Phone 1-800-368-3018 or 519-744-4941                                                            Website: www.rosendalefarms.com     

e-mail: rosendale.farms@plantpioneer.com                                                             Follow us on Twitter! @WaterlooCrop

Spring is just around the corner!
The maple syrup producers have had a good run already… spring is soon here!! Now is time to make your final plans to get equipment ready and crop plans finalized.  Start planning for success!

 Grain Marketing –
Ouch! … At the time of this writing, the USDA report on March 29th was not friendly for corn as US farmers are intending to plant more corn acres than expected.  The good news is that demand/usage for corn has been great.  So there will be some volatility in the corn market as there needs to be excellent production out of the US this year to keep supplying the increased demand … so with any hiccups in planting, summer drought, etc there might be good opportunities to make sales.  If you buy corn for feed, look at buying a portion of your needs on this pullback as prices may move higher over the next couple of months.
 
US soybean acres are expected to drop – but there is a huge supply globally and the US/China trade war is not helping.  Same thing, consider some sales on rallies.
Wheat as well should have some upside potential through the spring/summer as US wheat acres are down.  An unknown is what will happen in western Canada with the Chinese blocking Canadian canola – will the western Canadian farmers switch some acres out of canola? What will they switch to?
As usual, lots of uncertainty in the grain markets -- Control what you can control and give yourself the best chance to grow big yields while making sales at above average prices. 
 
We are working on a direct deposit option for your grain cheques. Contact us for more information.

New Faces!
Matthew Fletcher
Matthew Fletcher will be joining us for the summer! Currently, he is entering his fourth year at the University of Guelph. He is within the Ontario Agriculture College, majoring in Honors Agriculture. He comes from a small Hereford cow/calf operation in Brant County. Matt has shown a keen interest within the Grains and Oilseed industry as a large focus of his studies have been targeted towards crops, soil health, and cropping systems. As well, with his time at the OAC he has sat on many boards from his class executive, the Student Federation of the OAC, and the Central Student Association. He looks forward to continuing his education this summer at Waterloo Crop Services and create new relationships with producers around Waterloo, Wellington and neighboring counties. 

Tasha Valente
Tasha is the newest member of our Agronomy Team. Tasha joins us as a graduate of the University of Guelph with a B.Sc. in Plant Science (2014) and an M.Sc. in Weed Science (2017). She brings with her a diverse knowledge of row and horticultural crops from working with Vaughn Agriculture, the University of Guelph, OMAFRA, and most recently from her role as Technical Agronomist with Dekalb. In her spare time, Tasha can be found at the arena working on her hockey skills. 

Andrew Stuetz
Andrew joined our team at the beginning of September. He was hired on to help manage the seed and chemical warehouse. Andrew graduated with a diploma in Agriculture from University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus. Before joining us he worked for Monsanto as a soybean research assistant in Guelph. In his spare time, Andrew enjoys basketball and kayaking.  

Congratulations to Marinda on passing both the Ontario and International Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) exams! This is a huge achievement for Marinda and we are very proud of her!

Agronomy – a brief overview
Winter Wheat

• Weather over the next couple of weeks will be important in determining survival as it breaks dormancy.  Cold, wet weather, soils low in phosphorus, poor drainage can all be factors affecting how wheat will survive over the next month or so. If you are concerned about survival, in mid-late April, look for a minimum of 7-10 plants per foot of row; ideal is about 20. Remember to look for new, healthy growth not just green tissue. Looking for new white growth from the wheat crown is key
• If less than 10% of the field is killed out, and the majority has a good plant stand, keep it

• Trying to decide whether to keep or replant wheat this spring? Here are a few things to consider:

• Wheat fields with minimal tillers would benefit from an early N application. Applying 50-60% of your N then top dressing the remaining N program when the wheat starts elongating. The split application will help to manage your risk of N loss.
• One Application? Aim for the mid-late April Timeframe. Consider using a N- stabilizer like ESN, Agrotain or eNtrench to prevent N loss.
• …. And don’t forget Sulphur (Su)! A 10:1 N to Su ratio minimum is the general rule of thumb for Su. Very critical to help achieve high yields in wheat.

• Make sure your planter units are well maintained! Planting depth is very important to achieving maximum corn yield. Even planting depth helps to achieve uniform emergence. A minimum of 1 ½” on your planter units is ideal. Late emerging plants don’t maximize their yield potential.  --- So watch your planting speed!
• Get weeds controlled early! Use residual chemistries and multiple modes of action for effective weed management!
• Consider fungicides – helps maximize yield and potentially reducing toxins in silage and grain.
• Consider split applying N on corn --- especially on lighter soils that don’t have good organic matter and nitrogen holding capacity. Or if you are putting all your N on upfront, using a stabilizer to prevent loss. 
• Make sure your soil fertility is adequate and remember… big yields remove big levels of nutrients!
• We have several growers who want to achieve 300+ bushel corn yields – they are starting with a portion of their acres this year. This takes planning and commitment to try things and spend money wisely to strive for big yields.

• Seed Size: 2018 brought average to higher than average soybean yields to many growers across SW Ontario. Part of these increased yields came from larger seed size rather than having more beans per plant. While this was great when marketing the grain, it may cause some headaches at planting.
  • On average, seed size is 10-15% larger
  • Check drill or planter settings before heading out to the field, and check seed tags for seed size
  • Xtend Soybeans: a good tool but be very careful if you are using a dicamba post-emerge on your soybeans- it can affect your crops and your neighbours!!
  • Consider applying a fungicide around flowering time. Big soybean yields can be protected from white mould if application is timed properly. If a field has historically had issue with white mould, plant a variety more tolerant to white mould

• Variable emergence (5-9%)
• Plant outside the optimum window (2-5%)
• Miss the correct population (1-2%)
• Variable plant spacing (1-2%)

1. Use a pre-plant herbicide, ideally with residual activity, to stay on top of early season weed control – even with RR varieties/ hybrids. This will help to keep the fields clean during the ‘Weed Free period’ helping to maximize production
2. Include fall weed control in your spray program. This will help to keep your fields cleaner coming into the spring and reduce perennial weed pressure
3. The use of cover crops like cereal rye has been seen to reduce fleabane pressure in fields. If you are seeing high pressure it may be something to experiment with

 From all of us here, have a safe spring season and plan for success!
 
Thank you for your business !!