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

Dry conditions behind rapid seeding progress

Spring seeding is well underway across Saskatchewan, with 18 per cent of the 2025 crop now planted. The current provincial seeding progress of 18 per cent is ahead of the five-year average (2020-2024) of 10 per cent and the 10-year average (2015-2024) of 12 per cent. Despite multiple storms throughout the province in April, producers were able to get into their fields and make rapid progress over the last couple of weeks. The southwest region is the furthest advanced with 43 per cent seeded so far and the first seeded crops starting to emerge. The northwest and southeast regions are also making good progress with 15 per cent and 14 per cent of seeding complete, respectively. The west-central region is reporting 11 per cent seeding completion, and the east-central and northeast regions are both reporting nine per cent of seeding complete. Pulse crops are leading in seeding completion, with lentils at 34 per cent seeded, field peas at 31 per cent and chickpeas at 28 per cent. Durum is

Fighting global hunger one crop at a time

As Saskatchewan farmers begin seeding the 2025 crop, Grow Hope Saskatchewan is launching its eighth growing season with a new partner at the table. Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR) has joined the ecumenical project expanding the collective effort to end global hunger. “We are thrilled to join this vital project, partnering with Canadian Foodgrains Bank, local farmers, and fellow agencies as we work together toward our shared goal of ending world hunger,” said Cody Cleave, CLWR Donor Relations Manager. Saskatchewan Representative for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and a member of the Grow Hope SK Steering Committee Rick Block said CLWR is a welcomed addition. “It’s encouraging to see more churches coming together around something so tangible and effective,” Block said. Grow Hope Saskatchewan connects farmers who donate land with donors who cover input costs of roughly $350 per acre. Crops are grown and harvested, and proceeds are matched up to 4:1 through Canadian Foodgrains Ban

Alberta join group that monitors apiaries near crop fields

A non-profit company that promotes communication and stewardship among crop producers, beekeepers and pesticide applicators has welcomed Alberta as the third provincial member. FieldWatch also includes 27 states, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and the District of Columbia. The membership will enable Alberta hobbyists and commercial beekeepers, as well as organic and conventional crop producers, to use a secure, easy-to-use online registry to identify and map the locations of apiaries and crop fields that pesticide applicators should avoid. The free and voluntary registries, DriftWatch™ and BeeCheck™, will be available to all Alberta beekeepers and crop producers. FieldWatch President and CEO Bob Walters said FieldCheck® is the online and mobile portal that pesticide applicators can use to improve decision-making and avoid damage from spray drift to crops and beehives. “The goal is to get beekeepers and crop producers registered through FieldWatch so applicators can access accurate inform

International Day of Plant Health is May 12

May 12 marks the International Day of Plant Health, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is reminding everyone of their role in safeguarding agriculture, forests, and the environment in Canada.

Collaborative efforts improve living and working conditions for Ontario’s TFWs

As spring arrives, Ontario’s fruit and vegetable farms are once again welcoming seasonal and temporary farm workers from other countries.

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service