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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

CCGA Selected a Manitoba Top Employer

Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA) has been recognized as one of Manitoba’s Top Employers, a competition organized by the editors of Canada’s Top Employers, now celebrating 20 years of exceptional workplaces in the province. Earlier today, the results of the 2026 competition were announced online at Eluta.ca and in a special feature in the Winnipeg Free Press. “Being named one of Manitoba’s Top Employers for 2026 is a proud achievement for CCGA,” says Rick White, President & CEO at CCGA. “This honour reflects the dedication and passion of our amazing team and their commitment to our vision of Helping Farmers Succeed and advancing agriculture within the province and across the country.” To achieve recognition through Manitoba’s Top Employers, CCGA was assessed on eight criteria, including 1) workplace, 2) work atmosphere, 3) benefits, 4) vacation and time off, 5) employee communications, 6) performance management, 7) training and development, and 8) community involvement.

Farmers’ Markets Ontario names new executive director

Farmers’ Markets Ontario (FMO) has announced that Melanie Anderson, Ottawa, will assume the role of executive director, effective April 1, 2026. FMO is the only official provincially recognized organization representing more than180 farmers’ markets across the province.

Farmers again caught in geopolitical crossfire

A week ago, things were looking up for Prairie farmers. Canola prices were rising on news China would follow through on its promise to reduce its 75.9 per cent anti-dumping tariff on canola seed after Canada eased steep tariffs on imported EVs. Those canola tariffs have now dropped to 5.9 per cent, plus the nine per cent standard import tariff already in place. While not zero, tariffs of just under 15 per cent make it possible to restore trade flows and maintain China as Canada’s second-largest canola customer. As well, Canada’s prime minister was in India on another diplomatic defrosting mission with positive implications for agricultural exports. Any time the world’s largest exporter of pulse crops such as peas, lentils and chickpeas can make inroads into the world’s biggest market for those commodities, the sun shines a little brighter. While more sales to India weren’t on the agenda, the talks between Mark Carney and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi still shouted progress.

Pulse Market Insight #293

StatsCan Pulse Acreage Numbers (Mostly) Not Surprising The first official forecasts of 2026 seeded area were recently issued by StatsCan, with some “interesting” estimates for a few crops. For pulse crops though, most of the acreage numbers weren’t really out of line with expectations. It’s important to note that even though StatsCan’s estimates were issued in early March, they were based on a farmer survey that occurred between mid-December and mid-January. Since that survey, there have been sizable market developments that could influence acreage decisions. That said, crop rotations are largely fixed and a portion of the acreage was already decided back in December. But there is still room for some late tweaking around the margins. The most noteworthy event was the announcement by the Chinese government to scale back or eliminate import tariffs on canola seed, canola meal and peas, which injected more optimism into those markets. This development added some support for prices whic

Mustard Breakthrough Brings Yield Gains — But GM Concerns Echo Flax Triffid Crisis

Committee chair says a nearly 10% yield jump in mustard is encouraging for growers, but warns GM mustard contamination and federal research cuts could create long-term challenges for Prairie oilseeds. Big yield gains, high-stakes market risks and mounting concerns over federal research cuts dominated flax and mustard discussions at last week’s Prairie Grain Development Committee (PGDC) meetings in Banff, Alta. “We’re seeing a real leap forward in mustard,” said Ken Jackle, chair of the Prairie Recommending Committee for Oilseeds (PRCO), pointing to a new condiment mustard line expected to go forward this year. “It’s quite a yield bump. It’ll have quite a yield advantage over the existing checks.” How big a jump? Almost 10%, he said. For mustard growers, that kind of jump matters. Yield improvements in recent years have been steady, and Jackle credited Dr. Bifang Cheng’s breeding program at AAFC Saskatoon for keeping progress moving. “It’s good to see these increases in their yield

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