OMAFRA releases latest Field Crop Report

Jul 29, 2016

Report was issued on July 27

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

OMAFRA’s Field Crop Team released its latest Field Crop Report on July 27, and the lack of rain has farmers scratching their heads about what to do next.

“In areas which have been severely dry, corn growth has been impacted significantly and growers are contemplating using the corn for feed or removing the crop,” the report reads.

The Field Crop Team reminds farmers that while wheat may be an option if they decide to remove their corn, there’s always risks of Fusarium head blight when planting wheat after corn.

Corn, soy and wheat

Like corn, dry weather is impacting soybeans.

“Moisture is the critical factor between a thriving crop versus one which is struggling,” says the report.

The dry conditions are favourable for soybean cyst nematode infection. Farmers are reminded to gently dig and remove soil to examine the roots for small cysts that are white or yellow.

According to OMAFRA, the minimum target as of August 1 is 90,000 soybean plants per acre.

The winter wheat harvest has resulted in higher than average yields, especially in areas with little Fusarium/DON reported.

However, the dry weather impacted yields in areas with very sandy soils.

OMAFRA reminds farmers when the wheat is off to practice good weed management, especially with Canada fleabane, since it can deposit up to 30 million seeds per acre.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.