The Rural Voice, 2005-02, Page 38Advice
Frost seeding biggest cereals yield boost
The value of frost seeding in
growing cereal crops has been so
conclusively proven that researchers
have stopped testing, Peter Johnson,
OMAF crops specialist told farmers
attending the crops day at Grey -
Bruce Farmers Week.
"I can make you a huge advantage
if you plant early," Johnson said.
Yield increase of 10 per cent for
barley, 17 per cent for oats and a
whopping 42 per cent for spring
wheat have been documented in
Ontario in frost seeding trials.
But timing is everything, Johnson
said. You don't try to seed into
frozen ground with frost seeding, he
explained. You wait for the frost to
be out of the ground then pick a time
when the temperature is going down
to minus 3-4 celsius.
"Don't wait until tomorrow
morning," he warned in urging
farmers to get out and seed while the
frost is going into the ground, not
coming out.
Frost seeding works in everything
from sandy loam to heavy clay,
Johnson said, noting he had personal
experience in planting under these
conditions.
Some farmers. questioned if these
advantages were only available for
farmers using no -till technology but
Johnson said if you cultivate after fall
plowing to level the ground you can
take advantage of frost seeding in the
spring.
Not only will oats yield better
with frost seeding but the test weight
would increase making the crop more
valuable, he said.
Using frost seeding some varieties
of barley can also qualify as malting
barley contradicting his own.
predictions, Johnson said. "I once
said malt barley would never make it
in Ontario." For malting, however, he
warned not to push barley with too
much nitrogen fertilizer because you
don't want too high a protein level.
In a money -saving tip he urged
producers to install a set of scales or
a seed counter on their seed drills.
Spring wheat should be planted at 1.2
to 1.6 million seeds per acre and at
$19 a bag for seed, making sure
34 THE RURAL VOICE
you're planting at the right
population can save $20 an acre, he
said.
Barley should be planted at a
population of 1-1.4 million seeds per
acre and oats are .8 to 1.2, with the
lower number for ideal germination
conditions and the higher number for
poorer conditions.
Buy a copy of the Agronomy
Guide. For $20 it's a bargain, he
advised. He also urged farmers to use
the Cropline provided by OMAF for
the up-to-date crop information and
good-naturedly chided farmers who
didn't seem to know what it was.
"It's the only service of this nature in
North America."
As usual he kidded with farmers
about those who say they grow
barley because they need straw and
said barley hasn't matched the yield
gains of winter wheat in the past 20
years (a yield gain of two per cent
per year) because the crop is still
being grown the same way. "You
throw cereals in the ground as if it
didn't matter," he said, compared to
all the changes in planting crops like
corn and soybeans.
He urged farmers to look at wheat,
pointing out Ontario has the highest
yield in wheat in North America. "If
anyone in North America should
grow wheat its Ontario," he said.
"Maybe we're not growing it as well
as we should but we do it well."0
CuII those cows, vet advises beef
producers at Farmers Week
If you're not culling cows because labour into looking after the older
you won't get what you think they're cow, Ribey said. Once the calf is
worth. you should be thinking born it may have trouble getting
instead of what it's going to cost you enough milk from an older cow.
to keep them, Paisley veterinarian "You still need to cull," she said.
Dr. Tammi Ribey told producers at "As much as they're not bringing
Beef Day of Grey -Bruce Farmers you much it's costing more to keep
Week. them."
Often producers think they'll keep Ribey said older cows bring lots
the older cow and get one more calf of calls to the vet. Some farmers say
out of her, but the reality is that many it's not worth treating the cow for an
older cows go down before they illness after the vet diagnoses it.
calve. Often they don't have good "Make a decision," Ribey
teeth and aren't able to eat enough to pleaded. Either treat the animal or
support themselves and the calf. put her down. "Don't sit that and
Farmers put more and more watch her die."0
Biggest producers have highest grade index
Continued from page 33
5,331,301 a year earlier.
Producers of 51-500 pigs per year
made up 29.27 of the producers in
the province, but had 4.55 per cent of
pigs graded. Producers with 500-
3,000 pigs marketed made up 40 per
cent of producers and 39 per cent of
pigs graded.
The largest producers, those
marketing from 3,000 to more than
25,000 pigs, made up 14.5 per cent
of producers and shipped 56 per cent
of the pigs graded. There were four
producers with more than 30,000
hogs graded.
Highest average index was for
pigs marketed by producers of 3,000
to 25,000 -plus hogs with 109.5,
slightly ahead of the 500-3,000
category with 109.2. The provincial
average is 109.3.
Grenville/Leeds led all regions in
index with eight producers averaging
110.6. Perth's average index was
109.8 while Huron had 109.5.
Oxford had an average of 109.4;
Middlesex, 109.3; Wellington, 109.3;
Grey/Bruce, 109; Lambton, 109 and
Dufferin,108.4.0
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