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SNEEK PEEK: Lessons learned from #plant17 – dealing with saturated soils in Ontario
“Across most of south-central and southeastern Ontario, there’s been 50 to 100 per cent more rain than normal,” says Scott Banks, a cropping systems specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).
August 30, 2017 By Top Crop Manager
“It’s certainly been a challenging year. There isn’t really a silver lining to all this rain: no crops like being so wet. But growers have experienced tough years before. Outside of controlling the weather, there isn’t a whole lot they can do other than trying to minimize the issues and crossing their fingers for a warm, open fall.”
Once farmers gained access to fields this spring, many struggled with what to plant into the still over-wet ground. Few crops fare well in a muddy, smeared seedbed. However, some crops can tolerate moderately wet feet better than others.
For example, corn can manage slightly more moisture stress than soybeans and oats tend to suffer less than barley….
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