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Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Grow-ops cause Pacific power blowouts

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Legal marijuana grow operations are putting such a strain on the power grid in Oregon and Washington states that they're blowing out transformers.

In a November Statesman Journal article, Portland General Electric spokesman Steve Corson estimated that the grow-ops account for 10 per cent of the roughly 400 transformer blowouts the Oregon utility experiences in a year.

The article also quotes Roger Blank, director of safety for Pacific Power, as saying a grow-op with four plants under standard lights "is like hooking up 29 refrigerators that run 24/7."

Corson told Portland Business Journal in November that the popularization of LED lighting, more expensive to install than traditional lighting, is easing the situation. One grower quoted in the story estimated that 200 lights per 10,000 square feet of an indoor operation would take US$10,000 a month to light by LED and double that amount by traditional light. BF

Current Issue

May 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Sheep farmers win Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers

Thursday, April 24, 2025

Sheep farmers and wool producers from Wallenstein, Ont. are Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2025. “It’s great to be recognized by your peers in the industry with an award like that,” Ryan Schill told Farms.com. “When we started the sheep farm, there were people questioning us... Read this article online

Ontario ag connections in the NHL playoffs

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

The 2025 NHL playoffs are underway, and some of hockey’s biggest names got their start on an Ontario farm or have invested in agriculture since becoming professional athletes. Farms.com went through each of the 16 playoff team rosters to uncover which players have a connection to... Read this article online

New Alcohol Trade Freedom in Ontario

Thursday, April 17, 2025

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has welcomed Ontario’s bold step in eliminating trade barriers and allowing direct alcohol sales to consumers. This new legislation aims to ease internal trade across provinces and support small businesses. One of the key changes... Read this article online

New board members for Ontario Pork

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Ontario Pork, an association representing the 1,898 pork farms that market 5.9 million hogs in the province, has announced its new board lineup for 2025. As a Guelph, Ontario-headquartered organization, Ontario Pork is engaged in the areas of research, government representation,... Read this article online

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