Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Rockwood Couple Named As Ontario's Outstanding Young Farmers. Dana and Adam Thatcher.

“Raising animals and livestock requires time, patience and a true commitment to the process, with an end result being our best quality product.”
That sums up the commitment Dana and Adam Thatcher, of Thatchers’ Farms in Rockwood have for their farm operation. The Thatchers received the top honour at the provincial awards ceremony held in Guelph on March 26. Winners of the award are chosen based on career progress; environmental and safety practices; crop and livestock production history; financial and management practices; and contributions to society.

The Thatchers were chosen from a group of farmers including Mark and Sandi Brock (Shepherd Creek Farms, Staffa), Brianne and Chris Brown (Beslea Farms,Yarker), Deb and Ian McGregor(McGregor’s Produce, Braeside), Curtis and Heidi Fielding (Fielding Estates Winery, Beamsville) and Collin and Tanya Walker (Walkhavern Farms, Stayner).

For information on all of the finalists, visit the OOYF website at www.oyfontario.ca.

The Thatchers altered their operation in 2007 from being a struggling hog farm, to now a thriving 250 ewe sheep operation and farm gate retail shop that features their own naturally raised meats, including hormone and additive-free lamb, beef, pork and chicken. In addition they sell Mennonite-smoked summer sausage, Omega-3 eggs, honey, maple syrup, fruit jams and Dana’s ever popular home-baked meat pies.

In the spring of 2012, thanks to a grant from the Ontario Cattleman’s Association, they were able to add an on-site butcher shop providing them the ability to cut and package their own meats – ensuring they had complete quality assurance and control.

Dana and Adam will now represent Ontario at the National competition being held in November in Regina, Saskatchewan, where they will meet the winners from the other provinces, one of whom will ultimately be named Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers.

The 2013 event was sponsored by Farm Credit Canada, Dupont-Pioneer, Better Farming, OMAFRA, GROWMARK and the Grain Farmers of Ontario.

Views: 212

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

‘It’s another blow’: Farmers deal with surging fertilizer prices ahead of seeding

Fertilizer is an essential part of Kevin Peters’ farm in southwestern Manitoba. But since Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran, the average price of urea fertilizer, which is widely used around the world, has skyrocketed, surging around 30 per cent over the last week. Peters says the interruption in supply didn’t come as a huge surprise to him. “We deal with geopolitical issues all the time with markets, be it pork, be it grain, and now fertilizer,” he said. “There’s always some disruption seeming to happen somewhere in the world that is changing our daily prices.” Peters says he pre-purchased his fertilizer for this farming season back in the fall but is concerned about prices later this year when he has to buy fertilizer again. “We’ll see what the market looks like in eight months,” he said. Like Peters, Andrew James also pre-bought his fertilizer in the fall for his farm in Anola, Man., and he says he is happy he did. “My fertilizer bill for that (at the time) was around $350,00

From a Piece of Wire to Contaminated Feed: Preventing Foreign Material Hazards in Beef Cattle Operations

Foreign material and toxin consumption by beef cattle can lead to significant health problems, reduced performance and economic losses. Canadian cattle producers take great pride and care in how they manage their farms and ranches, from providing proper nutrition to stewarding their land and ensuring excellent animal care. Yet even with the best intentions, foreign materials and toxins can quietly find their way into feed, water or pastures. Understanding where they come from and how to prevent exposure is a key part of protecting your herd. Foreign materials and toxins often slip in through everyday farm activities such as repairing fences, running equipment, feeding hay or dealing with weather-stressed crops. A small piece of wire, leftover net wrap or contaminated feed source might not seem like much, but if consumed by cattle, it can trigger health issues, lost performance or even death. Understanding Hardware Disease When cattle consume sharp metal objects like nails or pieces

Farmers Balance Costs and Technology Investments - Tractor Sales Down

Tractor sales fell across most categories in February, but strong combine demand highlights farmers’ continued investment in productivity boosting technology.

Crude Oil and Natural Gas Outlook - What Farmers Need to Know in 2026–2027

Brent crude prices surge as Middle East conflict disrupts supply. See the 2026–2027 outlook for oil, natural gas, and electricity—and what it means for U.S. agriculture

Principal field crop areas, 2026

Canadian farmers expect to plant more canola, barley, soybeans and corn for grain in 2026, while they anticipate area seeded to wheat, oats, lentils and dry peas to decrease compared with the previous year. Wheat At the national level, farmers anticipate planting 26.7 million acres of wheat in 2026, down 1.1% from the previous year. If this anticipation is realized, national wheat area would remain well above the five-year average, despite a decrease from 2025, which would likely be attributable to continued strong global demand. Producers expect spring wheat area to edge down 0.1% to 18.8 million acres in 2026. They anticipate durum wheat area to decrease 2.4% to 6.4 million acres, while they expect winter wheat area to fall 6.7% to 1.6 million acres. Farmers in Saskatchewan anticipate planting 13.9 million acres of wheat in 2026, down 1.0% from the previous year. Producers expect spring wheat area to fall 0.6% to 8.7 million acres, while they anticipate durum wheat area to remain

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service