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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

Rural councillors reject rezoning land for controversial battery energy storage system

Ottawa’s Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee has rejected rezoning a property near Dunrobin as a site for a massive battery to store electricity. Three of the five rural councillors on the committee voted against rezoning land on Marchurst Road from rural countryside to rural general industrial to allow for construction of the controversial battery energy storage system, or BESS. A BESS is a giant collective battery — in this case, a lithium-ion battery — used to store electricity and distribute it as needed. Under the proposal from Brookfield Renewables, the 15-acre site on Marchurst Road would be home to a substation, 256 battery containers with noise walls and a stormwater management system to capture runoff. Residents have concerns, including noise, potential fires and contaminated well water. They also say details are sparse about decommissioning the $650-million facility once it has outlived its 25-year life expectancy. The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO),

FCC report highlights productivity as key to Canada's agricultural future

Canadian farmers could see significant income gains and new opportunities if agricultural productivity growth returns to historic highs. The Farm Credit Canada (FCC) report titled Reigniting agricultural productivity in Canada, estimates that boosting productivity growth to two per cent annually could unlock $30 billion in additional farm income, generate $31 billion in GDP, and create nearly 23,000 jobs across the country. Canada has long been a standout among global food producers. Over the past half-century, the agriculture industry has achieved significant productivity growth through better farm management, improved input efficiency and technological innovation. The report warns, however, that productivity growth has slowed in recent years, threatening the industry's competitiveness and Canada's ability to meet growing national and global food demand. "Canada's agricultural productivity growth has consistently outpaced other G7 countries for more than three decades, showing the s

Ontario’s manufacturing jobs fall to lower rate since 1976: budget watchdog

The Ford government's push to make Ontario a "manufacturing powerhouse" appears to be faltering, according to the latest data from the province's budget watchdog, which found manufacturing activity is at its "lowest level since 2015." The Financial Accountability Officer's (FAO) latest economic review found that manufacturing - which represents about 10 per cent of the province's economy - has faced a number of challenges, including pandemic-related shutdowns, supply-chain disruptions, shipping issues, auto plant retooling, slowing demand, and, most recently U.S. tariffs on Ontario’s exports. The result, the watchdog found, was a decline in manufacturing output in seven of the past eight quarters between mid-2023 to mid-2025, leading to 20,600 fewer jobs, representing a declining share of the province's economy. "Manufacturing jobs as a share of Ontario’s total employment recently fell below 10% for the first time since record keeping began in 1976," the FAO said. The report offers

Briefs: $110K hospice gift; Vet student scholarship; Pork conference

The contribution, one the last from the foundation, was made recently in memory of longtime Beattie Foundation president Jack Morrison, who died Oct. 26, the hospice foundation said in a release. The family has opted to donate remaining Beattie Foundation funds to local initiatives close to their hearts, with donations also going to the Chatham-Kent Children’s Treatment Centre and Chatham-Kent Health Alliance foundations, the release said. “Jack was determined to ensure that all arrangements and donations were taken care of before his passing,” his daughter-in law, Jill Morrison, said. “He was deeply passionate about the James A. Beattie Foundation, and I know he would be smiling, likely with tears in his eyes.” The Beattie Foundation, which has contributed $240,000 to the hospice over the years, “has long exemplified the power of quiet generosity, making a significant and meaningful difference throughout Chatham-Kent,” hospice foundation executive director Brock McGregor said. Eri

Eastern Ontario Reopens A Strategic Agricultural Gateway After 30 Years

Eastern Ontario has reopened one of Canada's most strategic agricultural gateways with the arrival of the Federal Montreal, the first bulk vessel fertilizer cargo to dock in the region in almost three decades. Its discharge – coordinated through a logistics partnership led by V6 Agronomy alongside the Port of Johnstown – reactivates a long-dormant section of the St. Lawrence Seaway and establishes a modern Prairie-Seaway trade corridor connecting Western Canadian producers to Eastern and international markets. This renewed corridor links inbound fertilizers with outbound grain, pulses, and agri-products through an integrated marine-rail pathway. The result is a Canadian-controlled logistics chain that improves rail asset utilization, strengthens national food security, and reduces reliance on foreign infrastructure for critical agricultural inputs and exports. "This moment marks the renewal of a corridor that has been dormant for nearly three decades," said Ryan Brophy, CEO of V6 Agr

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