Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

So I think its official – I’m a real farmer. Now there was no certificate or degree from Guelph. No big ceremony or letter stating I was now accepted to the farming profession. I’ve decided I’m a real farmer because of one innocent thought. People told me I would have these thoughts, they warned me to expect them. I always shrugged those naysayers off saying I would not be like other farmers. But then it happened, just like it was suppose to. We were baling hay late yesterday afternoon. The third cut crop had been sitting in the field for about a week trying to dry through showers and rain storms. We finally got a 3 day string of sun and took advantage of it. The big square baler quickly going up and down the rows followed shortly by my grandfather and I picking those bales up to take to the barn. One load turned into two; two to three; three to six; and we kept taking them off. Then it happened. I thought it was too bad we had such a good hay crop because it was proving difficult to get it all into the barn.

Why do we do that? Turn something that we hope and pray for into a negative? Jokes have been made about these thoughts, the ones where nothing can ever prove good enough for a farmer. Dennis Hull talks about the guy who complains that a good grain crop is tough on his machinery. I joke about the farmer I golfed with who got a hole in one and complained because he could have used the putting practice. It really is a funny phenomenon when you think about it, but I continue to be intrigued about it. I’m hoping we can have some fun with this. What positive thing have you turned to a 'too bad...?' Don't be shy, post a comment and let me know.

Views: 47

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Comment by Wayne Black on August 28, 2009 at 5:02am
Not everyone does it. I think it is all in your outlook on life. On the flip side we always try to see the good in a bad situation. Like the fella who was in a tractor accident. While in surgery they found a tumour that was never found before.
I have a theory that people who listen to country music generally are negative. (I have a tear in my beer...). While pop music is generally upbeat and positive (tonight is going to be a good night - Black Eyed Peas).
Comment by Andrew Campbell on August 27, 2009 at 4:32am
I think a lot of Canadians are like that - I just think farmers are better at it. Partly because of all the elements that are out of their control.

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Senior government adviser 'astonished' at Ministers' failure to act swiftly

A senior advisor to the Scottish Government has said he was ‘astonished’ at Ministers’ failure to act swiftly on clear warnings that the Covid virus was ‘vastly more dangerous’ to the elderly and the vulnerable. Professor Mark Woolhouse, who was a member of the Scottish Covid-19 Advisory Group (C19AG) from March 2020, gave evidence to Baroness Hallett’s inquiry that ‘the single most important intervention was always to protect those most vulnerable to severe disease’. Despite this, he said, he and his C19AG colleagues struggled to get Ministers to listen and act on this crucial point despite delivering ‘at least half a dozen direct briefings to the First Minister’ on aspects of the pandemic. The professor, a leading expert on tracking infectious diseases, said: ‘I was astonished throughout those early stages, March through April 2020, how difficult it was to get people to accept that this virus was vastly more dangerous to the elderly, the infirm and the frail than it was to young,

Canada seeking to expand PHL agri role after success of dairy, hog collaboration

CANADA is seeking to expand its footprint in Philippine agriculture following the success of some of its collaborations in the Philippine hog and dairy industries, a Canadian government official said. Diedrah Kelly, executive director of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office, said at a food security forum late Monday that the use of Canadian technology in some Philippine farms has yielded efficiency and productivity gains. “As a result of this technology, the yield on those cows is about a liter more (of milk) each day than what they had previously,” Ms. Kelly said. “Canadian technology and genetic material are being provided for both pork and dairy,” she added. The technology-sharing supports the Philippines’ drive to expand its dairy industry. The Department of Agriculture (DA) said it set a target of 5% of the Philippines’ dairy requirements to be serviced by domestic production within the next two or three years. The Philippines currently imports about 99% of

This little piggy is in a selfie

Tourists love picturesque places — if a photo can do well on social media, you know that tourists are going to dig that attraction. However, at the New Forest National Park in southern England, tourists seem to love the pigs that roam the park, almost 600 of them. They seem to be so obsessed that they have befriended them and are constantly taking pictures with them. Some of them took it to an extreme and took selfies with the phone near their snouts, while other park workers have also noticed the tourists leaping out of their cars and following the piglets down a busy road. While a few other tourists have taken a more respectful and gentle approach. The visitors have now been labelled the “piggy tourists”, a social crime that has annoyed people at the park as well as those in charge of animal welfare. The reason there are so many pigs in the park is becuse of a yearly ritual called “pannage”, where the swine are released to eat up all the acorns and nuts that could otherwise be toxi

Pig finds new forever home after Albuquerque highway chase

A 1-year-old pig that led New Mexico authorities on an Albuquerque highway chase has a new permanent home, officials said. The pig was spotted on the Interstate 40 off-ramp to Louisiana Boulevard on Nov. 11 and video captured at the scene shows Albuquerque officers chasing the slippery swine through the roadway. The pig was eventually taken to Albuquerque's Westside Shelter and Albuquerque Animal Welfare announced on social media that the animal has found a new forever home. The new owners, who dubbed the pig Boar-is, said they saw his plight on the news and knew he needed to become a new member of the family. The owners, Jerrod and Katherine Hinchman, have another pig named Swine-nona. "When we saw him running, we just saw his little spirit and how hard he was working to survive. And we just knew that he would fit right in with our pig," the Hinchmans told KRQE-TV. The couple said their property has a sturdy fence, so Boar-is will not be going on anymore highway adventures anyti

duBreton Responds to Health Canada's Pause on Cloned-Animal Novel Food Policy

duBreton acknowledges Health Canada's decision to indefinitely paused its proposed update to the novel food policy governing foods derived from cloned cattle and swine, as well as their progeny. The organization's recent announcement credits the hold to the volume and nature of feedback received from both industry stakeholders and the public. As a Canadian leader in responsible and ethically raised pork production, duBreton welcomes this pause as an important opportunity for Canadian food officials to deepen engagement with producers, retailers, and most importantly Canadian consumers. "Canadians expect clarity, transparency, and meaningful consultation on issues that directly touch their food supply," said Vincent Breton, duBreton President. "As producers, we consider it our responsibility and believe our governing food authorities should too." duBreton reached out to Health Canada following the novel food announcement and received confirmation, gene-editing technologies are not in

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service