Clues on corn yields
Climate patterns could eventually predict corn yields according to a recent article from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) News Service, a division of the US Department of Agriculture. Mathematical models developed by ARS scientists could provide producers with information that shows yield cycles which may impact production practices.

This finding may impact fertilizer application as even small variability in corn yield can have a great impact on nitrate loss in the field. These findings may indicate that producers should apply less fertilizer on low yield years to decrease nitrogen loss and save on inputs, reports the ARS News Service.

More than 50 years of data on corn production from Iowa was gathered by ARS and Penn State researchers to determine correlations between yield and climate.

$158 million for research
The Government of Canada recently announced the Growing Canadian Agri-Innovation Program which will invest $158 million to support industry-led innovation initiatives that help get agricultural products into the marketplace and improve agricultural processes.

The announcement, although long-awaited, is a win for Ontario producers. Currently the OCPA works hard to use producer dollars to leverage increased investment in research from government and industry.

The Growing Canadian Agri-Innovations Program will be delivered nationally by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada as part of the federal commitment to Growing Forward. Growing Forward is a new framework for support to Canada's agricultural sector that's focused on achieving results, reflects input from across the sector, and will deliver programs that are simpler, more effective and tailored to local needs.

Corn Pest Coalition gets a new look
The Canadian Corn Pest Coalition (CCPC) revamped it’s website, www.cornpest.ca, to make it more user-friendly and more useful for corn producers.  Options for producers who grow transgenic corn have steadily increased and the CCPC felt it was necessary to update the website to reflect those changes.

The “Refuge Selector” on the site is a new tool for corn producers that is designed to simplify refuge planting decisions and increase awareness of refuge requirements. Producers can enter their corn seed brand, hybrid, crop heat units, Bt-type and the acreage to find out refuge requirements such as percentage of refuge needed, acreage and potential planting configurations.

Also new to the website is a photo gallery of corn pests that is easily searchable and provides producers with integral information about damage and the insects themselves.

Visit www.cornpest.ca to use the Refuge Selector and the photo gallery. Information about the CCPC and access to CCPC publications is also available at this site.