12 Thank You for Your Trust & Time, Since 1999 Better Farming | November 2024 Some 25 years ago, the very first edition of Better Farming was published. Farming in Ontario looked considerably different in 1999, with many technological innovations just coming into play. Farming has progressed significantly since 1999. Precision agriculture is becoming a common practice, as is the use of GPS, drones, and data analytics to monitor crops. Farming practices like crop rotation, cover cropping, and reduced tillage have been widely adopted over the last 25 years, with a commitment to soil health and biodiversity. Today, a more complex regulatory framework focuses on sustainability, food safety, and animal welfare. Better Farming connected with producers at this fall’s Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock to ask them how they expect farming to look 25 years from now, in 2049. Nicole Danen (dairy), Tavistock: “I grew up on a dairy farm, so I feel like the biggest challenge is city growth (we farm near Tavistock, so the sprawl of Woodstock, Stratford, and Kitchener surrounds us). In 25 years, I think we will have even more of a challenge from urban growth, and the need to feed more people with fewer acres. “The sprawl and continuous growth won’t stop.” Krista De Groot (cash-crop, pork, poultry), Kinkora: “I think there will be fewer people and more computers. There will definitely be more technology involved, but we hope farming will still involve families and family farms – it will just look a little different.” Ken Durham (cash-crop), Smithville: “Everything will become digital – there will be so much new technology. I grew up helping my grandfather, walking behind a six-foot seed drill, and now my son has a 30-foot seed drill that drives automatically. Those are just the changes that have happened in my lifetime. Imagine what will happen in another 50 years: Things will just happen automatically. We will just look up to the heavens and say, ‘Plant the seeds!’” Tessa Feryn (cash-crop, equine), Stratford: “Living in a rural farming area, I see farmers’ fields getting smaller and cities expanding. Growing out and not up. In 25 years, I see small farmers of 100 acres dying out and industrial farming taking over. Family farming will be a thing of the past, and large corporate factory farming will take over to support our larger populations, cities, and corporate needs.” Joanne Innes (cash-crop), Saint Pauls Station: “I think we’ll be growing different crops than in 2024. Our heat units are changing. We have too much spring water now, and it’s so hard to get crops in. “We might even have to look at crops like rice. In 25 years we will need more crops that are tolerant to drought and rain. Also, we will be using more drones for spraying, fertilizer, etc., because it’s harder to get on the fields at the optimum time.” Marjorie Marshall (cash-crop), Thorold: “In 25 years, we definitely will be farming with new technology and advancements in seeds. We will need more food to feed more people. We will be seeing even more severe weather. It’s the continuation of more of these same themes. With all the technology we could become armchair farmers.” Digging Deeper FUTURE FARMING: 25 YEARS FROM NOW ... Expanded tech, urban sprawl, & challenges to family farms. By Mary Loggan Nicole Danen Marjorie Marshall Krista De Groot Robert Meier Ken Durham Ken Pearcey Tessa Feryn Greg Schmidt Joanne Innes Sara Wood
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