Scouts are gathering samples of corn and soybeans across Ontario

Aug 20, 2020

Great Ontario Yield Tour Virtual Final Event to be held September 2

The Great Ontario Yield Tour is underway with scouts gathering samples to determine the potential yields of corn and soybeans across Ontario. The aim of the tour is to provide farmers with information, so that they can make better production and timely marketing decisions.

The Tour began on August 17^th and will conclude on August 28^th. Several teams of scouts are visiting hundreds of farms across Ontario to take these corn and soybean samples. At the end of the tour, the Tour will release a province-wide corn and soybean yield estimate, as well as regionalized estimates for south, east, central, and western Ontario.

“In 2019, the Great Ontario Yield Tour projections were spot on, accurately predicting within a bushel per acre the final average yields as released by Agricorp,” says Farms.com Risk Management Chief Commodity Strategist Maurizio Agostino.

Feedback from the early scout observations include the following:

Scout Joanne van Moorsel from Greenfield Global reported short, but big corn kernels in North Dundas, as well as giant bean plants.
Scout Leigh Hudson from Maizex Seeds visited Renfrew County and said she was expecting some big yields.
Scout Brad Nicholson from Alpine reported that some corn fields in Lambton have thinner stands than planned, but that cobs size seems to be making up for it.
While scouting in Essex County, Greg Stewart from Maizex Seeds reported strong, above average corn and soybeans. He also reported that some corn had already dented in Chatham-Kent.
Scouts in Middlesex County also reported dented corn.

The soybean yield predictions will be released on September 2, and the corn yield predictions on September 3 as part of the Great Ontario Yield Tour Virtual Final Event.

In previous years, the release of the soybean and corn predictions have been made at a “byinvitation only” event, but this year because of COVID-19, the Great Ontario Yield Tour Final Events will be held online, allowing farmers from across the province to participate from the comfort and safety of their homes. Registration is free.

The two-day online event also features 4 practical demonstrations each day, guest speakers, market outlooks, and, of course soybean and corn yield predictions. Farmers who attend will also have the chance to win excellent prizes.

The special guest speaker on September 2 will be Dan Luepkes from Xtreme Ag, who has risen to fame on the TV Show Corn Warriors. Dan will be sharing the secrets of his high yield corn management system.

The special guest speaker on September 3 will be independent consultant Ken Ferrie whose presentation is entitled “Teaching the planter to dance through tough conditions to get the stand you want”.

Follow the tour on Twitter with the hashtag #ONyield20.

For more information, or to register for the Great Ontario Yield Tour 2020, visit: https://riskmanagement.farms.com/events/ontario-yield-tour-2020/tour-events/registration

Video: How sustainable is Canadian agriculture at producing cereals, pulses & oilseeds?

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