Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Andrew Campbell's Blog (11)

Future of Dairy Farming = Efficiency

Dairy farmers can sometimes get a bad reputation. Because of supply management, I'd agree that some farms can hang on longer than they would if they were open to the free market. The free market can be very good and eliminating the least efficient very quickly. Unfortunately - it can also eliminate some good farmers who just get mixed up in a market they can't control (just ask a hog farmer).



However - I think those least efficient dairy farmers are going to have to make…

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Added by Andrew Campbell on May 20, 2010 at 7:00am — 1 Comment

When Bigger Isn't Better

When I think of farming, I think of a few things. Feeding cows, planting and harvesting corn, baling hay. They, and most of the jobs I do around the farm, all relate to production. Most of you will agree that is one of the big reasons we farm -- we like being around animals, we like being on the land, we don't like numbers.



But I was lucky enough to get the chance to realize that even if we don't like the numbers, we all like making more money.



The Ontario Dairy Youth…

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Added by Andrew Campbell on May 12, 2010 at 8:32am — 1 Comment

Fireflies = Lower Nitrogen Costs

Researchers have created a new and cheaper test that producers can use to see how much nitrogen they should… Continue

Added by Andrew Campbell on April 12, 2010 at 6:04am — 1 Comment

A View of FCC Spending

Found this very interesting post on the Canadian Agri-Food blog, managed by the Agri-Food Unit at the Ivey School of Business.



Written by Brandon Schaufele - with the article available at - http://www.canadianagrifood.ca/?p=374



" Today’s edition of the London Free…

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Added by Andrew Campbell on March 5, 2010 at 2:00am — No Comments

Lessons In Farming

I'm a young farmer. I can say that now - especially since just a couple of weeks ago we moved out to one of our family farms. This is a house my great-grandfather built in the early 1900's, and is the farm where the dry cows and heifers are kept. My mom and dad are a few kilometres away at the farm I grew up in - where the milking cows are.



As I get settled on the farm, I thought I'd share some of my experiences. Along the way I'd invite any and all pieces of advice I can get - as I… Continue

Added by Andrew Campbell on December 17, 2009 at 7:24am — 6 Comments

The Future of Pork

We all know about the struggles facing the pork industry -- the big question though is how do we fix it.



Here are a couple of videos with some involved in the sector discussing how to move forward. Take a look a add your thoughts below.…



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Added by Andrew Campbell on December 16, 2009 at 4:30am — No Comments

A Lesson From Best Buy

This was written by Matt Hardecke from the Young Producers' Council, which is part of the US based National Cattlemen's Beef Association. It's an interesting perspective...



As the future leaders of American agriculture and the beef industry, we need to not only know the facts but understand the thought process of our consumers. I am looking to buy a new flat screen TV. Over the weekend I went to Best Buy to gaze at the selections of options for my view pleasure. For an hour I stood… Continue

Added by Andrew Campbell on November 3, 2009 at 3:48am — 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

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

It's Official - I'm Now a Farmer.

So I think its official – I’m a real farmer. Now there was no certificate or degree from Guelph. No big ceremony or letter stating I was now accepted to the farming profession. I’ve decided I’m a real farmer because of one innocent thought. People told me I would have these thoughts, they warned me to expect them. I always shrugged those naysayers off saying I would not be like other farmers. But then it happened, just like it was suppose to. We were baling hay late yesterday afternoon. The… Continue

Added by Andrew Campbell on August 26, 2009 at 2:48am — 2 Comments

Which is Better-Livestock or Deadstock?

If you are going to have livestock, you are going to have deadstock.



I don’t know who coined that term, but every farmer knows it’s the truth. But that doesn’t mean you leave anything sick to die.



That would appear to be what some folks rather we do. As noted in an article in TIME Magazine and the New York Times, the world seems to have something against antibiotics.



I’m going to use our small dairy farm as an example. It’s been a tough couple of weeks. After… Continue

Added by Andrew Campbell on August 24, 2009 at 6:35am — No Comments

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

Elmers Unveils Super7 Harrow and WD2 Ditcher

Elmer’s Manufacturing introduces the Super7 Harrow and Wolverine WD2 Ditcher, offering improved field performance, smart technology, and reduced maintenance for modern farming operations.

Bioenterprise Canada Announces Round 3 Participants in the Grow Ontario Accelerator Hub

Bioenterprise Canada is pleased to announce the successful applicants for Round 3 of the Grow Ontario Accelerator Hub (GOAH). Twenty-two (22) Ontario-based companies have been selected to receive advisory, mentorship, and support services through Canada’s Food & Agri-Tech Engine, our growing national alliance supporting agri-food innovation. 

Cattle Chat: The economics of creep feeding

As the grazing season winds down toward fall, Kansas State University veterinarians say cattle producers may want to consider the practice of “creep feeding” to sustain growth in calves. In a recent episode of “Cattle Chat with the Beef Cattle Institute,” veterinarians Brad White, Bob Larson and Phillip Lancaster discussed potential benefits as well as potential disadvantages. What is creep feeding? “(Creep feeding is) providing some source of feed that nursing calves have access to that the dams do not have access to, which can be several different things,” Lancaster said. “We think about a creep feeder where we're feeding a grain supplement and have a creep gate where the calves can get to the feeder and the cows can't.” Lancaster also mentioned creep grazing, where a plot of high quality forage, is sectioned off with a creep gait just for the calves to get into and graze on. “Starting now and going into the early fall, forage quantity and/or quality are generally going down,” La

RDAR Boosts Support For Western Crop Innovations With $5 Million Investment

Backed by funding from the federal and provincial governments through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, RDAR is delivering an additional $5.2 million in Western Crop Innovations (WCI) to strengthen feed and forage barley and triticale breeding for Alberta and Western Canadian producers. The investment will strengthen Alberta’s plant breeding capacity, accelerate the development of locally adapted varieties and support the long-term competitiveness of crop and livestock producers in the province and across the west. Established in 2024 to carry forward the work of the Field Crop Development Centre (FCDC), WCI builds on a strong breeding legacy that includes 45 barley varieties and 19 triticale varieties. These include 40 general-purpose and five malting barley varieties, along with 10 spring and nine winter triticale varieties. The barley releases include advanced traits such as improved nitrogen-use efficiency and non-glycosidic nitrile, or non-GN. Non-GN varieties ar

Saskatchewan Climate Outlook: August 17, 2026

Welcome to the Saskatchewan Environmental Heatmaps, developed through a partnership between Saskatchewan Pulse Growers and Ukko Agro Inc. These maps provide weather-based insights to support producers and agronomists across Saskatchewan, with a focus on forecasted key environmental and climate conditions. Using data from a 20 km grid of virtual weather stations with hourly inputs (sourced from IBM/The Weather Company), the system generates regularly updated maps that evaluate how recent and forecasted weather conditions influence environmental risk factors. Environmental and climate heatmaps are provided in parallel to support broader agronomic decisions and general crop management under variable weather conditions. Due to pulse crops maturing and pre-harvest interval restrictions, the window for fungicide application is generally past. Maps will focus only on climate for the remainder of the season. Temperature Maps: Agronomist Notes Moderate temperatures across Saskatchewan (max

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