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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

Three Agricultural and Food Sciences profs recognized with emeriti title

Three retired faculty members were named professors emeriti in 2025 for their distinguished service to the University of Manitoba: Dr. Harold Aukema, Dr. Ying Chen and Dr. Qiang Zhang. The title is one of the University’s highest honours. Individuals are selected on their distinguished service to teaching, research, creative and scholarly works and service. Each of the awardees contributed to the Faculty and UM throughout their accomplished research and academic careers. Their nominations read: Harold Aukema, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences A dedicated faculty member for 26 years, Dr. Harold Aukema has made transformative contributions to nutritional science, becoming a global leader in the study of diet and fatty acid metabolites, known as oxylipins. His pioneering research has advanced understanding of dietary interventions for kidney health, directly shaping national and international dietary recommendations for polycystic kidney disease. He has published more than 150 peer-

Grow Canada: Strengthening our Voice, Sharpening our Tools

Grow Canada took place in Calgary, AB, December 2-4. It captured the best ideas from a sharp lineup of speakers and panellists, and built the kind of connections that turn good ideas into action. Connecting farmers, dietitians, industry and content creators, it connects everyone to talk about our agriculture industry and discuss the challenges it faces. The main themes were advocacy, artificial intelligence (AI) and inflation. Canadian agriculture is an economic engine that drives jobs, exports and innovation. Our story lands when we tell it consistently. That means increasing our lobbying efforts, showing up with data and farm-level examples, and making the economic case for stable rules, competitive infrastructure, and market access. Advocacy isn’t a side project; it’s risk management for our next decade. AI is like a wrench in the toolbox; useful when pointed at the right bolts. For best results, we need to be repetitive, rules-based, have documents prepared, regulatory submission

Stock Talks connect producers, municipal officials

When Curtis Vander Heyden of Picture Butte’s Grandview Cattle Feeders Ltd. attended Lethbridge County’s Stock Talks in October, he was prepared to discuss some of the challenges his family’s operation faces but did not expect immediate action. “I did attend the Lethbridge County Stock Talks and it led to the operations manager Ryan Thomson, reaching out and coming to one of my locations for a ‘one-on-one’ so we could both air our frustrations about the past management of the road infrastructure and elaborate on what we could change and work together on,” Vander Heyden says. He appreciated the opportunity to meet with a municipal official for a boots on the ground interaction. “It was the first time in recollected memory that anyone from the County of Lethbridge not only took the time, but actually asked for continued input,” Vander Heyden says. Indeed, the Stock Talks he attended provided an organized and moderated environment to have meaningful two-way discussions with municipal o

Province of Manitoba Commits Second Round of Funding for Gate

Cereals Canada today announced that it has received an additional $10.5 million in funding support from the Province of Manitoba for the Global Agriculture Technology Exchange (Gate). This investment brings the total pledged by the Province to $23.5 million. “I would like to thank the Province for its continued support of Gate, and Premier Wab Kinew for championing this project over the last nine months,” said Dean Dias, CEO of Cereals Canada. “Today’s announcement puts us another step closer to getting shovels in the ground at a critical time for Canadian agriculture.” Gate is a new $102-million, state-of-the-art facility being developed by Cereals Canada in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is envisioned as a world-class hub for research, training, and international collaboration to ensure the long-term competitiveness of Canada’s cereals industry. “A strong Manitoba economy depends on helping our agricultural producers reach new markets,” said Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kost

Saskatchewan Exports Continue to Support Food and Energy Security Worldwide

Today the Ministry of Trade and Export Development provided data on Saskatchewan's global exports. Despite a challenging year, where international trade disputes, tariffs and geopolitical events have disrupted trade to traditional markets, Saskatchewan exports are making their way to different markets across the globe. "Saskatchewan products are being sent to over 160 countries, helping to ensure food and energy security for billions of people," Trade and Export Development Minister Warren Kaeding said. "Saskatchewan exports, and the value of those exports continues to grow. Here at home these exports are essential for creating jobs and providing services and infrastructure that ensure the great quality of life for the people of Saskatchewan."  Highlights include: In the first nine months of 2025, one of the top destinations for Saskatchewan products in South America was Brazil, where exports totaled $1.3 billion dollars, primarily in potash.  Exports to Japan have grown considerabl

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