Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Well, usually I am a very up-beat, optimistic person. Today, not so much! This year has been really challenging. Worrying about white rot in the wet onion fields, sclerotinia in the carrots, Onion harvest should be winding down right now, and it has barely begun. The onions didn't mature properly this year, some are still standing for heaven sake, not even dug yet! We have crop insurance on the onions, as do many Farmers, but that's not exactly a light at the end of the tunnel! I'm sure they'll find some way to weasel out of having to pay the Farmers for their losses, one way or another. Any onions that have been harvested may or may not dry properly. Farmers who have dryers are using them, but that adds additional costs to the production of this product, on top of the higher than normal input costs already incurrred to keep the onions healthy during the damp summer we've had. The buyers of onions are only willing to pay $5.50 /50# right now. We need at least $6.00, just to break even. When is our government going to realize that the trade they insist on having does not come with fair playing rules. We cannot compete with our trading partners in the global market. There are too many unequal variables, and they're not in our favour!

Views: 223

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

I hear ya'. Some white bean fields in Huron County are getting into that "questionable" stage. Farmers are starting to get edgy about the soybeans. Some corn fields, locally, are starting to lodge due to the wet weather. I checked the corn a few days ago - no where near ready. This past week some farmers have done corn silage (thanks for the cattle to eat that up!) when they have been doing it early September (month late!). If we did not have the cattle to eat corn silage there would be a lot of wasted crop this fall.
Wonder if the cattle would like a top dressing of onions and carrots on their silage?
There's going to be lots of cull onions, but I don't think cattle or pigs would even want to eat them. As a result of the cold damp Spring, smut became a problem, and since the entire growing season has been damp, that has encouraged white rot in some varieties of onions (some can resist). I guess, even though we're in different sectors, we have very similar problems. Oh, the joys of being a Farmer!

Wayne Black said:
I hear ya'. Some white bean fields in Huron County are getting into that "questionable" stage. Farmers are starting to get edgy about the soybeans. Some corn fields, locally, are starting to lodge due to the wet weather. I checked the corn a few days ago - no where near ready. This past week some farmers have done corn silage (thanks for the cattle to eat that up!) when they have been doing it early September (month late!). If we did not have the cattle to eat corn silage there would be a lot of wasted crop this fall.
Wonder if the cattle would like a top dressing of onions and carrots on their silage?
Sorry to hear about the tough weather Avia...I image the strong Canadian dollar is another punch to the gut when you are fighting it out with imported veg...

Have a happy thanksgiving and take care,

Joe
Yes it is. When the dollar is high, exporting our produce gets a little trickier. Gone are the days when the Farmer bought the seed, planted, harvested, and sold--all very simple! In this day and age not only is the Farmer the Steward of the Land, but a futures forecaster, health and safety inspector, mechanic, financial wizard, human resources manager, biology major, scientist, botanist,...did I miss anything?

Enough ranting for one day! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family as well!!!!

Joe Dales said:
Sorry to hear about the tough weather Avia...I image the strong Canadian dollar is another punch to the gut when you are fighting it out with imported veg...
Have a happy thanksgiving and take care,
Joe

Reply to Discussion

RSS

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

FDA approves gene-edited pigs resistant to costly swine disease

British animal genetics company Genus on Wednesday said the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its PRP gene edit under its PRRS Resistant Pig ("PRP") programme for use in the US food supply chain, reported Reuters. The gene edit is designed to provide pigs resistance to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), a disease affecting swine globally, whose symptoms include fever, respiratory distress, premature births. PRRS caused an estimated $1.2 billion per year in lost production in the US pork industry from 2016 to 2020, an 80% increase from a decade earlier, according to an analysis published in 2024 by an Iowa State University expert. In its capital market update in November 2023, Genus had said that its PRP is resistant to prevalent PRRS strains. Genus' shares rose as much as 30% to a near six-month high, and were on track for their biggest one-day gain since December 2008. PRP won't really start affecting Genus' income statement until fiscal year 2027

US pork gains ground in New Zealand despite softening demand in Oceania

US pork exports to New Zealand reached 864 metric tonnes (mt) in February, a 19% increase from the previous year, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Export value surged 54% to $3.7 million. Cumulative January–February shipments climbed 43% to 1,927 mt, with export value up 59% to $7.6 million. In contrast, overall pork exports to Oceania dipped slightly. Total volume for the region edged down 1% to 18,634 mt, while export value fell 2% year-over-year to $66.4 million, as Australian demand softened compared to last year’s elevated levels.

FDA approval for technology to breed PRRS-resistant pigs

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval to swine genetics company PIC for the gene edit used in its pig resistant to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS). The FDA determined that the technology is safe and effective. The gene edit will be used to breed the company’s PRRS-resistant pigs, but the company adds that the approval does not automatically trigger commercialisation in the US. In a press release, the company said that it “becomes among the first companies to gain approval for gene editing in commercial livestock in the US.” “Milestone for the entire pork industry” PIC’s COO Matt Culbertson was quoted, saying it was a “major milestone for consumers, farmers and the entire pork industry.” He said, “We have spent years conducting extensive research, validating our findings and working with the FDA to gain approval.” Also quoted was Banks Baker, the company’s global director of product sustainability. He said, “Addressing PRRS c

Former federal ag minister Charlie Mayer passes away

Charlie Mayer served as minister of agriculture for nearly all of 1993

Maple Leaf Foods Advances Spin-Off of Pork Division into Canada Packers Inc.

Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (TSX: MFI) has announced a major step forward in its previously disclosed plan to spin off its pork operations into a separate entity, Canada Packers Inc. The company has secured an interim court order allowing it to proceed with a special shareholder meeting scheduled for June 11, 2025, to vote on the transaction.

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service