With soybean harvest complete we are having a chance to look at some plot data. There were some interesting trials this year with seed treatments and variety comparisons. Hopefully we can have some discussions over the next couple weeks about last year and the upcoming growing season.
It’s been a very nice fall for combining beans, which has meant some long hours and big days being very productive. With soy harvest essentially completed we will be allowing our staff to enjoy some family time and prepare for the upcoming corn harvest. Both elevators will be closed Sunday October 12th and Monday Oct 13th. Enjoy the time with your families and we will see you next week.
Harvest started last week Sept 18th, but has been delayed with rain. The first big rush of harvest will likely start this weekend. Please contact the Dresden office @ 519-683-4413 or the Rutherford office at 519-692-3919 to verify hours of operation. Hours will vary based on how many farmers are operating and available staff. We look forward to seeing you, and hope you have a safe and successful harvest.
If you are attending the outdoor farm show, please plan on stopping by the NK Seeds booth at N-J on the North Mall walkway that backs onto Oxford Road #17. This is the normal location of the NK site for those that are familiar with the show. You’ll find NK and Jackson staff there. You’ll also be able to walk plots of the NK corn and soybean lineup.
Waterhemp is a weed species in the pigweed family. Although it looks very similar to common pigweed species, it is much more difficult to manage. The waterhemp population in Ontario has been slowly growing and spreading over the past few years, and is now found in many counties across the province. Waterhemp is becoming more common in the Dresden area as well. Waterhemp seeds are most commonly spread through water, birds, and equipment. If you suspect waterhemp is in your field, it is important to clean your equipment off well before leaving the field to avoid spreading seeds.
Plants in the pigweed family can be identified by their “pig nose” leaf tip. To differentiate species in the family, common pigweed species, including green and redroot pigweed, have hairy stems. Waterhemp is completely hairless. Below is a group of photos showing the difference in pigweed species.
Amaranthus visual comparison. Maggie Durnin. 2025
Unlike many common weeds that only emerge during a short window in the spring or fall, waterhemp can emerge throughout the entire growing season. This means having a strong herbicide program (including a PRE with residual properties) is important to successfully managing waterhemp in your fields.
Another challenging attribute is the genetic diversity within the species. Waterhemp is a dioecious species, meaning plants are either male or female, and both are needed in order to reproduce seeds. One waterhemp plant can produce 1 million seeds, so the population in a field can increase rapidly. These factors result in abundant genetic diversity, leading to herbicide resistance of multiple modes of action. Most waterhemp populations are at least Group 9 (glyphosate) resistant, but there are populations in Ontario and in our local counties that are also resistant to Groups 2, 5, 14, and 27. It is important that your herbicide program has multiple modes of action, so you have better chances of controlling the whole population.
The table below shows the number of known fields in Southern Ontario counties with herbicide resistant waterhemp populations. If you have waterhemp in your fields, getting the population tested for herbicide resistance can help you make informed decisions regarding your herbicide program.
Number of fields with resistant waterhemp by herbicide mode of action (WSSA group). Mike Cowbrough. 2025.
Construction has begun on infrastructure improvements in Dresden.
Make sure you’re subscribed to Soybean Man on YouTube to catch video updates as they come!
TJ Poehlman visited with Real Agriculture to provide some wheat tips. You can check it out here:
https://www.realagriculture.com/2025/06/wheat-school-prepping-the-combine-for-winter-wheat-harvest/
We would also like to add, make sure you check wagons that were used for seed and clean them well. Delivering grain to an elevator with treated seed in it, will cause a lot of problems for you and your insurance company.
NK has a few new varieties, the attached early season picture is of S23-P1E3. If you would like to see new varieties in the field contact a rep for a field tour. We will try to to keep some content here of things from the field.
May long weekend is here. For most we had a large rain holding up planting, and almost everyone has got their seed for the weekend. If you are in the field and need something to finish a field. Call the office. The phones are forwarded for the weekend. We don’t intend on having in office service. However, we can schedule a time to meet over the weekend and get the seed you need. This includes the Holiday Monday, unless the weather really changes.
Most seed is available. Please contact us about the status of your seed orders and we can advise you if everything is available. Let us know when you plan to pick up your corn and soybean orders. We will try to have the paperwork ready for you. We all look forward to seeing you!
