4 The Business of Ontario Agriculture Better Farming | September 2024 INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE LETTER FROM THE EDITOR FARMLAND FEARS; A PERFECT HARVEST However it ends, the ongoing assembly of farmland in Wilmot Township will leave many farmers asking “could this happen to my farm and family?” As one reader wrote to us about the “farmland theft” before press time, “the entire province needs to be made aware of what could be done to them.” Waterloo Region, which aims to acquire 770 acres of rural land for future development, recently upset many by destroying crops before harvest. “Literally hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of corn completely shredded and chopped up and then they tried to hide the evidence by plowing it under the ground,” said Kevin Thomason, vice-chair of the Grand River Environmental Network. Inside this edition, you’ll find a wealth of insight for harvest time. As winter wheat harvest has wrapped up, it’s a good time to reflect on what strategies worked and where improvements are needed – to ensure that next year’s crop is even more successful. Post-harvest is also a prime opportunity to introduce a cover crop into your rotation and tackle those challenging weeds. The OMAFA Field Crop Team: “Reflecting on how varieties performed can be a helpful tool for improving future success as it enables you to select the most suitable varieties for the upcoming fall planting season.” The OMAFA folks at FieldCropNews.com reminds us that information on how varieties performed in 2024 will be available at GoCrops.ca. We got some great responses from our farming readers when we asked some of them to describe an excellent harvest, and they really had us reflecting on what a vital and prosperous season this can be for everyone. As Jon from Niagara wrote, the perfect harvests looks something like “dry ground conditions, light rain on Saturday evening to let everyone go to church on Sunday. And no breakdowns, of course!” 1-888-248-4893 90 Woodlawn Road West Guelph, ON N1H 1B2 PUBLISHER & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR PAUL NOLAN ext 202 Paul.Nolan@Farms.com ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR LESLIE STEWART ext 265 Leslie.Stewart@Farms.com AGRICULTURAL JOURNALISTS MARY LOGGAN EMILY MCKINLAY CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS EDITION MOE AGOSTINO CAMPBELL CORK DALE COWAN ABHINESH GOPAL PAUL HERMANS PATRICK LYNCH SHARON SALM RALPH WINFIELD ADVERTISING TEAM GLENN RUEGG JEFF McKEE JENNY LONGSTREET SCOTT FARHOOD SAMANTHA RENAUD JOAN SPIEGELBERG DESIGN & PRODUCTION TEAM TANYA MYERS GREG MARLOW SHAUN CLARK ANDREA WILLIAMS www.BetterFarming.com Better Farming magazine is mailed as a member-benefit to all farmer members of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. If you are not an OFA member, subscribe at: 1-888-248-4893 ext 281 Subscriptions@BetterFarming.com ISSN 1498-9344 (Printed) Canadian one-year subscriptions: $41 (11 issues; includes $4.72 HST). Two-year: $74 ($8.51 HST). U.S. subscriptions: $72 annually. International: $121. Single-copy back issues are $12. GST Registration #868959347RT0001 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to AgMedia Inc., 90 Woodlawn Road West, Guelph, ON N1H 1B2. Publications Mail Registration #1156. Publications Mail Agreement #40037298. Copyright ©2024 by AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any content without written permission of the publisher is forbidden. Acceptance of advertising does not constitute endorsement of the advertiser, its products or services, nor do Better Farming, AgMedia or Farms.com endorse any advertiser claims. The publisher shall have no liability for the omission of any scheduled advertising. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada. Follow us on @BetterFarmingON Cover: Photography Beitz photo, Ontario Forage Council photo “After perfect rain and warmth to grow the perfect hay crop, seven days of sunshine, 25 C, and 50 per cent humidity so we can bale our 70 acres of hay into small squares. All equipment runs great. We have lots of twine on hand, purchased at a reasonable price. Two skilled drivers and six people to load and unload wagons. The good weather holds long enough to have a grand celebration outside after all hay is in. A jump in the pool and a bonfire.” - Wellington County producer Katie, on the ideal harvest, Page 10 “The best way I can serve OMAFA stakeholders is to travel across our province to listen and learn about the concerns, issues, and opportunities facing agri-food in Ontario. And that is exactly what I plan to do.” - Rob Flack, new minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, Page 19 “You had to have the stature and leverage to control the plow behind the team of horses. If you didn’t and the plow hit a large rock or even hard ground, it would flip up or flip over and could take you over with it.” - Ralph Winfield, Page 57
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