Ontario Agriculture

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AgVisionTV: Why should farmers be interested in the word "Local" in the food industry. Click to watch this show.

Added by Kevin Stewart on July 16, 2011 at 4:31am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Decades of Dynamic Change for Ontario Agriculture

By John Clement

July 15, 2011

 

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 — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Farmers Need to Enroll in Ontario Risk Management Program

By Nathan Stevens

July 8, 2011

 

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 — No Comments

Agostino: Bearish USDA Reports Creates Grain Market Price Volatility. Click To Watch Videos.

Added by OntAG Admin on July 3, 2011 at 8:47am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Management Groups Can Hone the Skills of Farmers

By John Clement

July 1, 2011

 

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 — No Comments

Farms.com Market School: Understanding Grain Cash Basis And How It Works.

Added by OntAG Admin on June 25, 2011 at 9:15am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Evaluating the Value of Dollars spent on Environmental Projects

By Nathan Stevens

June 24, 2011

 

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 — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Profitability in the Ontario Food Chain Extends to Input Suppliers

By John Clement

June 17, 2011

 

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 — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Healthy Food Processing Sector Creates Opportunities for Our Farmers

By Nathan Stevens

June 10, 2011

 

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…
Continue

Added by CFFO Blog on June 10, 2011 at 2:19am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Helping Out In The Rebuilding of An Agricultural Sector

By John Clement

June 3, 2011

 

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,…

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Added by CFFO Blog on June 3, 2011 at 2:16am — No Comments

Farms.com Market School: Factors That Influence Grain Commodity Price Basis

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.



For the additional lessons visit…

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Added by OntAG Admin on June 3, 2011 at 2:14am — No Comments

Farms.com Market School | Basis in Time vs. Basis in Space

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…

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Added by OntAG Admin on June 3, 2011 at 2:09am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Charting the Unknown Territory of Source Water Protection

By Nathan Stevens

May 27, 2011

 

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…
Continue

Added by CFFO Blog on May 27, 2011 at 2:07am — 1 Comment

The CFFO Commentary: Key Questions for a Changing Agriculture

By John Clement

May 20, 2011

 

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 — No Comments

Wheat School: OMAFRA's Peter Johnson On Evaluating Winter Wheat Plant Stands.

Added by OntAG Admin on May 18, 2011 at 3:27pm — No Comments

University of Guelph SparkAir Video: Alltech Innovation Competition - Arie Duizer Click to watch the video.

Added by Joe Dales on May 13, 2011 at 6:10am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Social Change Creates Evolving Standards for Farmers

By Nathan Stevens

May 13, 2011

 

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…
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Added by CFFO Blog on May 13, 2011 at 4:39am — No Comments

Dr Val Farmer Video: Managing and Leading Your Workers On The Farm.

Added by Kevin Stewart on May 9, 2011 at 2:50pm — No Comments

On Site Ethanol Processing - Use of crop waste

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 — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Promise of Federal Farming and Food Strategy Needs to Deliver

By John Clement

May 6, 2011

 

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 — No Comments

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

Dry Ontario Weather Dents Canadian Corn, Soy Output

Canada’s final 2025 corn and soybean production numbers are in, and both crops finished the year noticeably weaker than Statistics Canada had projected in September. Drier late-season conditions in Eastern Canada reduced yields, pushing corn and soybean totals below earlier expectations and under last year’s levels, Statistics Canada’s survey crop production report on Thursday showed. Nationwide corn production has slipped to 14.867 million tonnes, down from StatsCan’s model-based September estimate of 15.5 million tonnes and 3.1% below last year’s crop. Yields were the key factor, falling to 162.2 bu/acre, below September’s 165.3 bu/acre forecast and down from 168.1 bu/acre in 2024. Harvested area grew slightly to 3.6 million acres, but not enough to counter the yield losses. Soybean output dropped to 6.793 million tonnes, below September’s 7.133 million-tonne forecast and 10.2% below 2024 levels. Yields slipped to 43.5 bu/acre, below September’s 45.7 bu forecast and down from

Celebrate Farm Transition Appreciation Day on January 8, 2026

Farm Management Canada, together with partners across Canada’s agricultural community, is proud to announce that Farm Transition Appreciation Day (FTADay) will take place on Thursday January 8, 2026. FTADay is a national initiative designed to encourage and celebrate the progress Canada’s farmers are making to secure the future of farming through farm transition planning. It has created a groundswell movement to motivate farmers to start, restart, and keep going on their farm transition journey, farmers, advisors, agricultural organizations, and industry leaders are invited to share stories and advice through a national campaign using social media, agricultural media and hosting learning events across Canada to encourage Canada’s farmers. This year’s theme, The Future is Now, highlights the importance of taking proactive steps today to strengthen the resilience, continuity, and long-term sustainability of Canada’s farming community. “The New Year is the perfect time to reflect on and

Dairy Farmers Of Ontario Brings Holiday Magic To Children's Hospitals With Annual Holiday Donation And Heartwarming Milk And Cookies Pop-up

This season, in the spirit of spreading holiday magic and supporting our communities, Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) will make a donation of $500,000 to The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and other Ontario children's hospitals in Hamilton (McMaster Children's Hospitals), London (Children's Hospital) and Ottawa (CHEO). Since 2019, DFO's cumulative donation of $3.6M supports the highest-priority needs across the hospitals and initiatives for patients and families spending the holidays in Ontario children's hospitals. Beyond the donation and inspired by the tradition of milk & cookies for Santa, Dairy Farmers of Ontario is inviting Ontarians to rally around patients in Ontario children's hospitals. The ritual of leaving out milk and cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve sparks holiday magic and joy. However, for children spending the holidays in hospitals, they worry that Santa won't know where to find them. So, to let these kids know we are all thinking of them, DFO's annual Milk &

Worst bird-flu season in years hits Alberta’s poultry farmers

Alberta’s poultry producers are working through the worst avian flu season in years. Scott Olson has been through it twice before. The Wetaskiwin-area turkey farmer lost his 10,000-bird flock in the spring of 2022, when the wild geese migration passed over, then again when they returned in the fall.  Now he is dealing with his third outbreak and third cull. Olson is again pressure-washing his two large barns — disinfecting them as he awaits an inspection — and preparing to restart a recertified operation after Christmas with new hatchlings.  “It’s such a bad disease,” said Olson, also a director with Alberta Turkey Producers.  “We work with a stamp-out policy, essentially so we’re not affecting our neighbours … It’s like a fire: you’re just trying to put the fire out.” Olson’s was one of 11 commercial poultry farms in Alberta under the direction of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as active quarantine and containment zones as of Nov. 30.  There were six in all of 2024 in Alb

Collège Boréal tackles crop-damaging fruit fly in Ontario

Researchers at Collège Boréal in Sudbury have declared war on an invasive fruit fly that could threaten fruit crops in northeastern Ontario. Morel Kotomale, an associate researcher in agricultural research, and Jean Pierre Kapongo, a professor in Collège Boréal’s agriculture programs, are leading a two-year project to find new ways of combatting the spotting wing drosophila, an invasive fruit fly. The insect attacks most temperate-climate fruits, including cherries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries, the college noted. It was first detected in British Columbia in 2009 and had spread to most fruit-growing regions by 2010. Crop losses can range between 20 per cent and 100 per cent of yields, representing an estimated annual value of $6.8 million. Boréal will be aided in its efforts with $150,000 from the Ontario Agri-food Research Initiative, which Research and Innovation Boréal, the college's applied research arm, announced Nov. 28. “Thanks to the growing expertise of our

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