Ag Canada Raises National Corn Production to New Record High

Aug 23, 2023

Agriculture Canada is now projecting record corn production this year.

In its latest monthly supply-demand update on Friday, Ag Canada pegged the 2023 national corn crop at 15.3 million tonnes, up approximately 780,000 from its July forecast and 5.2% above the previous year. If accurate, it would be the largest corn output on record, topping the 2021 high of 14.61 million and 9% above the five-year average. The adjustment brings the Ag Canada forecast in line with the USDA’s Aug. 11 world supply-demand report, which raised expected Canadian corn production to an identical 15.3 million tonnes from 15 million in July.

Ag Canada’s entire month-over-month increase in the corn production estimate is due to a higher average yield, now projected at 161.2 bu/acre, versus 153.1 bu in July and 160.4 bu last year, and second only to the 2015 record of 162.6 bu. Corn seeded and harvested area were held steady from last month at 3.82 million and 3.73 million acres, respectively.

Ag Canada attributed the August yield and production bump to “generally good crop conditions” in the three main producing provinces: Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba. Ontario is by far the largest corn-producer, accounting for nearly 60% of this year’s national seeded area.

However, the crop is not made yet. Large portions of Quebec have been deluged in recent weeks, while Ontario conditions have also turned much wetter following unfavourably dry weather through much of May and June. Real Agriculture agronomist Peter Johnson also said last week the Ontario corn crop is about 10 days behind in terms of normal development. That pushes grain fill and maturity into early to mid-October, something that often puts test weight at risk, especially in the lower heat unit zones.

“Heavy kernels can shift yield by about 10%,” he said. “So, yield potential is high, but it is not in the bin.”

Manitoba conditions have been more variable, with dryness still a problem in some areas.

Source : Syngenta.ca

Video: Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Understanding how a plant responds to stress is one thing.

Using that knowledge to make better management decisions is another.

Systemic acquired resistance, or SAR, is the plant's more direct defense response. When stress or infection occurs, the plant begins signaling throughout its system and preparing defensive compounds.

But if we know that response exists, can we help prepare the plant before the stress arrives?

The answer starts with understanding what triggers the response and what the plant needs to carry it out.

The Trigger and the Fuel

Salicylic acid plays an important role in triggering the SAR pathway.

Think of it as turning the truck on.

The engine may be running, but it still needs fuel to do the work.

In this case, manganese plays an important role in supporting the enzyme systems involved in the plant's defensive response.

This makes manganese status an important part of the conversation. Whether a producer is using tissue testing, sap analysis, or simply scouting for visible deficiency symptoms, the goal is to make sure the plant has adequate manganese available.

Manganese is required in relatively small amounts, but that does not make its role small.

If the plant receives a signal to defend itself but lacks the nutrition needed to support that response, it may struggle to carry out the process efficiently.

The trigger matters.

The fuel matters too.

Prepare Before the Stress Arrives

The best time to think about stress management is before the plant is overwhelmed.

Once a crop is already struggling, management can quickly turn into a game of catch-up.

This is similar to nitrogen management. Once a plant becomes severely deficient, correcting the problem does not necessarily erase the time and yield potential already lost.

Plant defense can work the same way.

Low-rate, targeted approaches designed to support the SAR pathway may fit best ahead of an expected stress event rather than after significant damage has already occurred.

That requires producers to think about predictable stress.

We may not know exactly what the weather will do tomorrow, but we generally know summer heat is coming. We know certain field conditions increase disease pressure. We know a herbicide application can temporarily stress a crop as the plant processes the chemistry.

Even a properly timed and labeled herbicide application can create a temporary response in the plant.

That does not mean the herbicide is bad.

Weeds can create significantly more yield loss than the temporary stress caused by controlling them.

The question is not whether we should eliminate every stressor.

The question is whether we can better prepare the plant to manage necessary and predictable stress.

Not All Stress Is Bad

Stress is a normal part of plant growth.

A perfectly stress-free environment does not exist in the field.

In fact, some stress is necessary for normal plant development. A plant responds to wind, temperature, moisture, sunlight, and countless other environmental signals throughout the season.

The environment is stress.

The plant's job is to manage it.

Problems begin when the stress load becomes greater than the plant's ability to respond.

Extreme heat, drought, high salt concentrations, disease pressure, and even certain management practices can add to that load.

This is where understanding SAR becomes useful.

Instead of waiting until the plant is visibly struggling, producers can begin identifying periods when stress is likely and make management decisions around those windows.

ISR Starts With the Soil

While SAR is a more direct defense response, induced systemic resistance, or ISR, brings the conversation back to soil health.

The longevity of a farm is closely connected to the health of its soil.

Carbon plays a major role because it supports biological life within the soil. Bacteria, fungi, and other organisms interact with plant roots and influence how the plant grows, accesses nutrients, and prepares for stress.

This is why soil health cannot be reduced to one product or one application.

It is a system.

Keeping living plants in the field longer can support biological activity. Cover crops may fit some operations. Better water management can improve soil conditions.