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 —
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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 —
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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 —
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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 —
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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 —
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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…
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,…
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.
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…
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…
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 —
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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…
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 —
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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 —
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NOAA has officially declared El Nino, and the resulting changes in weather patterns could significantly affect crop production across the United States and Canada in the coming months.
A federal judge has ruled that the high-profile Roundup class settlement case must return to Missouri state court, a move expected to accelerate approval of a multibillion-dollar agreement covering tens of thousands of claims.
War in the Middle East and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz contributed to a rapid rise in nitrogen fertilizer values, but prices have dropped dramatically in recent weeks. Some analysts were worried that the normal price reset after spring seeding would not occur this year, but a price drop has happened quickly: There have been reports of international prices for urea, 46-0-0 moving lower, but what matters to farmers is the price locally. Up until a few weeks ago, the price of urea at farm input suppliers in Western Canada was around $1,250 a tonne. According to the Alberta Farm Input Price Survey, the lowest urea price of the past five years was just over $600 a tonne back in July of 2021. However, by April of 2022, world events had pushed urea prices to $1,350 a tonne. While prices this spring were not quite that high, they were onerous as compared to the price of grain. So where are prices right now? What would you need to pay for urea for summer or fall delivery? You cou
Soy Canada’s 2026 annual meeting highlighted the power of collaboration across the soybean value chain and the opportunities ahead for Canada’s soybean industry. Discussions at the event focussed on strengthening market relationships, improving competitiveness and preparing for the future through a renewed strategic vision. The organization’s annual meeting was held June 18, 2026, in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. The event brought together industry leaders from across Canada to review progress over the past year and discuss future priorities for the organization. The 2025-2026 Annual Report highlights progress made in the past year. Brian Innes, Soy Canada Executive Director, shared key accomplishments from the past year, including strengthening relationships with international customers and improving collaboration across the soy value chain. Noted highlights included advancing discussions on soybean protein variability as part of the third Northern Soybean Summit and expanding participa
The Government of Canada is investing over $4.7 million on two community-led traditional food processing facilities that will help Gjoa Haven and Taloyoak residents access more local foods and strengthen food sovereignty in the region. The Government of Canada is taking action to address local food accessibility and high prices in Nunavut. That means advancing reconciliation with Inuit by investing in food systems to strengthen community infrastructure, reduce dependance on imported foods, and lower costs for Nunavummiut. Today, the Honourable Rebecca Chartrand, Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and Minister responsible for CanNor, announced a federal contribution of more than $4.7 million to create country food processing facilities in Gjoa Haven and Taloyoak. This includes $3,389,736 in funding from CanNor, $831,550 from Fisheries and Oceans Canada and $566,038 from Crown-Indigenous Relations and Indigenous Services Canada. The Gjoa Haven Country Food Processing Facility and