This year we held a VIRTUAL two-day event at the end of the Great Ontario Yield Tour to practice physical distancing and to take all the necessary Covid-19 precautions to keep you and our staff safe. The aim of the tour is to provide farmers with insight, so that you can make better production and marketing decisions. 

This year, the Great Ontario Yield Tour Final Events was held online - from the comfort and safety of farmer's homes. It was FREE to register and attend. Farmers throughout Ontario, as well as those outside of the province, were welcome to register and attend.

The Final Event will feature several expert presentations, as well as demos from a variety of companies who are excited to help farmers produce better yields. Presentations are hands-on, practical tips, from experts. Join us for the best few hours in front of a computer screen you will spend this summer.

The format will include both live and pre-recorded elements as well as Q&A with each of the speakers.

DAILY CONTEST

There will be a daily contest open to all attendees from that day. Daily prize bundle valued at $1800 each.

• Day 1: Guess the Great Ontario Yield Tour Soybean estimated final yield to the first decimal.
  All those who guess correctly will be entered to win an $1800 prize bundle which includes: $600 worth of soybean seed from Maizex,  $600 worth of Foliar Product from Alpine & a 1yr subscription to Farms.com Risk Management Commodity Marketing Program (valued at $600)
  
  
• Day 2: Guess the Great Ontario Yield Tour Corn estimated final yield to the first decimal.
  All those who guess correctly will be entered to win an $1800 prize bundle which includes: $600 worth of corn seed from Maizex,  $600 worth of Foliar Product from Alpine & a 1yr subscription to Farms.com Risk Management Commodity Marketing Program (valued at $600)

FINAL DOOR PRIZES

At the end of the event, every guest that attended is eligible for a chance to win one of the following prizes.

• $1750 Morse Metal Devil 14" saw
  Includes: 0-45° Mitering Vice, Overload Switch, Retracting Blade Guard, Quick Release Metal Chip Collection Chamber, 6mm & 8mm Blade Wrench, Safety Goggles, Ear Plugs, Metal Devil® NXT Steel Cutting Blade.
  Provided by GPS Ontario
  
  
• $2500 Multi-Spectral Imagery Package
  Weeds detection, hydration requirements, yield analysis and many more insights are possible using Terranova’s multi-spectral imagery service.
  This prize package includes $2500 worth of multi-spectral crop assessment & reports (choose the services best-suited to your needs).
  Provided by TerraNova UAV

EVENT SCHEDULE

Schedule subject to change without notice

Day 1 - Wednesday, September 2, 2020 - 10am - 2pm EST

• 10am WELCOME
  US & Global Soybean Market Outlook
  Moe Agostino, Chief Commodity Strategist, Farms.com Risk Management
  
  
• 10:20am SPONSOR DEMONSTRATION SESSIONS (15 minutes each + 5 minutes Q&A)
  
  • Flex, Fungicide and Flat Out Yield (10:20am)
    Greg Stewart, Agronomist, Maizex
    To maximize profitability in corn production three key features of a corn hybrid need to be assessed and will be reviewed including:
    1) Flex – most hybrids have a population where it performs best. Testing across a range of populations gives further guidance especially in variable rate seeding operations.
    2) Fungicide – some hybrids respond more aggressively to fungicide applications. Knowing which hybrids respond most dramatically to fungicides drives good decisions.
    3) Flat Out Yield – if a hybrid has another yield “gear” when conditions are good we need to know it. We will explore how to position hybrids for top yields.
    
    
  • Do we truly know our combines harvest loss? We do! (10:40am)
    Chris "Dutch" van Meijl, Sales Administrator, Bushel Plus
    Why a Combine Optimization System from Bushel Plus when your combine has a loss sensor already installed?
    You only have one opportunity to harvest per year! You would not seed if your Seeder or Planter were not accurate or out on settings, so why combine if it is not calibrated properly, it takes the guess work out!
    Farmers have increased their combine efficiency by over 20%, imagine the saving on that alone, then imagine 1 or more extra bushels per acre! Harvesting is the reason you plant your crop to reap the rewards of all your hard labour and expensive inputs.
    
    
  • Boron, what are the rates for Results? (11:00am)
    Dan Luepkes, Northern, IL. Farming 7-time NCGA Champion 327 bpa corn in 2017 and Region 1 Illinois soybean champion 2018 and 2017 at 103 and 97 bpa. @CornWarriors @XTremeAg
• 11:20am GRAB LUNCH & EXHIBIT HALL (30 minutes)
  
  
• 11:50pm - SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER - DAN LUEPKES (45 minutes + 15 minutes)
  The management of a high yield corn system
  Getting your soil right first. Planter applied fertility, stress relieving practices, late season fertility.
  Dan Luepkes, Northern, IL. Farming 7-time NCGA Champion 327 bpa corn in 2017 and Region 1 Illinois soybean champion 2018 and 2017 at 103 and 97 bpa. @CornWarriors @XTremeAg
  
  
• 12:50pm - ONTARIO SOYBEAN YIELD PROJECTIONS & TOP OBSERVATIONS (20 minutes)
  Moe Agostino, Chief Commodity Strategist, Farms.com Risk Management & Greg Stewart, Agronomist, Maizex
  
  
• 1:10pm - ANNOUNCE CONTEST WINNER
  Winner will be chosen from all who guessed the Great Ontario Yield Tour Soybean estimated final yield to the first decimal.
  Prize: $1800 prize bundle which includes: $600 worth of soybean seed from Maizex,  $600 worth of Foliar Product from Alpine & a 1yr subscription to Farms.com Risk Management Commodity Marketing Program (valued at $600)
  
  
• 1:15pm EXHIBIT HALL (30 minutes)

Day 2 - Thursday, September 3, 2020 - 10am - 2pm EST

• 10am WELCOME
  US & Global Corn Market Outlook
  Moe Agostino, Chief Commodity Strategist, Farms.com Risk Management
  
  
• 10:20am SPONSOR DEMONSTRATION SESSIONS (15 minutes each + 5 minutes Q&A)
  
  • Closing in on higher yields (10:20am)
    Shawn Livingston, Northeast Regional Manager, Precision Planting
    Taking a look at the last stage of the planter to touch the seed area. Are we sure that that seed is tucked into the best possible environment that it can be for every soil we have.
    
    
  • “Fertile Stripping” – Growing More with Less (10:40am)
    Morley J. Wallace – Owner, GPS Ontario
    The presentation will look at and discuss the advantages of the Fertile Stripping process and why what GPS Ontario has put together for a program works and other similar programs don’t. we will explain and show growth patterns that allow for yield gains with reduced input costs.
    
    
  • Maximizing Nutrient Efficiency with K-Tech® Potassium Products (11am)
    Ken Brett, District Sales Manager, ALPINE
    ALPINE continues to move forward with new products utilizing K-Tech® Potassium technology. After the successful launch of ALPINE G241-S® in-furrow starter and ALPINE K20-S foliar fertilizer, ALPINE is introducing two more unique products from this family. ALPINE F18 Max™ is designed for foliar feeding all crops at a low usage rate, with a balanced N-P-K mix and strong micronutrient load. ALPINE K19-S® is in large-scale plots this summer, to evaluate its benefits when mixed with UAN in both side-dress and Y-Drop applications. This new product gives the opportunity to get highly soluble K-Tech® potassium applied when the crop needs it and also brings the soil health benefits of K-Tech®.
    
    
  • Learning your Hybrid Characteristics (11:20am)
    Ken Ferrie, Owner, Crop-Tech Consulting, Heyworth, IL, 30+ years of crop research & Corn College TV @CropTechInc
    We will teach you which characteristics are important to know, and how to identify them. Knowing your hybrids characteristic, helps you to take advantage of hybrids strengths and farm around the weakness.
• 11:40am GRAB LUNCH & EXHIBIT HALL (30 minutes)
  
  
• 12:10pm - SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER - KEN FERRIE (45 minutes + 15 minutes)
  Teaching the planter to dance through tough conditions to get the stand you want
  We will focus on what a good stand is, and how to do a thorough evaluation of corn stands. The best way to improve your corn stand is to know where you are now and how you can improve it. Today's planters can be set to dance through tough conditions. New technology has better equipped today’s planters to handle tough springs like 2020. We will focus on which of these technologies make the biggest difference and have the best R.O.I.
  Ken Ferrie, Owner, Crop-Tech Consulting, Heyworth, IL, 30+ years of crop research & Corn College TV @CropTechInc
  
  
• 1:10pm - ONTARIO CORN YIELD PROJECTIONS & TOP OBSERVATIONS (20 minutes)
  Moe Agostino, Chief Commodity Strategist, Farms.com Risk Management & Greg Stewart, Agronomist, Maizex
  
  
• 1:30pm - ANNOUNCE CONTEST WINNER
  Winner will be chosen from all who guessed the Great Ontario Yield Tour Corn estimated final yield to the first decimal.
  Prize: $1800 prize bundle which includes: $600 worth of corn seed from Maizex,  $600 worth of Foliar Product from Alpine & a 1yr subscription to Farms.com Risk Management Commodity Marketing Program (valued at $600)
  
  
• 1:35pm - ANNOUNCE OVERALL EVENT DOOR PRIZE WINNERS
  Winner will be chosen from all who attended the Great Ontario Yield Tour Final Event during the 2 days.
  Prizes: $1750 Morse Metal Devil 14" saw, provided by GPS Ontario, $2500 Multi-Spectral Imagery Package, provided by TerraNova UAV
  
  

Additional prize also available daily, a $50 Starbucks gift card, courtesy of Dreams Come True Travel. Visit the Dreams Come True Travel booth for a chance to win.