Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

December 2012 Blog Posts (15)

Camera’s and their uses around the farm

With the ever rising costs of equipment, inputs and pretty much everything on the farm, protecting your investment is becoming very critical.  Stolen tractors, implements, tools and anything else a thief can sell quickly, or overseas, is becoming common place in our rural communities.  Cameras are an excellent deterrent to stop would be thieves from violating your business and life.  With many farmers living at their place of business, thefts can feel violating to your entire…

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Added by Paul Smith on December 28, 2012 at 3:30am — No Comments

Forgotten Points Of Vegetable Harvest Efficiency

With harvest finally over for most producers throughout Ontario, many farmers will reflect on how to improve on the results of last year.  These points are often over looked ways to improve harvest efficiency.  I have listed what my experience shows as the most overlooked, but still very important.

  • Pre-Season Inspections- Ensure your equipment uptime is maximized, downtime is very costly during the short harvest season.
  • Evenflows ensure a constant flow of product for…
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Added by Paul Smith on December 21, 2012 at 1:30am — No Comments

Rabobank Executive Survey: China Will Continue To Drive Demand for Agricultural Commodities....Thoughts on The Results?

Major trends in agriculture from Rabobank Ag Executive Survey.

 

From Rabobank

China's continued influence on agricultural commodity demand and global economic growth, along with increasing weather extremes, stand out as key issues for North American food, beverage and agribusiness in 2013, a recent poll of Rabobank clients shows. 

The poll of over 350 executives from leading companies in the North American food, beverage and agribusiness industry was conducted at…

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Added by Joe Dales on December 20, 2012 at 6:23am — No Comments

GPS Corrections and Their General Uses

After many years of precision agricultural use, many questions still exist of what is the correct correction for each operation.  I have listed the corrections available and a brief description of their uses.

Wide Area Augmentation Signal (WAAS) –

Accuracy: < 6-8”

Initialization/Convergence: Standard*

This free service provides performance suitable for agriculture applications in which accuracy and repeatability are not of the highest…

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Added by Paul Smith on December 19, 2012 at 5:30am — 3 Comments

Camera’s and their uses around the farm

With the ever rising costs of equipment, inputs and pretty much everything on the farm, protecting your investment is becoming very critical.  Stolen tractors, implements, tools and anything else a thief can sell quickly, or overseas, is becoming common place in our rural communities.  Cameras are an excellent deterrent to stop would be thieves from violating your business and life.  With many farmers living at their place of business, thefts can feel violating to your entire…

Continue

Added by Paul Smith on December 19, 2012 at 2:30am — 4 Comments

High Quality Soil Is The Beginning To High Quality Crops

Imagine harvesting a bumper crop, in perfect loose soil with no trash, clods or rocks.  Many would say that this will never be possible here in North America.  Northern Equipment Solutions is now offering the equipment and knowledge needed to take advantage of this tried and proven technology from Europe.  Improved shape, quality, size uniformity and yield are all now possible.

Many Farms within Europe have seen the benefits of soil conditioning and quad planting, with its…

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Added by Paul Smith on December 17, 2012 at 2:46pm — No Comments

Tips To Lowering Bruise Rates – It’s A Full Season Process

Before Planting

• Select fields that are best suited for growing potatoes and are free from excessive rocks.  Investigate the soil conditioning technics presently adopted throughout Europe, if unavoidable.

• Avoid tillage practices that create clods that will not break down during the growing season.  Rotary tillage methods prevent clods in clod prone soils.

 

During the Growing Season

• Use a balanced fertility program to keep vines green…

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Added by Paul Smith on December 17, 2012 at 3:00am — 15 Comments

Variable Rate Technology – What Is It, Can I Do It?

Inputs prices are high and so are crop prices. Managing costs and yields is critical to success on your farm. With commodity prices high you cannot settle for average yields. The use of variable rate precision ag products and services helps farmers to do just that. Placing the inputs in the intended prescribed areas has become very popular and makes a tremendous amount of sense for many producers. With the use of satellite imagery, plant health data, soil testing and harvest data, some very…

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Added by Paul Smith on December 14, 2012 at 2:00am — No Comments

The Future of Agricultural Technology, Today

Veris Technologies has become a name known as the go to tool for advanced soil information.  Offering 3 different sensing systems Veris Technologies can provide information on Soil Type, Organic Matter and PH levels individually or in any combination of the 3.  Here is the 3 types of soil sampling systems available and how you can benefit from knowedge gained.

Soil EC Sensing- Is soil electrical conductivity, a measurement of how much current your soil…

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Added by Paul Smith on December 12, 2012 at 3:00am — No Comments

Farms.com Market School: How To Deal With A Commodity Broker Video Lesson.

Remember commodity trading is financially risk and not for everyone. This video is for educational purposes only.

Added by Joe Dales on December 8, 2012 at 5:06am — No Comments

How To Choose A Precision Ag Dealer or Brand- And The Misconceptions Involved in Your Purchasing Decision

As a precision GPS specialist, I am amazed when my initial conversation with a new customer starts with a few common comments about precision GPS systems and the brands that represent them. My return to all of these comments is the exact same statement, but I have decided to list what someone with years of precision knowledge has to say about these mis-conceptions and not the canned my product is better that many…

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Added by Paul Smith on December 7, 2012 at 9:15pm — No Comments

Canada's 2012 Outstanding Young Farmers Honoured.

Prairie winemakers and Quebec sheep farmers share

Canada’s 2012 Outstanding Young Farmers honour

 

Ancaster, ON [December 4, 2012] – Saskatchewan fruit wine producers and first generation Quebec sheep farmers are Canada’s 2012 Outstanding Young Farmers (OYF). Sue Echlin and Vance Lester of Perdue, Saskatchewan and Martin Brodeur Choquette and Johanne Cameron of St-Charles-sur-Richelieu, Quebec were…

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Added by OntAG Admin on December 4, 2012 at 7:24am — No Comments

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

Team Alberta Crops Breakfast

As the new communications intern at Alberta Canola, the Team Alberta Crops breakfast was my first time at an agriculture policy event. I come from an urban background with limited exposure to farming. Insights from presenters Milt Poirier, from QGI Consulting, and Neil Blue, a provincial Crop Market Analyst with Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, fundamentally changed my understanding of the agricultural industry.   I no longer see Canadian agriculture as simply the production of farm products. Instead, I now view farming in the context of globally interconnected systems. These systems encompass the inputs that farmers rely on, the production processes, and the networks of processing and logistics. All of these systems are further shaped by external forces, including national and provincial policies, international trade rules, climate patterns, and technological innovations.   Global Competition and Climate Challenge   From Neil Blue’s talk, I learned that agriculture is a competit

2025 Performance Variety Trial Results Now Available

The 2025 Performance Variety Trials (PVT) results are now available, delivering the latest, region-specific data to support informed crop variety decisions across Alberta and Western Canada. The annual PVT program evaluates cereal, oilseed, and pulse crop varieties, providing up-to-date information on yield performance, agronomic characteristics, and disease resistance. This data helps farmers, agronomists, and industry professionals select varieties best suited to their local growing conditions, environmental zones, and management practices. Variety trials for each crop are conducted and managed by multiple research organizations and industry partners across the region. Detailed results can be found in the crop-specific performance tables for each commodity. We extend sincere thanks to the researchers, technicians, and partner organizations whose contributions make this program possible.

STEP takes action to support Saskatchewan’s canola export sector

The Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership (STEP) is joining the effort to ensure market access into China for Canadian canola products in light of the latest round of Chinese tariffs. “Between the new 75% tariff on canola seed and the existing 100% tariff on oil and meal, the Chinese market is effectively closed for Saskatchewan canola products,” says incoming STEP CEO Chris Lane. “We are deeply concerned about the impact that could have on our members and the industry as a whole, not to mention producers who are starting harvest.” Beyond direct exporters, supporting industries such as transportation, logistics, agri-technology, and value-added services are feeling the ripple effects. These industries play an integral role in Saskatchewan’s economy, and many are now experiencing operational strain due to storage bottlenecks, contractual uncertainties, and reduced market confidence. STEP is encouraged by the Government of Saskatchewan’s efforts and advocacy on this issue, includi

Canada weighs approval of genetically engineered pigs

According to a recent USDA-FAS report, Canada is reviewing the potential commercial use of genetically engineered pigs, while pausing regulatory changes related to cloned swine. USDA-FAS reports that Environment and Climate Change Canada consulted with the public between June 20 and July 20, 2025, on four lines of genetically engineered pigs submitted under the New Substances program. The proposal would allow the pigs to be used in commercial breeding operations and pork production. A regulatory decision had not yet been released at the time of writing, and Health Canada had not published food safety assessments related to the pigs. Separately, Health Canada has indefinitely paused a proposed policy update that would have removed cattle and swine clones produced through somatic cell nuclear transfer, and their offspring, from Canada’s novel food regulations. The policy change was first proposed in spring 2024 but was halted in fall 2025 following consumer and industry feedback. Un

Pea, Lentil Outlooks Get More Burdensome

An already burdensome supply-demand picture for 2025-26 Canadian lentils and peas is now looking even worse. 

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