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Estimating Corn Yield

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Early corn yield estimations are a great way to get out into your field and start to predict the yield of different varieties given the growing season. It allows a grower to start making harvest decisions, marketing decisions, and to estimate needed storage capacity.

How many spots should I sample from?

Generally doing a kernel count every 10-15 acres is recommended. For soils that are extremely variable, doing a kernel count every 5-10 acres would be beneficial. Select random spots in the field when walking through as you are trying to get the best representation of the field.

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Corn field photo

Corn kernel development

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Gibberella Ear Rot

Gibberella Ear Rot in corn

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What is it?

Gibberella Ear Rot, or Red Ear Rot, is caused by the fungus, Gibberella zeae (Fusarium graminearum). This disease can occur throughout the U.S. Mid-West and Southern Ontario. The pathogen overwinters on corn, wheat and barley debris. Spores produced on the debris lead to infection during silking. Red Ear Rot is more prevalent when cool, wet weather occurs during the first 21 days after silking. Extended periods of rain in the fall, which delay dry down, increase the severity of the disease. Red Ear Rot will be most severe in fields where corn follows corn, or corn follows wheat that was affected by Fusarium head blight (scab), which is caused by the same pathogen. Read more

Ear Rots in Corn

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Ear rots can be difficult to control since weather conditions are critical to the disease development. Rots can establish any time after pollination in wounds created by insects, birds, machinery, and even hail. Rainy weather or heavy, prolonged dews often lead to ear rots in these wounded cobs.

Why are rots a concern?

The direct concern for ear rot disease is yield loss due to poor quality grain. In years when conditions favour development, large portions of fields can be affected. Once fields are infected, other management practices should be followed which can increase cost of harvesting, drying, and storing the grain.

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Stalk rots in corn

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The distribution and prevalence of stalk rot diseases vary from year to year. However, the diseases are present in most years even though it may be at low levels. The majority of stalk rot damage in Ontario is caused by three fungi, Anthracnose, Gibberella and Fusarium. However, Diplodia and Pythium have also been observed.

Although these fungi cause different symptoms, their ultimate effect on the corn plant is the same. They reduce grain fill, stalk integrity, and accelerate senescence. The severity of this damage increases when the crop is under stress.

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Western Bean Cutworm Larvae

Western Bean Cutworm

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Why are they a concern?

The western bean cutworm is a damaging pest in corn and dry edible beans. They can cause large yield losses and reduced grain quality.

In corn

They begin to feed on the tassels and silks until they are large enough to tunnel into the ear and feed extensively on the Read more

Thompsons Limited Announces Agreement With IGPC Ethanol Inc.

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BLENHEIM, ON (April 29, 2015)

Thompsons Limited announces an agreement with IGPC to partner for sourcing corn for 50MM gal/yr. ethanol facility for IGPC in Aylmer, Ontario effective October 1, 2015.

“Thompsons is excited to expand our originations footprint in Ontario by partnering with IGPC. We are looking forward to revolutionizing customer service with both current customers of IGPC as well as new customers. IGPC is an important piece of Ontario’s agricultural community, and we are proud to be working with them,” said Dawn Betancourt, President of Thompsons Limited.

IGPC Ethanol Inc., commenced operations in the fall of 2007. Since that time, it has used the services of Cargill Inc., to source local corn. “This change in no way reflects upon the performance of Cargill. They have been excellent partners. We are making the switch to Thompsons’ as we feel they will be able to support the strategic initiatives we will be undertaking in the future” said Jim Grey, CEO, IGPC Ethanol Inc.

Cargill will continue to serve IGPC for corn purchases and deliveries up to September 30th, 2015. Thompsons will begin purchasing corn today for October 1st, 2015 deliveries and beyond.

About Thompsons Limited

Established in 1924, Thompsons Limited is a regional leader in the agribusiness industry with 12 grain elevators, retail farm centers, seed, bean and wheat processing plants throughout Ontario.  Thompsons is active in the importing and exporting of grain, organic and specialty crops worldwide and currently conducts business in over 34 countries around the world.  For more information visit staging.andersonscanada.com.

About IGPC Ethanol Inc.

Established in 2007, IGPC Ethanol Inc. contributes significantly to the Renewable Fuels Industry and Ontario’s Agricultural sector. By producing 170 million litres of denatured fuel grade ethanol and 170,000 tonnes of distillers’ grains, IGPC Ethanol Inc., has become a leader in Southwestern Ontario’s business community by creating environmentally sustainable economic growth. IGPC Ethanol Inc. is a division of Integrated Grain Processors Co-operative established in 2002, by a group of agribusiness individuals.  IGPC is a full service provider to local farmers offering a distribution solution for their corn crops while producing high protein feed supplement for their livestock. For more information, please visit www.igpc.ca

Media contact:

Dawn Betancourt, President, Thompsons Limited, 519-676-5411, extension 20405
or e-mail dbetancourt@thompsonslimited.com

Grain analyst warns of leaner years ahead for Ontario growers

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By Blair Andrews, QMI Agency

The next few years will be leaner when it comes to grain prices, a market analyst for an international feed and grain company warned Thursday at the Chatham-Kent Farm Show.

Bruce Trotter based his sobering outlook on a few factors, including lower growth expectations for China and the ethanol industry.

Trotter, who works in Blenheim as the managing director for the Canadian branch of Dutch-based Cefetra, said the era from 2006 to 2011 was a time of rising land prices and better crop margins driven by bio-fuel mandates and very high growth in China.

But the mandated growth in ethanol and bio-diesel is over, and he described the most recent years as an “ethanol hangover.” Read more

2014 Grain Corn Ear Mould and Vomitoxin Survey

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Greg Stewart, OMAFRA Corn Specialist; Albert Tenuta, OMAFRA Field Crop Pathologist

The OMAFRA Field Crops team has completed the survey of the 2014 Ontario corn crop to determine ear mould incidence and the occurrence of mycotoxins in the grain. These mycotoxins, particularly vomitoxin (DON) produced primarily by Gibberella/Fusarium ear moulds, are grading factors and can be disruptive when fed to livestock, especially hogs.
202 samples were collected from October 14 to October 17, 2014 from corn fields across the province. In each field, 2 random areas were selected: in each area 10 consecutive ears were hand harvested and bagged. In fields with several hybrids, representative samples were taken from two areas for each hybrid (maximum of 4 hybrids per field). The 20-ear samples were then immediately dried and shelled. The resultant sample was thoroughly mixed and a sub-sample provided to A&L Laboratories in London for vomitoxin (DON) analysis.

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Potassium deficiency in corn source:

Potassium is a key ingredient to producing quality crops

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Potassium (K) levels have been declining in Ontario fields. Many fields that have been sampled have noticed a drop in their soil sample potassium levels from a few years ago. Simply said, growers are not applying enough fertilizer. In some cases fertilization is less than what the crop will remove causing a decrease in soil nutrient reserves. Potassium is one of the three nutrients needed in large quantities by plants. This essential nutrient could be a limiting factor in your crop yields if your soil is not maintained at adequate levels.

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