Ready, Set, Go

Mar 23, 2015

By Jochum Wiersma

The first spring wheat and oats have already been seeded, although winter will officially with us one more day according to the calendar. Is it too early to already be thinking spring and seeding small grains? Federal crop insurance guidelines stipulate that small grains are insurable when planted on or after March 21. And although this may be part of your decision process, mother nature doesn't keep a Julian calendar. So can we already seed small grains successfully? In 2012 I write a post that describes the requirements to get small grains established successfully and quantifies some of the risks of planting early. I have provided link to it here.

Bottom-line: The weather forecast for the remainder of the month is trending just slightly above average for both daytime highs and well as nighttime lows. If the frost has come out at least 12 inches and the soil temperatures are reaching 40 degrees F for most of the day, I think spring wheat and oats can be seeded successfully at this time.

Source: umn.edu

Video: Grazing Network Group: What it is and how it benefits our operation

In the spring of 2023 OMAFA, along with the University of Guelph, gathered a group of 18 producers from the beef, sheep, and dairy sectors to support a three to four year research project related to measuring grass growth in Ontario. The producers use a Rising Plate Meter to capture grass growth and record livestock movements. This presentation will explain how the group interact/support one another, some initial findings, as well as the benefits for the research team and our farm.

The purpose of the Profitable Pastures conference is to bring fresh ideas and new research results to Ontario grazing managers across the ruminant livestock sectors. These conferences have a major focus on pasture management