trowel. Dig up a few plants here and there and look at the roots and crown. Are the roots clinging to the dirt? Are the roots a whitish colour? When the crown is cut open, is it whitish green? If the roots and crown are brown in colour... you might have a problem. If time allows, bring a few shovel fulls of wheat inside and watch for growth over the next 5 to 7 days.
-now take a stand count. Not just a plant count but a HEALTHY plant count. Those ones with brown roots, heaved out of the soil or dead crowns should not count. Average your stand counts over the entire field.
-compare your counts to OMAFRA's Stand assessment chart found at http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/field/news/croppest/2007/01cpo07a5.htm
Even with 7 healthy plants per foot of row, you can still expect a yield potential of 68 to 81 bus/ac depending on planting time.
-If the field is marginal, give it some time if you can. A warm rain and a week of warm weather can make a huge difference. If the field would be going into corn anyways, try applying 30 or 40lb of N to see if it will help. Fields with few tillers can benefit from an early split ap of N to get things growing and promote some early spring tillering. Of course, N application should wait till the fields are fit and the plants have started to grow again so that they can actually use the Nitrogen.
-For a second opinion, ask you seed rep or crop insurance agent to have a look.
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