Soybean harvest 70 per cent done across Ontario; corn has barely started

Ontario's soybean harvest was 70 per cent complete as of Wednesday, Oct. 14, but corn harvest was only one per cent done, according to Grain Farmers of Ontario's weekly Field Progress estimate.

The soybean figure is up from 44 per cent a week earlier, on Oct. 7, the farm organization reported in its Field Observations update in Ontario Grain Farmer magazine. "Soybean harvest is nearing completion," the Oct. 15 update said.

The pace varies by region. "In many areas, soybean harvest finished earlier than in some years because of timely spring planting and ideal harvest weather," the update said. "In other regions, late spring planting and poorly timed rain delayed harvest."

Corn is a different story. Some farmers have started, but "others are waiting for moisture levels to decrease," Grain Farmers of Ontario said. Many plan to test more fields as October goes on, and low humidity in recent weeks has helped corn dry down in the field and in the bin, the update said.

The group also reminded growers that test weight, a measure of grain quality in pounds per bushel, should be based on dry grain. Low test weight can lower the grade and bring discounts when corn is sold, it said.

Winter wheat planting was 81 per cent complete across the province as of Oct. 14, up from 52 per cent on Oct. 7, according to Field Progress. "The optimum planting date for winter wheat has passed in most of the province," the update said, and Agricorp's fall planting deadlines for fall-seeded grains have passed in some areas and are coming up in others.

With much of Ontario now past its first hard frost, the update said this is a good time for post-harvest weed scouting. It advised growers to use herbicides suited to the season and to spray during the warmest part of the day.

Grain Farmers of Ontario expects its 2026 Ontario Grain Corn Ear Mould and DON Survey report within the next couple of weeks, according to the update. DON (deoxynivalenol) is "a mycotoxin primarily produced by Gibberella ear rot," according to a Grain Farmers of Ontario fact sheet, which says grain with higher levels can be rejected or discounted at the delivery point.

Field Progress reports harvest and planting by district, and the figures above are province-wide.

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