Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

This is no record that will make the evening news, or ever the local newspaper, but a first none the less.


My cousin joined me in the field for first ever 10 furrow round.  Up until now this field had never seen more than my 5 furrow plough.  But on this Sunday that all changed when 5 more 18" furrows joined in the fun.

We had quite a team out there.  This particular field has been in my family for 4 generations, and that first generation turned the soil one furrow at a time, while walking behind the plough and a team of horses.  How times have changed.

Although I firmly believe this form of tillage is a net benefit to the soil, there is no shortage of differing opinions.  So why do I plough?  After all it takes a great deal of time an fuel, and the land will need to be worked at least 3 or 4 more times before planting.  Well I have noticed a few things.

After the plough:  

- the soil soaks up a heavy rain much quicker, less water pooling.

- the soil holds more water and shows remarkable resistance in times of drought

- that packed area from being on the land when its too wet gets broken up and begins to return to its original state

- I get the fertilizer deeper in the soil, so it won't wash out and supports deep root growth

- I generally get 3 to 10 bus/acre increased yield

- And above all, I really like to plough.

Since I don't own any no-till equipment I am required to work all my ground before planting.  The ploughed soil always works nicer, its soft and creates an exceptional seed bed.  

There are down sides, this ground can blow.  If the weather conditions are just right in the spring, the sky will be black with dirt.  Its a terrible thing to see.  

Despite the costs and down side risks, rumour has it that plough sales are on up swing. This is one statistic that does not surprise me.

But if ever there was an implement that created such a wide swing in opinions, Its the plough, some love it, others won't touch it.  

Love it or hate it, you can't beat a scene where two cousins are turning soil on a Sunday afternoon!

Well, maybe if we had two combines, but we don't....yet?

Views: 300

Comment

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

Join Ontario Agriculture

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

Hot, Dry Weather Pushes Harvest Ahead — But Moisture Reserves Take a Hit

Hot, dry weather across Alberta over the past week has sped up harvest and dried down crops quickly, giving producers a solid jump in progress — but at the cost of rapidly depleting soil moisture reserves. Provincial harvest of major crops is now 22% complete, a 14-point jump from the week prior. That’s slightly ahead of both the five-year average of 21% and the 10-year average of 17% for this time of year. Regional harvest progress of major crops: South: 33% complete (+13 from last week) Central: 16% (+13) North East: 18% (+14) North West: 24% (+18) Peace: 20% (+12) Peas and cereals led the charge. Dry pea harvest is 77% complete, spring barley is 29%, spring wheat is 26%, and oats are 17%. Canola, usually the last crop off, is just 3% harvested, though 28% of fields are already swathed. Moisture Ratings Sliding While the heat is ideal for harvest, it is taking a toll on soil reserves. Surface moisture: 45% rated good to excellent (down 12 points from last week). Sub-surface moi

All Wheat Stocks Fall to Lowest on Record

Canadian all wheat stocks as of July 31 were down from a year earlier and the lowest on record as 2024-25 exports ran hot. According to a Statistics Canada grain stocks report released Tuesday, total nationwide all wheat stocks as of July 31 – ending stocks for the 2024-25 crop year – amounted to 4.112 million tonnes. That is down more than 22% from 5.278 million a year earlier and just slightly below the previous July low of 4.169 million notched in 2022, in records dating back to 1980. July 31 durum stocks were reported at 496,000 tonnes, down almost 26% on the year and a new low as well. All wheat commercial stocks as of July 31 were down about 10% to 2.397 million tonnes, while on-farm stocks fell by more than one-third to 1.715 million. Deliveries of wheat rose 9.1% year over year to 35.2 million tonnes as of July 31, Statscan said. Total wheat exports rose 15.4% to a record 29.2 million tonnes on strong global demand, “possibly due to lower exports from other major wheat

Barley Stocks Edge Higher; Oats Fall by More than One-Quarter

Canadian barley stockpiles as of July 31 were a bit heavier compared to a year earlier, while oats stocks were markedly lighter. Tuesday’s Statistics Canada stocks report pegged July 31 barley stocks at 1.249 million tonnes, up 8.4% from the previous year’s stocks of 1.152 million and the highest for the date since 2017 at 2.122. Meanwhile, July 31 total oat stocks fell 24.3% from a year earlier to 507,000 tonnes, the lowest since July 2022 at 333,000. StatsCan attributed the rise in total July 31 barley stocks to heavier on-farm inventories, which were estimated at 994,000 tonnes, up 13.2% from a year earlier. Barley stocks in commercial hands declined, falling to 255,000 tonnes from 273,000 the previous year. Deliveries of barley off farm decreased 6% to 4.1 million tonnes as of July 31, while exports fell 7.2% year over year to 2.8 million tonnes, StatsCan said. Barley used largely for feed purposes fell 2.6% to 5.1 million tonnes. For oats, commercial stocks rose 3.4% to 24

Gearing up for Parliament’s return

Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald is going to have to produce results, an ag policy analyst says

Research Projects and Companies Supported Through OAFRI

Canada and Ontario invest $4.77 million through OAFRI, supporting 48 projects and 20 companies to boost research, innovation, and resilience in the agri-food sector.

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service