Ontario Agriculture

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CFFO Blog's Blog – December 2010 Archive (4)

The CFFO Commentary: Christmas and the Difference it makes for Farming

By John Clement

December 24, 2010



I'm not by nature a person devoted to creeds and confessions, but every once in awhile something will strike me as particularly meaningful in one of those documents. At this Christmas season, some of the words found in the beginning of the Heidelberg Catechism strike me as appropriate. The question is asked "what is your only comfort in life and death?"… Continue

Added by CFFO Blog on December 24, 2010 at 6:34am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary:Farm Policy Increasingly Needs to Pay Heed to the “Missing Middle”

By John Clement

The challenges of farm policy used to be simpler. Most farms in most commodities were about the same size and generated somewhat comparable farm revenues. But those days have been leaving us for awhile now, with new challenges emerging about how to deliver public support that is both fair and appropriate to changes in the scale of production. 

 Increasingly, farming and public interest groups are noting that we are starting to experience what could be called the…

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Added by CFFO Blog on December 17, 2010 at 7:00am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Farmers Matter and Need to Build Goodwill with Consumers

By Henry Stevens

There is general agreement in the farm community that a number of our commodities are in serious financial difficulty and face an uncertain future. There is also general agreement on why family farms in those sectors are facing such difficulties. Where there is less agreement is “how do we solve those problems and…

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Added by CFFO Blog on December 10, 2010 at 6:13am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: New Agricultural Opportunities in Bio-Products

By Nathan Stevens

There are some industry leaders that would argue that one of the greatest opportunities for farmers in the next 20 years will be the development of the bio-products sector. At a recent information session held by the Wellington…

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Added by CFFO Blog on December 3, 2010 at 4:45am — No Comments

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

Choosing Malting Barley for 2027? Market Demand Could Be Key

Canadian malting barley acres are shifting toward newer varieties. CDC Churchill reached 13.7 per cent of Western Canadian acres in 2026, while AAC Synergy retained the top spot at 37.6 per cent. Recommended Varieties

China extends tariff relief for peas, canola meal

China has extended significant tariff reductions on Canadian peas, canola meal, lobster and crabs for another two years after a meeting in Beijing between Chinese officials and International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu. The announcement, part of a deal struck recently, removes a cloud of uncertainty that had been hanging over Canada’s agriculture and seafood sector. The tariff reductions, set to expire on Dec. 31, have been extended to the end of 2028, Sidhu said in a statement from Beijing. The suspended tariffs include 100-per-cent levies on peas and canola meal and 25-per-cent on lobster and crab. Shipments of these products for the first eight months of the year reached $1-billion, according to Sidhu’s office. “This extension gives farmers, producers and harvesters predictable access to the Chinese market, and it’s how we will grow our exports to China by 50 per cent by 2030 to create good-paying jobs and new opportunities for businesses across Canada,” Sidhu said.

Cyclists in another Ontario town worried they’ll lose some bike lanes

The Great Bike Lane Battle of Ontario™ isn’t just happening in Toronto. We’ve already seen several places in the province who are fearful that some of the Toronto removals, and plans to remove more or kibosh future lanes, might affect them. It began over two years ago when Premier Doug Ford’s government passed legislation that changed the way municipalities can create bike lanes. Essentially, the province can now dictate the way towns or cities can create cycling infrastructure that may reduce car lanes. The bill also quite specifically targeted several sections in the city which it planned to remove lanes. After a long legal battle—which included a Charter challenge put forth by cycling advocates, which was ultimately appealed and won by the province—the first round of lane removals began. The Ontario bike lane brouhaha In early October, crews set out to get rid of a 1.2-km section of protected bike lanes on Bloor Street West in the west part of the city. For days, cyclists and s

Eggs of invasive moth detected for the first time in Great Lakes region in Detroit, U.S. says

The eggs of an invasive moth known to be a voracious consumer of trees have been discovered for the first time in the Great Lakes region on a vessel in the Port of Detroit, according to U.S. Customers and Border Protection. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed the specimens came from two distinct subspecies of the flighted spongy moth complex native to Asia. The steel-carrying cargo ship had arrived in Detroit from South Korea via Hamilton. “It's very concerning because … spongy moth is one of those moths whose caterpillars feed on the foliage of a large number of tree species,” said Richard Hamelin, a professor of forestry at the University of British Columbia. He worked with the USDA and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on a DNA test to differentiate the Asian and European varieties of the moth. “My guess is that this [is] being an alarm … bell … because … if there's one ship that had eggs, then … there was … some kind of a breakdown in the inspection or maybe t

Lambton County farmers near end of harvest thanks to favourable weather

Ideal fall conditions have allowed Lambton County producers to bring a smooth and successful harvest near the finish line. Lambton Federation of Agriculture President Mike Belan said the soybean harvest and winter wheat planting finished really well thanks to a long stretch of nice weather. He said area farmers, including himself, have made good progress harvesting corn since with average to above average yields being recorded. "We just finished up last week and I think probably, if you went around the county, we'd be probably 85 to 90 per cent wrapped up on corn harvest," said Belan. "The first part of November has been exceptionally well weather wise." Belan said everyone he talks to has been eager to collect their crops. "November's notorious for having a large snowfall or getting wet and staying wet for the rest of the month," he said. "So, you take advantage of the nice weather when you can." With flurries starting to show in local forecasts, Belan said extra effort is being

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