From Seed to Feed From Seed to Feed One of the most critical choices dairy producers will make is hybrid selection.
‘All Things Agriculture’ ‘All Things Agriculture’ Rob Flack was recently appointed Ontario’s new minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness.
Plan Ahead. Be Patient. Ask For Help. Plan Ahead. Be Patient. Ask For Help. As harvest season fast approaches, Ontario farmers gear up for one of the most important times of the year.
A Decade Running Jolley’s Farm Toys A Decade Running Jolley’s Farm Toys Nicholas Grose is an avid toy collector – and so dedicated to the hobby that when the opportunity to purchase Jolley’s Farm Toys presented itself, he jumped at it.
Drones: How Can They Make Farming Easier? Drones: How Can They Make Farming Easier? Drones have been creating a lot of buzz in agriculture for over a decade now.
Biologicals: The Next Frontier Biologicals: The Next Frontier One thing that is always constant in agriculture is change. That’s what I love about this industry. Agriculture is constantly evolving to meet the needs of the producer.
I Should Have Fixed That! I Should Have Fixed That! I’m sure we have all had breakdowns that were preventable if only we had looked a bit closer and taken more time on our maintenance.
Emerging Disease: Tar Spot Emerging Disease: Tar Spot As the disease continues to spread and impact Ontario’s corn crop, it’s important that producers are informed about how to identify tar spot and which resources are available to monitor it in their area and beyond.
Keeping Your Soybean Crop Happy Keeping Your Soybean Crop Happy Imagine a world where you could see into the future. What would it be like if you could predict the weather? If you could predict which insects, diseases or other issues would affect your crop and what this would mean for final yields.
Overapplying Nitrogen: When More Isn’t Better Overapplying Nitrogen: When More Isn’t Better More isn’t always better when it comes to applying nitrogen fertilizer – agronomically or financially – certainly not in the face of federal goals to slash nitrous oxide emissions.
Populations: Do They Matter? Populations: Do They Matter? The No. 1 question I get as a seed agronomist is, "What is the ideal population for corn and soybeans?"
Battery Energy Storage Systems Battery Energy Storage Systems Rural municipalities across Ontario have been receiving proposals for the development of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) over the past few years.
Farmland Values & Market Resiliency Farmland Values & Market Resiliency Ontario's farmland remains valuable despite other economic hardships.
Can You Teach An 'Old Dog' New Tricks? Can You Teach An 'Old Dog' New Tricks? Thank goodness for winter agronomy meetings. They allow growers and ag industry folks to get together and see what is working in agriculture.
Farm Payroll Practices Farm Payroll Practices How Ontario farm workers get compensated has become more formalized and organized, and both employees and employers are seeing the benefits.
Opportunities In Carbon Sequestration Opportunities In Carbon Sequestration 'The best management systems for soil carbon are the ones that we don't touch.'
When Biology Meets Chemistry When Biology Meets Chemistry Biological amendments are relatively new to the conventional row crop world and can be a great way for Ontario growers to better utilize nutrition.
Handling Pesticides: Don't Forget About Safety. Handling Pesticides: Don't Forget About Safety. 'Read the label. That's everything you need to know about the product.'
Control What You Can! Control What You Can! Use a multi-system approach to weed control against resistant species. Ask any farmer about weeds and they want them gone.
Business Management: Still Room to Improve Business Management: Still Room to Improve Despite a growing need for a more business-oriented approach to farming, not all Ontario producers are adopting the tools they'll need to ride out challenging times.
Retirement 101: Keeping Active Retirement 101: Keeping Active Are you one of those people who don't want to retire? Perhaps you enjoy what you do and don't want to quit.
Does kernel Size Matter? Does kernel Size Matter? Recording these finer details will allow you to manage for larger yield increases.
Annual Weeds: A Game-Plan for 2024 Annual Weeds: A Game-Plan for 2024 Looking ahead to next growing season, you can be sure these uninvited guests will return, to compete with crops, steal essential nutrients, water and sunlight, and hinder profitability.
The Farmerettes: Renewed Awareness The Farmerettes: Renewed Awareness The Farmerettes, also known as the Farm Service Force, were created in 1941 to fill the demand for farm labour created by the Second World War.
Do Your Crops Get three Square Meals? Do Your Crops Get three Square Meals? An adequate, well-balanced fertility program will ensure your crops are healthy.
Farmers advised of important tax reporting changes Farmers advised of important tax reporting changes Be proactive with your accountants throughout the year; don't wait until year-end to engage.
Choosing A Guidance System Choosing A Guidance System Guidance systems have become commonplace on Ontario farms as precision agriculture technologies grow in popularity.
Time For Some Soybean Disease Detective Work Time For Some Soybean Disease Detective Work With harvest complete, focus shifts to seed selection for the 2024 growing season and beyond.
Farm Antiques & Collectables Farm Antiques & Collectables Do you have a collector on your shopping list this holiday season?
'Reviving' Regional Ag Federations 'Reviving' Regional Ag Federations The OFA created the Revive Fund in 2020 to support projects created by regional federations to improve their rural communities.
Does Your Soil Act Like A Sponge? Does Your Soil Act Like A Sponge? Going forward as an industry the biggest limiting factor to higher yields will be water availability.
Farmers Under Pressure to Mitigate Interest Rate Impacts Farmers Under Pressure to Mitigate Interest Rate Impacts Farmers could use relief from high interest rates, but aren't likely to get any soon, leaving them to mitigate the challenges themselves.
'How Do You Sell What You Can't Get Processed?' 'How Do You Sell What You Can't Get Processed?' Ontario has 114 provincially licensed abattoirs that specialize in the slaughter of food animals and play a key role in the value chain of livestock production.
Ray Robertson: Canadian Agricultural Hall of Famer Ray Robertson: Canadian Agricultural Hall of Famer Ray Robertson's passion for growing his local community in Grey County has led to a long career with international impacts.
Strip-Tillage: Save Your Soil & Labour Costs Strip-Tillage: Save Your Soil & Labour Costs With concerns for soil health, many producers look for alternatives to conventional tillage.
'Why are we burying residue deeper than we plant?' 'Why are we burying residue deeper than we plant?' Historically, fall harvest was never truly considered complete until the moldboard plow had passed through the fields.
Smoke, Sun & Crop Effects Smoke, Sun & Crop Effects If you were to ask my wife, she would tell you that I am addicted to the weather.
Is it still possible to start a farm? Is it still possible to start a farm? 'Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it.' Starting a business in any industry is a challenging endeavour.
Farm Transition Increasingly Complex Farm Transition Increasingly Complex More farm wealth than ever before is passing from one generation to the next.
Winning with Winter Wheat Winning with Winter Wheat Start with Soybean Harvest, Then Timely Wheat Planting with a Starter Fertilizer.
One on One with Mack Emiry One on One with Mack Emiry When Mack Emiry, a dairy farmer from Massey, found out he was selected to be inducted into the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame this year, he was surprised.
Working With Family Working With Family 'I Want Farm Families to See Conflict as a Good Thing that Can Be Resolved.' Most farms in Canada are owned, operated, and passed down through families.
Don't Give Up on Your 'Sons & Daughters' Don't Give Up on Your 'Sons & Daughters' If you have children, you know that throughout their life, they can challenge you daily. Ask yourself, have your ever given up on your children?
Dale Cowan. A go-to person for Agriculture Dale Cowan. A go-to person for Agriculture In a career of more than 40 years and counting, Dale Cowan has cultivated a reputation for his mentorship skills.
Understanding Ontario's Custom Farming Rates Understanding Ontario's Custom Farming Rates Considering the costs of the latest farm equipment and technology, more and more producers are opting to hire agri-contractors for one or more field operations.
Report Card Time Report Card Time Back in the good old days I dreaded grade school spring report card time. I was always worried about what my parents would think when they saw my report.
Keep Your Soybeans Clean Keep Your Soybeans Clean In 2022, Ontario producers cropped an impressive 3,080,400 acres of soybeans according to Statistics Canada.
Learning Some New Tricks (Teaching an Old Dog) Learning Some New Tricks (Teaching an Old Dog) We in agriculture are lucky. Every year we can look back at our growing season and learn new management strategies to enhance yields in the upcoming one.
Ag Co-ops: Training Our Next Generation Ag Co-ops: Training Our Next Generation Farms and agricultural businesses continue to struggle with labour shortages, and an aging population of farmers means that many are looking toward the next generation.
Will Your Next Pickup Be Electric? Will Your Next Pickup Be Electric? Production expands to offer more zero-emission trucks for potential farm use.
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