Fire Blight Risk Remains High, May 24-29

Fire blight infection risk continues to be high to extreme/exceptional from May 24-29 in many regions of the province according to the OMAFRA prediction maps for apples and pears. Later regions will be in bloom shortly. Early regions should watch for rattail bloom in any blocks that are in petal fall.

 

Growers should keep a protective program until the risk drops back down below high. The rain, windy days and increasing pollinator activity this week will have moved bacteria to open blossoms, particularly if fire blight has been an issue in the orchard or neighbourhood. Infection will occur with any wetting event if a protectant program is not in place under high to extreme risk conditions. Under extreme risk, even orchards that did not have fire blight last year are likely to see infection.

Video: Decoding Pig Performance With AI And Transcriptomics - Dr. Maria Walsh

The Swine it Podcast Show, Dr. Maria Walsh, Chief Operating Officer at Biofractal, explains how transcriptomics and AI are helping swine producers better understand the gap between genetic potential and commercial performance. Dr. Walsh discusses metabolic efficiency, disease resilience, PRRS challenges, and practical on-farm biological insights using blood samples and AI-powered analysis. She also explains how nutrition, health, and production data can work together to improve decision-making. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Gene expression data provides biological insight into how pigs respond to nutrition, stress, and health challenges before visible production losses occur."