2020 Yield Tour Event is going VIRTUAL

Tractor with 2,079 hours sells for highest price at auction

The 2018 John Deere 8370R sold after 248 bids

70 dairy processing businesses will receive funding to increase productivity and modernize food safety capabilities

The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $7.18 million through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) in 70 projects across the province to enhance and modernize dairy processing capacity and food safety. The funding from this initiative, which is cost-shared by the dairy sector, is expected to generate approximately $22 million in total capital investments, while reinforcing the supply of safe, high-quality Ontario milk on store shelves. The Dairy Processing Modernization Initiative is over 90% subscribed and still accepting applications from cow, goat, sheep and water buffalo milk processors. Successful applicants can receive up to $200,000 in cost-shared funding to enhance processing efficiency and food safety in their facilities. The funding can be used to help cover the costs of new or refurbished equipment, one-time training and more. Examples of projects include: Four All Ice Cream in Waterloo receiving up to $200,000 for a walk-i

Tomato breeder travels the world to evaluate her creations

A former Brantford woman’s love for science has led to a rewarding career in the agri-food industry. Kelsie MacLellan is a plant breeder for HeinzSeed in Leamington, Ontario where she has developed a new variety of processing tomato that is showing much promise. “I try to create new varieties that are extremely resistant to tomato diseases or pathogens,” MacLellan explained. “H2590 is one of my new offerings that has been performing extremely well through the trial phase in Europe and South America.” She is responsible for crops in the largest tomato-growing countries in the world including Italy, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Chile, and parts of North America. MacLellan creates 300 new varieties of tomato each year and spends summers working 10-to-12-hour days, seven days a week in tomato fields around the world evaluating red fruit on the vine. “The travel sounds really glamourous but I’m living in a tomato field basically,” she quipped. “I have two kids and I’m lucky that my husband

HomeGrown campaign notes local food available all through the year

Even during the cold winter months when most Ontario farms are dormant for the season, there are local food options to be found in local supermarkets and farmers’ markets. Enter HomeGrown, an initiative of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) that, in addition to stressing the importance of buying local, focuses on preserving Ontario farmland. The province loses an average of 319 acres of farmland every day. To put that in perspective, that area could fit 797 hockey rinks or 49,766 cars. “Ontario and the fact that we grow a wonderful array of fruits and vegetables, grains, flowers, food, fibre, all kinds of things,” said Mark Reusser, an OFA vice president who farms in Waterloo Region. “They’re available for citizens of our great province, also emphasizing the fact that everything we grow is dependent upon the land to grow it on and that we’re losing 319 acres of farmland every day, and that’s not sustainable.” Southwestern Ontario is one of the best places in North America

University of Guelph: Evolving students into agri-food leaders through internships

The agriculture and food sector in Canada is booming, but the industry faces a significant challenge: a shortage of highly skilled workers. In fact, the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) estimates a workforce shortfall of 123,000 by 2029. “Throughout the agri-food system, there’s a desperate need for people with a variety of skill sets, and this labour gap has widened significantly,” affirms Dr. John Cranfield, the interim dean of the University of Guelph’s Ontario Agricultural College. “This means that both educational institutions and industry have to work together to grow the talent pipeline.” Thankfully, the University of Guelph, located just outside Toronto, is making strides in filling the gap. For over 150 years, its Ontario Agricultural College (OAC), has been at the forefront of agricultural sciences and practices, tackling global food challenges and fuelling the University of Guelph‘s status as “Canada’s Food University”. This explains why it ranks first