I’m starting to show my age because I recently realized that I’ve spent very close to 30 years working at a professional career in Ontario’s entrepreneurial agricultural community. Having grown up on a century-plus farm in southern Ontario, I moved into agricultural journalism for a number of years before going to work as a staff member for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario. Over the course of those three decades, I’ve assembled some… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on July 15, 2011 at 4:20am —
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Last week’s formal announcement of a Risk Management Program is arguably one of the most significant accomplishments for Ontario’s agricultural groups in a long time. From the perspective of agricultural leaders, this is a program that has been fought for over an extended time period that seeks to address needs for Ontario’s farmers in a global environment. The next step is to see whether the average farmer agrees with this assessment and chooses to… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on July 8, 2011 at 2:44am —
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Farm business management groups have been used across Canada over the past few decades but there appears to be a renewed push today to broaden their appeal. Although these groups can vary widely from sector-to-sector, most feature a small group of farmers working with a facilitator to compare individual production and financial records against those of peers. In the process, the aim is to grow and develop the management skills of all participants in… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on July 3, 2011 at 7:14am —
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In a world of limited financial resources, choosing the best environmental projects and the targets to be met can be difficult for policy makers. Recently, Dr. Anna Roberts from the Department of Primary Industries in Victoria, Australia, shared an approach to establishing and evaluating environmental improvement goals.
The approach is known as INFFER, which is short for Investment Framework for Environmental Resources. The key point of… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on June 24, 2011 at 4:45am —
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The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario has said repeatedly that a sustainable Ontario agriculture needs to be profitable for all those in the food chain. Typically, most people view the food chain as only extending upwards from farmers to processors and retailers. But the reality is that it extends much further than that conception to include both consumers and farm input suppliers.
That reality was spelled out in a recent letter I… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on June 17, 2011 at 5:45am —
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Efforts are being made to increase awareness of the importance of the food processing industry in Ontario. The Government of Ontario and Synthesis Agri-food Consulting recently developed A Global Hub for Food Processing: Agri-food Asset Map. This document highlights the province’s diverse food growing and processing sector.
The Agri-food Asset Map highlights the strengths that Ontario has to offer as a place for…
The University of Guelph and Njala University in Sierra Leone have entered into a unique arrangement to strengthen the African institution’s ability to help in the rebuilding and development of agriculture and community service. As part of that arrangement, a delegation from the Sierra Leone university recently toured Ontario to gain a sense of how our province has put together a strong working relationship between farmers, producer groups,…
Lesson 17: Moe Agostino of Farms.com Risk Management provides some information on what the main factors that impact on the grain commodity price basis.
Lesson #16: Part 3 of 4 in the mini series of understanding basis. This video looks more closely at basis in time and space and it's effects on your bottom line.
For all the Farms.com Market School Videos - Visit…
Ontario is taking steps to protect our source water. However, we really don’t know what sort of impact this protection will have on farmers and their livelihoods. The requirements farmers may face, and the manner in which this process develops, will greatly impact agriculture’s support for the Clean Water Act.
There are a variety of options that source water committees are able to use to improve water quality. These range from…
Farming is changing. And it’s not just changing in the scale of operations we now have, or the increasingly diverse markets we now supply. It’s also changing in how we view the vocation of farming and how it connects to rural communities and our fellow farmers. Simply put, our emphasis on the business of farming now often overshadows other dimensions to farming that we used to take for granted.
At the core of this change is predominately the… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on May 20, 2011 at 3:15am —
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There are times when a series of events come together and force change within an otherwise stable industry, game, or community. The status quo can change over time as new knowledge or societal expectations emerge. A perfect example is the shift in attitude towards head-shots in hockey. The question arises – are there uncomfortable areas within agriculture that are not being dealt with because the pressure to change isn’t great enough…
I would like to start a discussion regarding On-site ethanol processing. I believe that 'decentralized' production of ethanol using waste from farm crops is a niche that has not been exploited. The problem with the large ethanol plants trying to workout the cellulosic ethanol problem is the cost of the enzymes for pre-treatment of the waste products. However, if a farmer can process the waste him/herself on his own farm using his waste or even his corn and then use the ethanol in his/her own… Continue
Added by Richard Edmonds on May 9, 2011 at 5:32am —
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Now that the election signs are being gathered up and put away for another four years, it’s time to consider some of the implications of a majority Conservative government for Canadian agriculture. And nothing may be a greater opportunity for farmers than a commitment by the newly-elected Conservative government to create a new national farm and food strategy to guide and support agriculture over the… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on May 7, 2011 at 7:56am —
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Attention agricultural producers and agrologists: We need your input on publicly available agronomic resources to inform future funding and research! Please click on the following link to answer the short online survey: https://www.surveymonkey.ca/r/AgronomyResourcesSurvey The Agronomy Resources Survey, conducted through the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan, studies the outcomes of public and producer investment in agronomic research. This survey is intended for both agricultural producers and agrologists. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the impact of agronomic resources developed through research co-funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, as part of due diligence to ensure the effective use of public and producer funds. The results of this impact assessment study will provide insight to policy makers and researchers on what agronomic resources are useful to producers and agrologists which can then inform future funding of res
The Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission (Sask Wheat) committed $165,000 to six undergraduate and six graduate student awards and scholarships to students at the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) College of Agriculture and Bioresources in 2024. That brought Sask Wheat’s total commitment to student scholarships and awards to $1,055,000 since 2015. Sask Wheat’s objective when establishing the Sask Wheat Undergraduate Awards and Scholarships and Graduate Scholarships at USask was to assist in the education of Agriculture and Bioresources students, strengthening the development of Saskatchewan’s next generation of producers, agronomists, and researchers. Further, the graduate scholarships enhance the college’s research capabilities and complement research being undertaken by the faculty.
The Board of Directors of Sask Wheat elected Jocelyn Velestuk as chair and Rob Stone as vice-chair. Their positions became effective Jan. 13, 2026. Based near Broadview, SK, Velestuk farms with her husband working with a mix of beef and grain. She has an M.Sc. in Soil Science, and a B.Sc. in Agriculture, Environmental and Soil Science, both from the University of Saskatchewan. As someone who notes her interest and passion for bridging the communication between producers and researchers, she looks to garner a growth mindset. Velestuk is also the current chair of the Canadian Wheat Research Coalition, and sits on the Sask Wheat Research Committee. The newly-appointed Sask Wheat chair is entering her seventh year as a member after being acclaimed to the board following the 2020 director nominations. When it comes to her plans, she wants to see an upward trajectory when it comes to growth while continuing the ongoing efforts to be leaders in the agriculture sector. “I hope to continue th