Gilles Quesnel

Eastern Ontario Crop Conference - Kemptville: Tue Jan 27, 9AM-3:15PM. Registration CLOSES TONIGHT @ 11:30PM! tinyurl.com/mry68s2n Registration includes access to 50+ recorded sessions from Southwest Ag Conference, Midwest Ag Conference & 5+ pre-recorded sessions! #EOCC2026

Eastern Ontario CROP CONFERENCE (EOCC) - Kemptville, Jan 27 2026. Program and registration at tinyurl.com/mry68s2n Registration includes access to more than 50+ recorded sessions from Southwest Ag Conference, Midwest Ag Conference & 5+ pre-recorded sessions! #EOCC2026

Soybeans – excellent article on Understanding Green Stem in Soybeans bit.ly/45ZwiSF

Two-Spotted Spider Mites – Eastern ON: Hot, dry weather continues to push populations deeper into the crop. With many fields still at R5, it’s worth scouting. Only registered options are dimethoates (Lagon/Cygon). Control info: tinyurl.com/yc7e5ea7

Soybeans planted May 5 at the Winchester Research Station… already hitting early R6! Flowers on top nodes are struggling to hang on. And spider mites? No shortage — plenty of adults and eggs.

Western bean cutworm update – Winchester Research Station: Moth trap counts are climbing, but the rate of increase is slowing — suggesting we’re at or near peak flight, and just a few days from peak egg laying. Egg mass finds remain low, though varies by field.

Soybean Aphid Update – Eastern Ontario: Still seeing some high numbers out there, but overall, populations have slowed and are even dropping in some fields. Great pic from @SeanCochrane1 showing disease taking down aphids in a few spots. Nature doing its thing!

Western bean cutworm update – Winchester Research Station: Moth trap counts are climbing fast, but we’re likely not quite at peak flight yet. Egg masses? Few spotted so far... though finding egg masses in drought-stressed corn can be challenging!

Some good news! No tar spot lesions spotted in corn so far in Eastern Ontario. The lesions are small, black, raised spots on corn leaves. Look like specks of tar splattered on the surface and don’t rub off when touched (unlike insect frass or dirt).

Adding to the mix: Two-spotted spider mites are on the rise in some fields, especially along grassy field edges. Threshold = 4+ mites/leaflet. Chemical control options: bit.ly/41jwlXV

Soybean leaves littered with white aphid exoskeletons but few live aphids? Could mean past aphids that moved lower in the canopy, been eaten by beneficials, or crashed. So far, little sign of aphid-specific diseases to bring down the population.

Soybean Aphid Update – Eastern Ontario: Populations are generally climbing but highly variable – from 0 to 3,000 aphids/plant (avg: 300, median: 50). Only way to know is by scouting fields. Chemical control options: bit.ly/4m0hdas

OMAFA Field Crop Unit seeking a bilingual IPM Specialist for Eastern Ontario. This is great, dynamic, collaborative, rewarding position and here is a unique opportunity for the right candidate, please share with your networks. t.co/vo9L8ckAQw

Soybean Aphid Update – Eastern Ontario: Populations continue to vary widely and are starting their disappearing act. Aphids are moving from the top trifoliate into the lower canopy, and dwarf forms are showing up—both making accurate counts more challenging.

True Armyworm Update – Eastern Ontario: Not quite an alert, but a good time to check fields. Localized feeding reported in Dundas & Renfrew (@SullivanAgro). @MikeTheCropGuy notes significant outbreaks in Jefferson & Lewis counties, NY. More info: rb.gy/yp175s

Western Bean Cutworm update: Trap counts at Winchester remain low. Based on previous years, peak flight is expected around Aug 7–10. Since WBC prefers pre- to early-tassel corn for egg-laying, later-planted fields are at greatest risk this year.

Soybean Aphid Update – Eastern Ontario: Populations have more than doubled in the past 5 days and are still rising.
Aphid levels vary widely—many fields are seeing 25–150 aphids/plant, but a few fields have already hit control thresholds. #Soybeans #OntAg

Western Bean Cutworm update: First moths caught in pheromone trap at Winchester Research Station, putting peak flight around August 7. If an insecticide is needed, the spray window is typically 4–7 days after peak to target larvae before they enter the ear. #OntAg

A bit of a scorcher in Eastern Ontario today. Even the squirrels have gone full stretch mode in the shade and calling it a day!

Soybeans & nitrogen? Multi-year Illinois trials show small, inconsistent yield bumps from N. “… yield responses to N decreased as the untreated control yield increased (Figure 1) …”. Details here: tinyurl.com/2s49t39t . Similar story in recent ON trials. #OnAg

Soybean aphid populations are building across much of Eastern ON but remain low—typically 1–20 aphids on the top trifoliate of every few plants. A few fields had higher numbers in small pockets, likely from early local overwintering populations.

Soybeans in 30" rows: Canopy closure at Winchester Research Station—May 5 beans at 58% vs May 28 at 32% (Canopeo). Even early planting misses a lot of sunlight during the longest days. Dry spring (½ normal May–June rainfall) not helping either. Pics tell the story. #OntAg

Leafhopper scouting just got easier — one jumped through the car window as I drove by an alfalfa field. My type of scouting!

Alfalfa Leafhopper Update (East ON): Populations have jumped—1+ per sweep in new seedings and second cut. Hopper burn appearing. Harvesting in the next week should knock them back. Then, be sure to scout regrowth 5–7 days after harvest to assess hopper pressure. #ONalfalfa #IPM

Soybean aphids are showing up at detection levels across much of Eastern Ontario, currently on the newest trifoliates. The presence of ants or lady beetles on plants can be a sign of aphid activity.

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Alfalfa Update (East ON): First potato leafhoppers caught this past week—~0.4 per sweep in 14" 2nd cut alfalfa, well below threshold … for now. With this heat, populations can double in a week or less. New seedings are most at risk. More info: tinyurl.com/mrjr7a3x

Winter wheat in the OCCC trial at Winchester (planted Sept 19) is looking good, @ilex88. Maturity moved ahead quickly this past week — most varieties at Day 0 to Day 5. Leaf disease pressure in untreated remains low, and fortunately to date no rust observed across the varieties.

Alfalfa: scouting for potato leafhoppers and weevils. Good news, not finding any - only catching 🐌 snails and slugs in the sweep net to date.

First true armyworm moth of the season at the Winchester Research Station! Pheromone trap’s working, moths are flying — they migrate to Ontario in early spring from overwintering sites from the southern US. Prefer to lay their eggs in grassy vegetation present in early spring