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August 2009 Blog Posts (12)

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AgVisionTV: UnDiscussables with Elaine Froese: Death, Divorce and Disability.

Here is Elaine talking about a difficult… Continue

Added by Kevin Stewart on August 29, 2009 at 3:22am — 1 Comment

It's Official - I'm Now a Farmer.

So I think its official – I’m a real farmer. Now there was no certificate or degree from Guelph. No big ceremony or letter stating I was now accepted to the farming profession. I’ve decided I’m a real farmer because of one innocent thought. People told me I would have these thoughts, they warned me to expect them. I always shrugged those naysayers off saying I would not be like other farmers. But then it happened, just like it was suppose to. We were baling hay late yesterday afternoon. The… Continue

Added by Andrew Campbell on August 26, 2009 at 2:48am — 2 Comments

Which is Better-Livestock or Deadstock?

If you are going to have livestock, you are going to have deadstock.



I don’t know who coined that term, but every farmer knows it’s the truth. But that doesn’t mean you leave anything sick to die.



That would appear to be what some folks rather we do. As noted in an article in TIME Magazine and the New York Times, the world seems to have something against antibiotics.



I’m going to use our small dairy farm as an example. It’s been a tough couple of weeks. After… Continue

Added by Andrew Campbell on August 24, 2009 at 6:35am — No Comments

Learn How to Buy, Manage and Optimize Precision Agriculture Technology.

Wallace: The GPS Guru



My name is Jordan Wallace and I am a partner with a company called GPS Ontario. We have been in business for 8 years selling precision farming equipment to progressive farmers in eastern Canada.



I was asked to write this blog for Farms.Com to help growers learn more about the equipment, management and peripheral issues relating to GPS precision farming practices. With that said I’m hoping to settle a few myths and answer your questions, but my primary… Continue

Added by Jordan Wallace on August 22, 2009 at 4:31pm — No Comments

Agri-Traveller: Small Projects Pay Big Dividends in Rural Brazil

Bob Thomas: The Agri-Traveller A hand up……….not a hand out. On the wall of their simple church is written: “Nao podemos atraz e faxer um novo comeco Mas podemos recomecar fazer uma nova final” How true it is. “We are not able to go back to make a new beginning; but we can make a new ending.” I was meeting with the Sal e Luz (Salt & Light) youth group in the small town of Cha Grande in northeast Brazil to discuss their proposal to SHARE for funding of a screened shade house to raise peppers… Continue

Added by Bob Thomas on August 22, 2009 at 4:11pm — No Comments

New Opportunities Need to be Explored in Midst of Pork Crisis.

New Opportunities Need to be Explored in Midst of Pork Crisis



By Henry Stevens, Christian Farmers of Ontario



It’s no secret that Ontario’s pork sector is currently in a disastrous position. Unacceptably low live hog prices, coupled with high input costs and diminished export markets, have led to a situation in which producers lose money on every hog that leaves the farm. To top it off, there is considerable uncertainty about the role of the provincial marketing system in… Continue

Added by John Clement on August 22, 2009 at 1:55pm — 1 Comment

Leadership Lessons from a Retrofitted Lincoln

Leadership Lessons from a Retrofitted Lincoln



By John Clement



Neil Young has a vision that has leadership lessons for agriculture. Most know the singer-songwriter as either the crooner of acoustic ballads or the prototype of grunge rock. But the former Canadian musician is also sympathetic to the plight of family farmers and has been a strong force and founder of the U.S. Farm Aid concerts. He also fuels his tour bus with U.S.-based biofuels derived from the crops… Continue

Added by John Clement on August 22, 2009 at 1:52pm — No Comments

Emerging Opportunities for Farmers in the Bio-Economy

Emerging Opportunities for Farmers in the Bio-economy.



By Nathan Stevens

August 21, 2009



The emerging bio-economy has the potential to provide Ontario farmers with new and

innovative ways to improve the profitability of their farms. There are currently large hurdles

that are slowing down this process, from regulatory adjustments to policy challenges to

technological speed bumps to mature markets that make it profitable to produce for the… Continue

Added by Nathan Stevens on August 22, 2009 at 1:42pm — No Comments

Do you want biotech wheat?

Do you want biotech wheat?



Two weeks ago I wrote about my hopes for the next phase of biotech traits for agriculture. Since then, grower and processor organizations representing Canada, U.S. and Australia have come forward to indicate they are actively advocating for genetically modified wheat.



Earlier efforts to bring GM wheat with herbicide tolerance to the marketplace failed miserably. Importing nations, end users and consumers put a quick stop to this initiative a few… Continue

Added by Peter Gredig on August 22, 2009 at 1:15pm — No Comments

Interest Rates - Where From Here?

Interest rates – where from here?



Nothing sharpens management skills like a mortgage. For most producers, debt is an inescapable part of the business. In fact, it’s possible that knowing how to manage and optimize debt may be at least as important as agronomy and productivity considerations.



For agriculture, the silver lining to a global recession in outside markets is historically low interest rates. The temptation to take advantage of cheap money is very strong. For crop… Continue

Added by Peter Gredig on August 22, 2009 at 1:14pm — No Comments

Mid-Season Corn/Soy Review

Mid-Season Review



For corn and soybean growers, the calendar says we are well past the mid-season mark, but in many parts of corn/soy country, the crops didn’t get the memo.



With late planting and cool weather from spring through the end of July, it’s a race to the finish line for many corn and soybean fields. The “F” word – frost – is starting to pop up in farmer conversations and with market analysts trying to get a handle on whether we are headed for bumper crops and… Continue

Added by Peter Gredig on August 19, 2009 at 2:30pm — No Comments

Welcome to the new Ontario Agriculture Online Community Website.

We hope you will enjoy visiting and participating in this website that is set up for the Ontario Agriculture Community to share information and network together.

Please take a few minutes to set up an account and share your thoughts and comments on the major issues that are important to you.

Let us know how we can make this a valuable meeting place and resource for Ontario Agriculture.

Thanks,

Joe Dales
Farms.com Ltd.

Added by Joe Dales on August 18, 2009 at 9:35am — No Comments

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

AAFC improves outlook for canola

The price outlook for canola continues to improve, according to the Outlook for Principal Field Crops report from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, released Wednesday. The average price expected for canola in this current crop year was raised by $20 a tonne, while the price projection on canola for the upcoming crop year was raised by $30 a tonne. This is on top of a $60 per tonne increase in April’s new crop price projection. The average new crop price is now expected to be $25 a tonne higher than the average price for the current crop year. The other big price changes this month were on mustard and Canary seed. Ag Canada believes mustard acreage is down by half as compared to last year and the expected drop in production has resulted in a $55 a tonne increase in the projected new crop price as compared to April. Meanwhile, the new crop price projection on Canary seed has been reduced by $45 a tonne.

Farmers Getting Less as Consumers Pay More for Food

Consumers may be paying more, but farmers’ share of the food price pie continued to shrink in 2024, according to a new study from the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS). APAS on Thursday released its third annual Farmers and Food Prices report, which tracks seven key grocery products derived from Saskatchewan commodities. It showed farmers earned less than a year earlier for all products, except for retail pork. For example, the farm share of the price for a 2.5 kg bag of flour eroded to 17% in 2024, down from 19.2% in 2023 and 25% in 2022, while the farm share for 1 loaf of bread dropped to just 4% from 4.9% and 6.2% the previous two years. The farm share for canola oil (3 litres) eased to 30% in 2024, compared to 30.7% in 2023 and 41.6% in 2022. Margerine (907 g) saw the biggest year-over-year fall, with the farm share falling 3 points from 2023 to 11%. Farmers’ share of lentil prices (900 g) amounted to 21% last year, down from 21.5% in 2023, and the s

Enhancing Alberta’s veterinary diagnostic capacity

Alberta is famously a livestock province, renowned for producing some of the world’s best meat. Livestock is also a significant driver of Alberta’s economy, with livestock market receipts totalling almost $12 billion in 2024. For this essential industry to keep growing and thriving, it needs quick, affordable diagnostics and robust disease preparedness. Beginning with Budget 2025, Alberta’s government is providing the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM) with a total of $9.5 million over three years to continue operating a full-service veterinary diagnostic laboratory. “For almost 30 years, Alberta livestock producers and veterinarians had to send diagnostic samples to Saskatchewan or other provinces to get results. This funding will ensure they can get results much quicker, allowing for faster responses to potential animal health-related threats. In uncertain times, this ensures the safety and wellbeing of our livestock sector and reassures international marke

What We’re Missing About Youth and Lawn Equipment Safety

Experts urge rural families to delay youth lawn equipment use until children are physically and mentally ready, as new resources aim to prevent serious injuries.

ATTN Researchers: BCRC Proof of Concept and Clinical Trial Call for Proposals OPEN

The Beef Cattle Research Council invites proposals for proof-of-concept projects and clinical trials. The application deadline for this call is July 21, 2025, at 11:59 PM MT.   With increased investment in research through the Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off, the BCRC has committed to provide research funding in two key areas that have previously had limited funding:   Proof of Concept – proposals to help inform whether a concept is worth pursuing as a larger, more defined funding request  Clinical Trials – proposals to validate practices or technologies that have been discovered through research projects and/or to facilitate the adaptation of technologies utilized in other sectors, commodities or countries  The BCRC has committed funding to short-term projects in these two areas, with a maximum of $50,000 per project regardless of duration. Project duration should be between six months to one year, unless a clear rationale can be provided demonstrating the need for a longer timeframe

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