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AgVisionTV: Why should farmers be interested in the word "Local" in the food industry. Click to watch this show.

Added by Kevin Stewart on July 16, 2011 at 4:31am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Decades of Dynamic Change for Ontario Agriculture

By John Clement

July 15, 2011

 

I’m starting to show my age because I recently realized that I’ve spent very close to 30 years working at a professional career in Ontario’s entrepreneurial agricultural community. Having grown up on a century-plus farm in southern Ontario, I moved into agricultural journalism for a number of years before going to work as a staff member for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario. Over the course of those three decades, I’ve assembled some… Continue

Added by CFFO Blog on July 15, 2011 at 4:20am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Farmers Need to Enroll in Ontario Risk Management Program

By Nathan Stevens

July 8, 2011

 

Last week’s formal announcement of a Risk Management Program is arguably one of the most significant accomplishments for Ontario’s agricultural groups in a long time. From the perspective of agricultural leaders, this is a program that has been fought for over an extended time period that seeks to address needs for Ontario’s farmers in a global environment. The next step is to see whether the average farmer agrees with this assessment and chooses to… Continue

Added by CFFO Blog on July 8, 2011 at 2:44am — No Comments

Agostino: Bearish USDA Reports Creates Grain Market Price Volatility. Click To Watch Videos.

Added by OntAG Admin on July 3, 2011 at 8:47am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Management Groups Can Hone the Skills of Farmers

By John Clement

July 1, 2011

 

Farm business management groups have been used across Canada over the past few decades but there appears to be a renewed push today to broaden their appeal. Although these groups can vary widely from sector-to-sector, most feature a small group of farmers working with a facilitator to compare individual production and financial records against those of peers. In the process, the aim is to grow and develop the management skills of all participants in… Continue

Added by CFFO Blog on July 3, 2011 at 7:14am — No Comments

Farms.com Market School: Understanding Grain Cash Basis And How It Works.

Added by OntAG Admin on June 25, 2011 at 9:15am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Evaluating the Value of Dollars spent on Environmental Projects

By Nathan Stevens

June 24, 2011

 

In a world of limited financial resources, choosing the best environmental projects and the targets to be met can be difficult for policy makers. Recently, Dr. Anna Roberts from the Department of Primary Industries in Victoria, Australia, shared an approach to establishing and evaluating environmental improvement goals.

 

The approach is known as INFFER, which is short for Investment Framework for Environmental Resources. The key point of… Continue

Added by CFFO Blog on June 24, 2011 at 4:45am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Profitability in the Ontario Food Chain Extends to Input Suppliers

By John Clement

June 17, 2011

 

The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario has said repeatedly that a sustainable Ontario agriculture needs to be profitable for all those in the food chain. Typically, most people view the food chain as only extending upwards from farmers to processors and retailers. But the reality is that it extends much further than that conception to include both consumers and farm input suppliers.

 

That reality was spelled out in a recent letter I… Continue

Added by CFFO Blog on June 17, 2011 at 5:45am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Healthy Food Processing Sector Creates Opportunities for Our Farmers

By Nathan Stevens

June 10, 2011

 

Efforts are being made to increase awareness of the importance of the food processing industry in Ontario. The Government of Ontario and Synthesis Agri-food Consulting recently developed A Global Hub for Food Processing: Agri-food Asset Map. This document highlights the province’s diverse food growing and processing sector.

 

The Agri-food Asset Map highlights the strengths that Ontario has to offer as a place for…
Continue

Added by CFFO Blog on June 10, 2011 at 2:19am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Helping Out In The Rebuilding of An Agricultural Sector

By John Clement

June 3, 2011

 

The University of Guelph and Njala University in Sierra Leone have entered into a unique arrangement to strengthen the African institution’s ability to help in the rebuilding and development of agriculture and community service. As part of that arrangement, a delegation from the Sierra Leone university recently toured Ontario to gain a sense of how our province has put together a strong working relationship between farmers, producer groups,…

Continue

Added by CFFO Blog on June 3, 2011 at 2:16am — No Comments

Farms.com Market School: Factors That Influence Grain Commodity Price Basis

Lesson 17: Moe Agostino of Farms.com Risk Management provides some information on what the main factors that impact on the grain commodity price basis.



For the additional lessons visit…

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Added by OntAG Admin on June 3, 2011 at 2:14am — No Comments

Farms.com Market School | Basis in Time vs. Basis in Space

Lesson #16: Part 3 of 4 in the mini series of understanding basis. This

video looks more closely at basis in time and space and it's effects on

your bottom line.

 

For all the Farms.com Market School Videos - Visit…

Continue

Added by OntAG Admin on June 3, 2011 at 2:09am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Charting the Unknown Territory of Source Water Protection

By Nathan Stevens

May 27, 2011

 

Ontario is taking steps to protect our source water. However, we really don’t know what sort of impact this protection will have on farmers and their livelihoods. The requirements farmers may face, and the manner in which this process develops, will greatly impact agriculture’s support for the Clean Water Act.

 

There are a variety of options that source water committees are able to use to improve water quality. These range from…
Continue

Added by CFFO Blog on May 27, 2011 at 2:07am — 1 Comment

The CFFO Commentary: Key Questions for a Changing Agriculture

By John Clement

May 20, 2011

 

Farming is changing. And it’s not just changing in the scale of operations we now have, or the increasingly diverse markets we now supply. It’s also changing in how we view the vocation of farming and how it connects to rural communities and our fellow farmers. Simply put, our emphasis on the business of farming now often overshadows other dimensions to farming that we used to take for granted.

 

At the core of this change is predominately the… Continue

Added by CFFO Blog on May 20, 2011 at 3:15am — No Comments

Wheat School: OMAFRA's Peter Johnson On Evaluating Winter Wheat Plant Stands.

Added by OntAG Admin on May 18, 2011 at 3:27pm — No Comments

University of Guelph SparkAir Video: Alltech Innovation Competition - Arie Duizer Click to watch the video.

Added by Joe Dales on May 13, 2011 at 6:10am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Social Change Creates Evolving Standards for Farmers

By Nathan Stevens

May 13, 2011

 

There are times when a series of events come together and force change within an otherwise stable industry, game, or community. The status quo can change over time as new knowledge or societal expectations emerge. A perfect example is the shift in attitude towards head-shots in hockey. The question arises – are there uncomfortable areas within agriculture that are not being dealt with because the pressure to change isn’t great enough…
Continue

Added by CFFO Blog on May 13, 2011 at 4:39am — No Comments

Dr Val Farmer Video: Managing and Leading Your Workers On The Farm.

Added by Kevin Stewart on May 9, 2011 at 2:50pm — No Comments

On Site Ethanol Processing - Use of crop waste

I would like to start a discussion regarding On-site ethanol processing.  I believe that 'decentralized' production of ethanol using waste from farm crops is a niche that has not been exploited.  The problem with the large ethanol plants trying to workout the cellulosic ethanol problem is the cost of the enzymes for pre-treatment of the waste products.  However, if a farmer can process the waste him/herself on his own farm using his waste or even his corn and then use the ethanol in his/her own… Continue

Added by Richard Edmonds on May 9, 2011 at 5:32am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Promise of Federal Farming and Food Strategy Needs to Deliver

By John Clement

May 6, 2011

 

Now that the election signs are being gathered up and put away for another four years, it’s time to consider some of the implications of a majority Conservative government for Canadian agriculture. And nothing may be a greater opportunity for farmers than a commitment by the newly-elected Conservative government to create a new national farm and food strategy to guide and support agriculture over the… Continue

Added by CFFO Blog on May 7, 2011 at 7:56am — No Comments

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

ABP Working Groups address key issues

From traceability to trade structure, coal mining to wildlife conflict, ABP has active working groups on four of the most important files facing Alberta beef producers. Here are updates from each of the groups: Traceability Following the direction of resolutions carried by delegates at the 2026 Annual General Meeting, ABP’s board is forming a dedicated Traceability Working Group. The working group will examine traceability closely, with the objective of providing producer-driven feedback and solutions that reflect on-the-ground realities across Alberta’s beef sector. Members of the working group are being finalized, and will include representatives from ABP’s executive, directors and delegates; partner cattle organizations; and groups such as the Government of Alberta. The working group will be supported by a dedicated facilitator to maintain clear timelines, while also ensuring issues are thoroughly examined. The goal is to develop realistic, workable recommendations to present t

What drives the true cost of forage production?

New COP Network benchmarks reveal what drives forage production costs in Canadian cow-calf operations, from hay and silage to greenfeed, and where producers can improve efficiency. Forage is the backbone of every cow-calf operation — but how much does it really cost to grow? While feed is often viewed as a “homegrown” input, the reality is that forage production can make or break cost competitiveness, especially as input costs continue to rise. Data from the Canadian Cow-calf Cost of Production Network show wide differences in the cost of producing forages such as hay, corn silage, corn for grazing, cereal silage, and greenfeed. But the real insight isn’t just what those costs are, it’s why they differ from farm to farm. Forage costs vary, management matters This analysis includes data from 59 COP Network benchmark farms from 2020 to 2024, covering five major forage types — hay, corn silage, corn for grazing, cereal silage, and greenfeed. Hay remains the dominant forage on Canadia

Multiple pickup trucks under recall

Like any piece of farm equipment, pickup trucks are subject to recalls

Most regions hit the home stretch of seeding

Provincial seeding progress is nearly complete as 93 per cent of seed has been put in the ground across Saskatchewan. The latest figure is up from 80 per cent the previous week, but is still behind the five and ten year average of 97 per cent. The west-central region leads the way at 98 per cent complete, the southwest at 97 per cent, the southeast 96 per cent, the northwest 95 per cent and the northeast entered the home stretch at 92 per cent complete. But farmers in the east-central region still have some work to do as progress currently sits at 84 per cent. While it's a large increase from 63 per cent the previous week, it remains behind the five year average of 93 per cent for the region. Crops Extension Specialist with the Ministry of Agriculture Samantha Marcino, who is based out of Yorkton, notes the Calder area had 164 millimetres of rain and the Canora area around 72 mm. "This did increase the topsoil moisture levels, obviously, in those regions, and some of them were sit

Horizon School Division, Nutrien bring hydroponic learning lab to Lanigan students

Students at Lanigan School will soon get their hands dirty while learning about food production and agriculture. Horizon School Division and Nutrien announced this week a partnership that will see the installation of a hydroponic grow container at the school. Director of Education for Horizon Kevin Garinger says they first saw the grow container in Alberta a few years ago, and the one to be established in Lanigan is the first of its kind within the School Division. "Food security is so vital, and I think one of the things that we are trying to do through this process is educate our children about the impact of the work our farmers, our communities, and our big businesses do in support of agriculture in our province and ultimately across our country and world." said Garinger, adding its opportunities like this that can inspire students to pursue a career in agriculture. "If we make that impact, if we make that kind of impact on the ag industry, on our children to understand that the

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