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Crossing the tracks: Alberta’s high-speed rail study

Lessons learned from an HSR rural assessment in Alberta

By Kate Ayers

Ontario is moving forward with plans to build a 370-kilometre (230-mile) $21-billion high-speed rail (HSR) system connecting Toronto to Windsor. The province plans to complete the project in two phases and estimates the second phase will wrap up in 2031.

Crossing the tracks: high-speed rail in Ontario

Concerned southwestern Ontario resident shares her thoughts on HSR

Linda J. Visser

Growing pains for farm families

Tracking farm fatalities in Canada

by JIM ALGIE

Farms are unique among industrial workplaces because people of all ages live on them. But children and elderly residents suffer “significant numbers of severe work-related injuries,” said the most recent report of Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting (CAIR), an agency based in Winnipeg.

Keeping rural volunteerism alive

The IPM has depended on contributions from Ontario’s ag community for over 100 years

By Kaitlynn Anderson
Staff Reporter

Since the first International Plowing Match and Rural Expo (IPM) in 1913, the Ontario Plowmen’s Association (OPA) has relied on volunteers.

Mapping your way through precision ag

Sask. farmer finds profitability mapping allows him to maximize production and efficiency

By Kate Ayers

Profitability mapping has changed Saskatchewan farmer Terry Aberhart’s approach to crop production and how he manages the land. Together with his ag consultants, Aberhart analyzes his field data and gross revenue from across his fields.

Livestock producers face predator pressure

Farmers requesting financial support for reasonable care plans

By Kaitlynn Anderson
Staff Reporter

Wildlife predation is such a pressing issue for the province’s producers that the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) may ask the government for more assistance.

Cultivating a level playing field

Ontario could take notes from lessons learned through other provinces’ organic regulations

by Kate Ayers

Take control of charging water

Producers may be eligible for funding for erosion control structures

By Kate Ayers

Runoff and soil erosion are major issues in some areas of Ontario, and best management practices (BMPs) cannot always solely solve these problems, says Brad Glasman, manager of conservation services in the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.

Accessing end-of-life care in rural Ontario

How legislation about medical assistance in death affects palliative care

by Jim Algie

Forecasting tools boost farm efficiency

Precision ag may be less daunting with multiple means of product assistance

By Kaitlynn Anderson

Many precision ag companies offer more than just an online resource.

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Too much rain, too little rain, or will it be just right?

August 20, 2019

The Great Ontario Yield Tour is in its second week of corn and soybean counting to predict 2019 yields. There are 21 Scouting Teams assessing the health of corn and soybean crops across Ontario. The Tour began on August 12th and will conclude on August 26th. The first day of the tour started in Oxford Country. “It’s early” says Farms.com Chief Commodity Strategist Moe Agostino, “so it’s hard to assess some of the late planted corn and soybeans, but good yield potential is out there if Mother Nature will give the crops the long finish they need to reach... read more

Ontario reclaims Guinness threshing record

August 14, 2019

St. Albert, Ont. is once again the Guinness world record holder for the most threshing machines operating simultaneously. On Aug. 11, 243 machines threshed wheat together for five minutes to reclaim the record. St. Albert set its first record in 2015 using 111 machines before Austin, Man. broke it with 150 machines the following year. Bringing the record back Ontario feels good, said Francois Latour, president of Vintage Iron and Traditions of Eastern Ontario and event organizer. “It feels great that we were able to get the job done,” he told Farms.com. Breaking the record... read more

Thieves steal $10K of fuel in Norfolk

August 14, 2019

by Paula Schuck Norfolk County OPP is warning farmers to take precautions to avoid theft by removing keys from farm equipment, calling police when they spy anyone suspicious on a neighbour’s property and locking fuel tanks. OPP shared this safety advice after a recent theft of $10,000 worth of fuel from a Windham Road 9 property in Norfolk County. “To all of our farming community, all of our farmers that are out there working hard putting food on the table for everyone across the province … please do yourself a favour and be sure to secure all the fuel on your property,... read more

Crop acres and fertilizer applications

August 9, 2019

Alfons Weersink Department of Food, Agriculture and Resource Economics University of Guelph Fertilizer use in agriculture is under increasing scrutiny largely due to environmental concerns associated with emissions into the air (nitrous oxide) and the water (nitrates and phosphates). Algae blooms in Lake Erie are an example of the effects of excess nutrient runoff and the concerns have sparked the creation of initiatives such as the 4R nutrient management program in Ontario. In this article, we explore if a change has occurred in the area of Ontario cropland receiving fertilizer... read more

Ontario invests in ag research

August 8, 2019

A $1.8-million Ontario government investment is aimed at helping Ontario’s agri-food industry innovate and grow sustainably. The funding is part of the Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, a partnership between the University of Guelph (U of G) and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. This new investment will support ten environmental research projects at the U of G. These projects will address environmental challenges such as algal blooms in the Great Lakes while also providing new tools and building capacity forfarmers to become more resilient to a changing climate... read more