Experts discuss crop nutrition, no-till practices, and stress management in agriculture

By Donald R. Good, P.Ag
AgriNews Staff Writer

KEMPTVILLE – On Jan. 27 on behalf of Agrinews I attended the Eastern Ontario Crop Conference held at the Southgate Church in Kemptville. This was a new venue for this annual Conference and the facilities were excellent. In spite of the heavy snow across Eastern Ontario on the weekend and into Monday there was a real excellent turnout.

The first speaker was Dr. Adrian Correndo from the University of Guelph who spent a very interesting hour revisiting the Ontario Nutrient Recommendations for N,P and K with respect to corn and soybeans. In particular he emphasised the legacy data bases with respect to these nutrients are likely out of date. The current recommendations are calculated on research that goes back as far as 1962. Work is under way at both official research stations and on farm research plots to update the data bases to make the nutrient recommendations more relevant to a broader range of farms and soil types.

The second session dealt with On-Farm Lessons for No-Till Soybeans after Corn. Dr. Josh Nasielski also from the University of Guelph and M.Sc. student Lance Javier described how to reduce the seed rate to save seed cost and still increase stand population improving yield. The key is properly managing the corn stover so that the seed is properly placed in the furrow and able to grow without interference. Poor management of the stover often results in seeds on the surface and these seeds rarely become viable plants. Excess speed often results in the planter bouncing around, plugging up with stover and resulting in surface seeds. If the cutting action to open the furrow is weak or insufficient pressure, stover can also become jammed in the furrow resulting in poor germination, primarily due to surface or exposed seeds. 

The third session was presented by Agricultural Wellness Ontario (AWO) and focused on stress management in agriculture. This is a topic close to my heart since I have provided legal representation to many farm families across the province dealing with significant stress. I was involved in a lot of serious family and civil litigation files and litigation is always extremely stressful for everyone. This session addressed the unique pressures farmers face, often made more difficult in that the farm business and family are much intertwined. It is important for farmers to recognize stress factors and develop management techniques to mitigate stress. AWO provides workshops to introduce practical tools for day-to-day mental resilience, guiding participants to navigate stress effectively while fostering a proactive approach to wellness. A key to dealing with stress is to talk it out with someone. Don’t let it fester internally. 

AWO can be contacted through their website at www.agriculturewellnessontario.ca. I strongly recommend all farmers familiarize themselves with this site and, if needed, utilize this resource.

In 2019 the federal Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food issued a Committee Report based on a study on mental health challenges facing Canadian farmers. I quote from the summary: “This report identifies the many stressors that make producers particularly vulnerable to mental health problems. They live with many uncertainties that put them under significant pressure, such as weather events, environmental challenges, market fluctuations, debt, regulations and paperwork. The isolation that many farmers experience and the stigmatization they sometimes face, particularly on social media, amplify this stress.” 

This Commons Report should be read by every farmer and their health care professionals. It is an excellent background Report for the work of AWO and other agencies involved with farmer health.

Deb Campbell of Agronomy Advantage Inc. took us through the entire canola production cycle in Eastern Ontario. She recommended a seed population of 250,000 seeds per acre and emphasised that seeding for winter canola must be done by Sept. 1 to allow the plants to grow large enough to survive the winter.

The Crop Conference holds 2 concurrent sessions and I could only be at one during the day. I understand the sessions were recorded. If I am able to obtain the recording I will report later on the concurrent session.