Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

The "slow" pace of winter months has been keeping me exceedingly busy lately.  Between getting paper work in order for tax time, learning and repairing my new to me grain header, general repairs and maintenance I must find time to work a full time job.  With todays warm weather it was like torture to read the odd tweet about other farmers using the good weather to get equipment ready.  To make maters worse, the plant lost its computer network today, so it was a bit slow at times, those times I could have repaired the fuel leak on the tractor, but couldn't.

So this is when I scale back my grand plans to something more realistic under the heavy constraint of lost hours to another job.  I need only concentrate on what must get done, a few weeks of work that must be done before I start to word the ground for spring planting.  

I still have some room for a few more varieties of corn and soybeans, which will undoubtedly be very last minute, but my plans are in good shape otherwise.  The late fall and warm weather has made a few things easier, but waiting for a good frost to get the driveway solid for trucking out grain has resulted in half last years crop still on the farm.  The plus side, prices are making it worth my wait, at least until the next farm report comes out and makes some unrealistic claim to help all those funds who shorted grain and stand to loss big $$$.  

But to ease my troubles, I booked a day off.  So will I get all that maintenance done tomorrow?  No.   I will be off to the London Farm Show.  Its easy to get caught up or overwhelmed, but you still need to dream, and what better place than a big show with lots of overpriced - oversized equipment.  

My tweets with social media have made me a few...well friends, over the past months, and I expect to finally shake a few of their hands at the show.  One way or another I am going to have a good time.

Views: 171

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Comment by Joe Dales on March 21, 2012 at 1:10pm

Hi Gus,  Everyone seems to have to juggle different responsibilities, especially during the spring and fall..nice article.  It was nice to meet you at the London Farm Show.

Have a safe spring planting season.

Take care,

Joe Dales

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

How Farmers Can Help Keep Wheat Innovation Alive: Listen to Our CrossRoads Panel Discussion

The funding model for plant breeding in Canada is at a crossroads. The impending withdrawal of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) from commercializing field-ready cultivars has sparked a conversation about how to fill the resulting gap without losing decades of investment in infrastructure and expertise. That was the premise of a panel discussion held today at the CrossRoads Crop Conference in Edmonton and facilitated by Alberta Seed Guide editor Marc Zienkiewicz. Panelists were Todd Hyra, western business manager for SeCan; Stuart Smyth, agricultural economist at the University of Saskatchewan; Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC) chair and farmer Dean Hubbard; and SeedNet science advisor and retired AAFC wheat breeder Rob Graf. Key points included AAFC’s shift towards upstream research, the need for collaboration with universities and private sectors, and the importance of maintaining a robust innovation pipeline. Metrics showed that 75% of wheat varieties come from AAFC,

U.S. tariffs on Canadian canola industry will have widespread, devastating impacts

Today, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that tariffs of 25 per cent will be applied to imports of a broad range of Canadian goods, including canola seed, oil and meal, effective February 4, 2025. “The application of these tariffs on Canadian-grown canola and canola products will be felt across the canola value chain,” says Chris Davison, Canola Council of Canada (CCC) President & CEO. “Tariffs will have devastating impacts on farmers, input providers, canola crushing activities and exports of canola seed, oil and meal.” The U.S. is Canada’s number one market for canola exports and also a market that is highly integrated with the Canadian canola industry. Total export value in 2023 was $8.6 billion, including almost 3 million metric tonnes (MMT) of canola oil valued at $6.3 billion and more than 3.5 MMT of canola meal valued at $2.0 billion. Canola is the single largest contributor to farm crop cash receipts – grown by nearly 40,000 farmers across the country. “The damaging blo

Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing Launches the National Farmer Crisis Line

The Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing (CCAW) is proud to announce the launch of the National Farmer Wellness Network (NFWN) Crisis Line, 1-866-FARMS01 (1-866-327-6701), a transformative initiative designed to address the unique mental health challenges faced by Canada’s farmers, farm families, and agricultural workers. This program, made possible through an investment of $1.5 million over three years from Farm Credit Canada (FCC), provides tailored mental health support delivered by licensed professionals trained in the Canadian Agricultural Literacy Program (CALP). Farming is one of the most demanding and high-stress occupations. The financial pressures, isolation, and emotional demands of caring for livestock and crops can take a toll on mental health. The National Farmer Wellness Network Crisis Line bridges the gap by offering accessible, culturally informed, and confidential crisis services, ensuring farmers receive care tailored to their needs in moments of crisis. Quot

New mental health hotline for Cdn. ag industry

The Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing launched the National Farmer Wellness Network Crisis Line

Statement from Dairy Farmers of Canada regarding the announcement of tariffs on Canadian goods entering the United States

David Wiens, President of Dairy Farmers of Canada, issued the following statement regarding the announcement of tariffs on Canadian goods entering the United States:

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service