Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

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.


Sustainable land use a priority for incoming OSCIA president

Thursday, September 26, 2013

by SUSAN MANN

Northern dairy farmer Allan Mol knows first hand how improving the land can benefit his family’s farm.

Mol was acclaimed 2014 president of the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association at the association’s annual summer directors’ meeting held at his farm near Thunder Bay. He farms in partnership with his wife, Margaret; his brother, Henry and his wife, Jenny; and their families. Together they operate Valley Centre Farms in Thunder Bay district where they grow alfalfa, barley, corn and soybeans on 450 acres and milk 85 cows.

imagephoto: Allan Mol

Mol says when he and Henry began farming in the early 1980s they had a hard time growing enough feed for their cattle each year so they focused on improving their land. “I guess we were kind of forced to,” he says.

Mol says they’re focused on ensuring their land is managed sustainably. To him that means using the land in the best way possible, keeping it in good condition and “leaving it in better shape than what you got it in.”

The Mols started installing tile drainage in the 1980s. They used manure as their primary fertilizer source and that’s still the case today. Other land improvement techniques they use include crop diversification and rotation. The result is that now they are mainly self sufficient for most of their cattle’s feed.

Before improving their land, “buying feed and having high feed bills were really putting a crimp in our style,” he says, noting now they don’t buy many nutrients except for minerals and a few extra protein sources, such as canola meal. They grow soybeans for protein but “we don’t want to be limited to one protein source for the dairy cattle,” notes Mol, who takes over as association president after the annual meeting in February. He is currently the association’s first vice-president.

As for some of his priorities as president, Mol says it’s to ensure the work the association has been doing during the past few years continues, such as projects under Growing Forward 2.

Mol, who becomes president in the association’s 75th year, represents the districts of Kenora, Rainy River and Thunder Bay. BF

Current Issue

March 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Farmer Planting Decisions for 2025 Taking Shape

Thursday, March 13, 2025

As farmers across Canada prepare for the 2025 crop year, Statistics Canada says their planting decisions reflect a complex mix of factors including moisture conditions, crop rotation considerations, and market prices. Nationally, farmers are expected to plant more wheat, corn for... Read this article online

Grain Growers of Sounding the Alarm Over U.S. Tariffs

Monday, March 10, 2025

Not surprisingly, the Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) is raising concerns over the United States' decision to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian grain and grain products, a move that could jeopardize the livelihoods of family-run grain farms and lead to higher food prices for American... Read this article online

International Women’s Day – Angela Cammaert

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

As International Women’s Day approaches on March 8, Farms.com is asking women in ag about what they’d tell their younger selves about being a farmer, to give a piece of advice to young women entering the ag sector, and to highlight a woman in agriculture they consider a mentor or... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top