News Agronomy Seeding/Planting
Rainy, wet conditions delay Ontario field work

Frequent rains and wet soils across the province have slowed or prevented field work, according to the latest crop conditions report for the week of May 2, 2024, from Field Crop News. Soil compaction is likely to be an issue this year, especially for farmers trying to get manure spread ahead of spring planting. Fertilizer has been moving out to farms with storage. Retailers are full and ready to apply product once soil conditions are favourable.

With wet soil conditions, there is concern about loss of nitrogen (N) through denitrification where fertilizer has been applied, especially in winter wheat fields. Denitrification is the bacterial conversion of the nitrate (NO₃) form of N in the soil to both nitrogen gas (N₂) and nitrous oxide (N₂O), both of which can be lost to the atmosphere. This occurs when soils are saturated with water, especially in heavy clay soils with poor drainage and frequent rainfall.

Read the full report here.