Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Red Star's view of agriculture

Nothing unusual but once again the old Red Star almost has me wishing I had a subscription, just so I could have the satisfaction of cancelling it.

http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/708661--where-they-grow...

Views: 64

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Joe Dales on October 19, 2009 at 4:52am
I saw this article last week as well.....really slanted reporting....the author has an agenda...shock consumers...

I clipped the first paragraph where they went looking for a junk food farm......

Farmers really should not get much blame because we get $3.70/bu for the corn turned into $440 of Doritos....not much value share there....thats another topic for discussion.


"So to get to the root of the exploding obesity epidemic, I went in search of a junk food farm.

Such farms are not so easy to spot. No fields of Dorito bags waving in the breeze, no orchards blooming with soda pop, no soil bursting with 99-cent burgers.

What you do see are vast operations growing the raw materials for junk food: soybeans and corn.

The two crops go into the production of many things: pharmaceuticals, industrial products, animal feed – and inexpensive calories.

Tonnes of soybeans and corn are turned into "edible food-like substances," as food system critic Michael Pollan calls them, used in virtually all processed foods, beverages and junk food.

Last year, Ontario farmers planted 2.4 million acres of soybeans and just over 2 million acres of corn. That's nearly half of all cropland in the province, a near-colonization of Ontario farms by the soy and corn industry.

It has provided an abundance of cheap calories for a food system that operates by Doritos economics. A bushel of corn produces some 440 two-ounce bags of 99-cent chips. Farmer grosses $3.70 for the bushel of corn, Doritos more than $440.

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

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

Comfort over courage: The cost of playing it safe in agriculture

There is a quiet crisis in Canadian agriculture. It doesn’t make headlines or trigger emergency meetings, but it is real. Across too much of our industry, initiative has been replaced with hesitation, courage with caution, and leadership with maintenance. We have grown timid, content to manage the past instead of creating the future. We’ve seen this before in Canada. We led the world with Nortel, a company born from Canadian innovation, and watched it collapse under the weight of indecision and caution. We had a second chance with BlackBerry, a global icon that redefined communication, yet we hesitated again. Twice, we mistook comfort for success, and twice we lost the leadership we had earned. Agriculture now stands at a similar crossroads. We have built a world-class system admired for its science, efficiency, and resilience. But if we keep managing yesterday instead of building tomorrow, we will repeat the same national mistake: protecting what we have until it is gone. If we are

New Wheat Crop Report Includes Assessment of Eastern Canada Wheat for First Time

Cereals Canada has released its annual New Wheat Crop Report, the first time the assessment has included wheat from eastern Canada. Compiled for global and domestic customers of Canadian wheat, the report includes information on milling performance, flour/semolina quality, and end-product functionality for Canada’s 2025 wheat crop. Cereals Canada generated the data for the 2025 New Wheat Crop Report through its Harvest Assessment Program, which has traditionally only included wheat from Western Canada. This year, through a partnership with Grain Farmers of Ontario, the organization also assessed eastern wheat classes. According to a Cereals Canada release, favourable weather throughout the eastern Canada winter wheat growing season resulted in “strong yields and good quality.” “This was a milestone year for Cereals Canada,” said Elaine Sopiwnyk, vice president of technical services. “Having the opportunity to analyze wheat from across the country broadened the expertise of o

IGC Raises World Grains Production Estimate Again

The International Grains Council’s estimate of 2025-26 total world grains production is continuing to move higher. The inter-governmental agency’s monthly Grain Market Report on Thursday pegged total global grains output (wheat and coarse grains) at a new record of 2.43 billion tonnes, up 5 million from the October projection and 5% above the previous year’s 2.325 billion. Harvests have so far been “better than expected,” the IGC said, noting that its 2025-26 production estimate has been revised higher in consecutive months since August. This year’s expected larger global harvest will more than compensate for the tightest opening stocks in 10 years, the IGC said, boosting the overall 2025-26 grain supply by 3%, to an all-time high of roughly 3.02 billion. On the demand side, increases for food, feed and industrial uses are projected to push total 2025-26 consumption to a record 2.4 billion tonnes, a 2% increase on the year. At an estimated 619 million tonnes, total global grains

Ont. farmer raises money for employees affected by Hurricane Melissa

An Ontario farmer raised more than $15,000 for his Jamaican migrant workers

CFIA suspends certain livestock shipments from the U.S.

Horses in Arizona tested positive for vesicular stomatitis

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service