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September 2009 Blog Posts (6)

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Funding initiatives

This past summer has been an interesting one along the lakeshore. Living and farming in the Ashfield Twp area is particularly interesting each summer due to the influx of tourists that bring their stress and frustrations to the lakeshore for some quality recharge time. Smooth washing waves, romantic sunsets, green fields of crops, quiet countryside and tourist events.

In order to keep them coming some people suggest we need to improve our environmental standards when it comes to water… Continue

Added by Wayne Black on September 26, 2009 at 2:00am — 1 Comment

People Watching

Over the last several years I've been fortunate to be part of the Western Fair - the big fall fair in London. Each year I'm in the barns doing some livestock show announcing and new this year kids pedal tractor pulls. In between events barn staff tend to find each other for a visit and some people watching. You really do get people from all walks of life coming to the fair in the city and the one thing I've learned from all of them, is that people really don't know anything about agriculture.… Continue

Added by Andrew Campbell on September 14, 2009 at 1:30am — 1 Comment

REACH Grand Opening Gala and Open House

This past week I was fortunate enough to participate in two events at the new Regional Equine & Agricultural Centre of Huron. The first was the "black tie" Gala for invited guests in the new Riding Arena on Thursday night. A great list of sponsors made it a fabulous entertaining night that people will be talking about for quite a while. Not very often something like this happens in Huron County. The REACH staff made sure everything was as close to perfect as possible. It was also quite… Continue

Added by Wayne Black on September 12, 2009 at 2:04pm — 2 Comments

Pass the Mayonaise originally written for the September issue of the Rural Voice Magazine

Don't read this article on local food; go to http://www.eatrealeatlocal.ca/ and watch a short video. Seriously, watch the video, download it, send the link to all your friends and contact lists. It should be required reading for every politician and bureaucrat.

Pig farmers will have to examine these latest government handouts and determine if the glass is half empty or half full. I would like to thumb my nose at all government programs. They are all made up of half measures and ad hoc vote… Continue

Added by John Beardsley on September 10, 2009 at 4:20pm — 2 Comments

It Isn't Always Our Fault

Covering agriculture has meant I've been to a pile of meetings. Meetings on getting more profit on your farm, meetings on government regulations, meetings on just about anything you can think of in order to help you be a better farmer. One of the topics that comes up a lot for livestock producers is developing a consistent product. While this usually is directed towards beef producers today, at one time it applied to everyone. Processors and retailers say if you want a better price - they need… Continue

Added by Andrew Campbell on September 7, 2009 at 12:44am — 1 Comment

Unseen Losses By Stewart Skinner

Too often we get caught up in the economic impacts that the loss of an industry can have. We never talk about the social costs of the disappearing jobs. In my own community I have witnessed the devastation to the rural social fabric that follows a major loss of jobs. Children have left rural schools as their families search for better opportunities elsewhere; heck, we haven’t had a full slate of hockey teams in Wallace Township since I was playing peewee. I look at what my own family does in… Continue

Added by OntAG Admin on September 1, 2009 at 2:30pm — 1 Comment

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

Canadian Cattle Young Leaders announce 2026 Finalists

The Canadian Cattle Young Leaders (CYL) Program, a national youth initiative of the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA), is pleased to announce its 16 finalists for the 2026–2027 program year. The annual CYL Selections Competition took place on August 18, 2026, at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba. During the competition, impressive semi-finalists from across Canada, involved in various roles within the beef supply chain, competed for a spot in the 2026 mentorship program year. Through the Selections Competition, semi-finalists rotated through discussions with their peers at six roundtables, each facilitated and judged by representatives from the program’s sponsors and industry. Semi-finalists put their skills to the test during thought provoking discussions about timely beef industry topics such as education, succession planning, leadership, public trust, innovative technology and international trade. Each finalist will be awarded a $3,000 budget for beef i

Breeding Barley for an Uncertain Water Future

Western Crop Innovations breeder Yadeta Kabeta explains how new barley varieties are helping Prairie farmers manage drought, improve water-use efficiency and maintain yield stability in an increasingly unpredictable climate. Few production challenges occupy prairie farmers’ minds more consistently than water. Some years it’s too little. Other years it’s too much. Even when total rainfall looks adequate, the timing often isn’t. Moisture may arrive after the crop’s most critical growth stages have passed, or disappear altogether during grain fill. For Yadeta Kabeta, barley breeder with Western Crop Innovations (WCI), that increasing variability has become one of the defining challenges facing Prairie crop production. “Low moisture availability or variability in moisture is currently probably a top concern for producers,” says Kabeta. “In recent years there has been so much variability in the amount of rainfall and in the patterns of rainfall. Sometimes it doesn’t come when crops need

Wheat, Barley Groups Partner to Reshape Canadian Breeding System

The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition and Canadian Barley Research Coalition have entered a formal strategic partnership aimed at strengthening and modernizing Canada’s wheat and barley breeding system. Announced Thursday, the agreement brings the Canadian Barley Research Coalition (CBRC) formally into ongoing discussions between the Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC), and Agriculture Canada on the future of cereal breeding. CWRC chair Jocelyn Velestuk said the partnership builds on a history of collaboration between the two organizations and reflects the common challenges facing wheat and barley breeding. “Many farmers grow both wheat and barley, and the breeding systems for both crops face similar challenges that we can now address collaboratively,” said Velestuk in a statement. The discussions grew out of a CWRC review of Canada’s wheat breeding innovation system, which examined potential risks and opportunities and how the system can continue developing high-performin

Saskatchewan Yield Estimates Mixed as Harvest Reaches 18% Done

Saskatchewan’s 2026 crop is shaping up with lower yields than last year for many major crops, although durum, peas, and mustard are notable exceptions, according to the latest provincial crop report on Thursday. The province currently estimates the average spring wheat yield at 52 bu/acre, down from Statistics Canada’s final 2025 Saskatchewan yield of 55.8 bu. Barley is pegged at 74 bu./acre versus 78.2 last year, while oats are estimated at 94 bu/acre, down from 101. Canola is estimated at 38 bu/acre compared with 44.4 in 2025, while flax is projected at 26 versus 27.8. Durum is estimated at 44 bu/acre, up from 39.6 last year, while peas at 39 bu./acre are slightly above the 2025 yield of 38.6. The average provincial lentil yield is currently estimated by the province at 1,361 lbs/acre, below last year’s 1,705 lbs. Canary seed is pegged at 1,266 lbs versus 1,623 in 2025, while chickpeas at 1,501 pounds are down sharply from 1,985. Mustard is the exception, with the 2026 estimate

Global Food Commodity Prices Up Again in August

Global food prices rose for a second consecutive month in August, reaching their highest level since late 2022, as adverse weather, geopolitical tensions and trade disruptions increased concerns about supplies of major agricultural commodities. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations said Friday that its Food Price Index averaged 133.3 points in August, up 1.9% from a revised July reading and 2.5% above a year earlier. The index had risen 0.6% in July after declining 0.3% in June. Despite reaching its highest level in about four years, the index remained roughly 17% below the all-time high of 160.2 points reached in March 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine Cereal prices were among the main drivers of the August increase. The FAO cereal price index averaged 116.3 points, up 2.2% from July and reaching its highest level since May 2024. Prices increased across all major grains amid strong demand, weather concerns and continued uncertainty surrounding

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