Program promotes innovative on-farm water use Tuesday, January 8, 2013 by BETTER FARMING STAFFBruce Kelly has about $850,000 burning a hole in his pocket and he’s anxious to share the money with agriculture groups interested in conserving water or using water more efficiently.Kelly is the environmental program coordinator for Guelph-based Farm and Food Care Ontario. The program, a joint investment from the federal and Ontario governments called Water Resource Adaptation and Management Initiative (WRAMI), is “to help producers adopt innovative and sustainable on-farm water management practices.”What Kelly hopes to do is fund projects, up to $70,000 each, that do more than provide answers for one farmer’s problems. “This is very much a tech-transfer piece,” Kelly says, “so we’d like to fund projects that are of interest to a sector.”Examples already in play are potato growers who want to explore variable rate irrigation. Apple growers, he says, want to study a couple of things including drip irrigation. He also expects dairy to come forward with projects such as how to reuse wash water.Individual farmers are not eligible to apply, although most of the projects will be done on farms. “The actual applicant will be a community group or soil and crop local association,” he says, adding, “We didn’t want to compete with other programs that are out there and we wanted to get good buy-in from commodity groups.”Individual farmers who have water projects already in play or completed are encouraged to come forward so the projects can be documented and publicized so that others will learn and benefit from their experience.As examples of projects that might merit an article, Kelly mentioned farmers who are integrating organic matter and using tillage practices that prepare the farm for drought and greenhouse growers working on water security.Kelly says they might also turn some existing projects into case studies by using water or flow meters to test assumptions.Kelly says they have earmarked about $100,000 of the $850,000 to report on existing projects and document projects by hiring professional writers and videographers and then posting the stories on the Food and Farm Care Ontario website and also pitching stories and photos to trade magazines.“It’s hard to talk about drought when there’s snow on the ground,” Kelly says but he adds that he is already developing articles on some projects that are in place. “I want to have articles in the spring and summer issues of trade papers and magazines,” he says.The deadline for applications is Feb. 15, 2013 with project selection by Feb. 28. Demonstration projects must be completed within a year. BF Phosphorus reduction funding targets Lake Simcoe, southeastern Georgian Bay Uncertainty envelops horse racing season
Stinger Spade Bits kit from Spyder Friday, September 20, 2024 By Braxteen Breen, Whether you are constructing/repairing fencing and other structures around the farm, you can get those tasks completed on the farm quickly with the Stinger Spade Bits kit from Spyder. The Spade Bits kit provides an economical solution for someone who wants to make... Read this article online
$18.4M Boost for Canadian Cereal Grain Innovation Thursday, September 19, 2024 Gate Project Receives Major Funding for Research Canada's position as a pioneer in cereal grain research is set to strengthen with the Gate Capital Campaign raising $18.4 million. This funding will support the Global Agriculture Technology Exchange (Gate) initiative, a project... Read this article online
BASF introduces Surtain herbicide for field corn growers Tuesday, September 17, 2024 Field corn growers in eastern Canada have a new crop protection product available to them. After about 10 years of research and trials, BASF has introduced Surtain, a residual herbicide for corn that combines PPO inhibitor saflufenacil (Group 14) and pyroxasulfone (Group 15) in a premix... Read this article online
We Didn’t Start the Fire! Impacts of Wildfire Smoke on Corn Monday, September 16, 2024 Assistant Professor of Corn Production at Purdue University’s College of Agriculture, Daniel Quinn, PhD. recently provided fascinating insights into the impacts of fire on major corn producing areas, many of which have been impacted by smoke from wildfires. Quinn was the keynote... Read this article online
New home for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario Saturday, September 14, 2024 The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) has announced it has moved into its new office building in Ingersoll. Located at 274620 27th Line in Ingersoll, the new office will serve as the hub for CFFO’s ongoing efforts to advocate for and support Ontario’s Christian farmers.... Read this article online