OntAG Admin's Blog – February 2013 Archive (3)

Bringing together today’s leaders with tomorrow’s

Ontario’s deputy minister of agriculture will speak at the Lessons with Local Leaders event

Give Your Fields a Free Health Check-Up: Here’s How

Did you know Ontario farmers can get a free health check-up for their fields? The Farmland Health Check-Up pairs you with a Certified Crop Advisor or Professional Agrologist to evaluate soil health, erosion risks, and nutrient management.

Alberta Farmer Turns Disability into Asset

An Alberta farmer and internet blogger is demonstrating how a challenge can be turned into an asset. "If I Can" was the keynote address on day one of Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium 2025 last week in Saskatoon. Chris Koch (Cook), a Nanton, Alberta farmer, internet blogger and marathoner, has turned a disability into an asset

Avian Flu Back In Western Canada

Avian flu is making the rounds again in Western Canada. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says new cases have popped up in Chilliwack, Abbotsford, and Salmon Arm in B.C., and in Ponoka County here in Alberta. That brings Alberta’s total to nine commercial flocks hit this year, with more under investigation near Strathcona and Leduc. Saskatchewan’s first outbreak of the season showed up in Humboldt last month. Officials blame fall migration for spreading the virus and are urging poultry producers to lock down biosecurity. Meanwhile, an update from an animal sanctuary in BC’s interior. The sanctuary near Summerland is reeling from what staff call a devastating outbreak of avian influenza. Critteraid says its farm has been closed since late October after a positive case of H5N1. The virus was confirmed after several birds, including a rooster named Delta, died suddenly. In total, more than a dozen chickens and five ducks were lost—some euthanized for safety. Interior Health is doing co

Weekly Weather Summary

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s weekly weather summary released today. Information from the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report, which is released weekly by the United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service from April through November, was not available due to the federal government shutdown. “Based on my observations while traveling around the state and the conversations I’m having with farmers, harvest appears to be nearly complete. That’s in line with the five-year average, which shows Iowa typically has about 98% of soybeans and 91% of corn harvested by mid-November,” said Secretary Naig. “There was a notable weather shift over the weekend as many parts of the state received the first snowfall of the season and snow blanketed much of northwest Iowa. Temperatures fell into the teens and low 20s across much of the state, marking the official end of the growing season