WESTERN ONTARIO: Crop Report
CORN
• As of Oct. 1, corn harvest still appeared to be some time away as some fields remained exceptionally green.
• Limited harvesting of high-moisture corn was underway.
• At this time of year, grain typically dries down more slowly than it does in September. On average, expect one percentage point of moisture loss every three days in the fall.
• Many areas escaped a killing frost by Oct. 1 because of warm temperatures.
• Gibberella ear rot, which produces the mycotoxin DON in corn, was a concern in some fields. Be prepared to manage infected fields by harvesting promptly, drying the grain quickly and storing it separately from uninfected grain. The Ontario Grain Corn Ear Mould and Deoxynivalenol Mycotoxin Survey will be published later this fall.
• Seed selection season is approaching. Review the ‘Choosing the right seed’ fact sheet for more information about seed selection decisions.
SOYBEANS
• Field Progress, Grain Farmers of Ontario’s weekly estimate of planting and harvest progress by district across the province, reports that soybean harvest was 31 % complete as of Sept. 30.
• Moisture levels in harvested soybeans ranged from 11 to 15 %. Dry, sunny conditions resulted in lower harvest moisture levels than in some previous years.
• Be sure to reduce the risk of contamination from treated seed. If equipment is used to handle both treated seed and harvested grain, review Grain Farmers of Ontario’s ‘Handling treated seed’ fact sheet for more information.
WHEAT
• Winter wheat planting was in full swing where ground conditions allowed. Field Progress reports that winter wheat planting was 36 % complete as of Sept. 30.
• Wheat planted a couple of weeks earlier was emerging. However, some areas were trending dry, and limited moisture in the upper soil profile was delaying emergence.
• As a reminder, the Ontario Cereal Crops Committee publishes a guide to Ontario’s optimum winter wheat planting dates. In areas where the optimum planting window has passed, there may still be time to plant before the Agricorp 2026 planting deadlines for fall-seeded grains. Increase seeding rates accordingly by adding 200,000 seeds per acre for each week after the optimum planting date, to a maximum of 2.2 million seeds per acre.
• Cover crops planted after wheat were looking great.
