Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

What Was The Ontario Agriculture Top News Story Of The Year? Any suggestions?

In 2010 What Ontario Agriculture Top News Story was the biggest and most impactful in the province?

 

Here are some of my thoughts?

 

Tremendous Financial Challenges Faced By the Pork and Beef Producers in Ontario.

 

Excellent Crop Production Year in Ontario - Yields and Strong Prices.

 

The New Role and Restructuring of Ontario Pork.

 

Ontario Land Prices Continue to Increase.

 

 

 

These are some of my thoughts looking back, what other topics do you have?

 

Thanks and Happy New Year,

 

Joe Dales

Farms.com

joe.dales@farms.com

877 438-5729 x5013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Views: 757

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Steve Twynstra on January 4, 2011 at 6:18am

I would suggest that one of the most interesting stories of 2010 was how many Ontario producers continued to shun basic  and fundamental business principles.  Examples include wilfully selling into local markets that were clearly uncompetitive to our major trading and global competitors, buying or renting land at P/E ratios that are well north of "bubble" territory, and continuing to operate as if they can borrow their way to prosperity judging by the latest StatsCan reports.  Will be of further interest to see how all sectors of the industry react when we return to below COP returns within the next 12 - 18 months as many pundits are suggesting.

Just my 2cents.

Permalink Reply by John Schwartzentruber on January 4, 2011 at 12:50pm
Government interventions have historically had a way of insulating producers from the realities of market forces that conflict with personal choices. So your thoughts are interesting, Steve, but no new story here! Remember the infamous Farm Debt Review Board of the 80's?
Permalink Reply by Joann on January 4, 2011 at 3:11pm

Albert Einstein is quoted to saying "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them".

 

Then by all means, I would suggest you are both righ. 

 

Our government has managed to further erode farmers' rights in Ontario but have not released our obligations to the public.   ......in other words..... our provincial government is incapable of solving our agricultural problems as they are the very people that lead us to this point.

 

Woe is us.

 

John Schwartzentruber said:

Government interventions have historically had a way of insulating producers from the realities of market forces that conflict with personal choices. So your thoughts are interesting, Steve, but no new story here! Remember the infamous Farm Debt Review Board of the 80's?
Permalink Reply by OntAG Admin on January 6, 2011 at 3:22am

Hi Steve, John and Joann

Good thoughts...what does the future hold...what should we do....

 

One of my New Year's Resolution is to keep improving our business fundamentals and not make too many expensive mistakes....

 

I like to follow something that I heard a keynote speaker say called the Ant Philosophy.

 

Think Winter, All Summer   (Prepare when times are good)

and

Think Summer, All Winter   (Be Optimist when times are tough)

 

Take care and see you soon,

 

Joe Dales

 

Permalink Reply by Joann on January 6, 2011 at 10:51am

I lean towards Dr. Spencer Johnson's thoughts in "Who Moved my Cheese".

 

and I truly believe the farmers' cheese is about to be moved in a big way in Ontario.

 

take care

 

joann

 

OntAG Admin said:

Hi Steve, John and Joann

Good thoughts...what does the future hold...what should we do....

 

One of my New Year's Resolution is to keep improving our business fundamentals and not make too many expensive mistakes....

 

I like to follow something that I heard a keynote speaker say called the Ant Philosophy.

 

Think Winter, All Summer   (Prepare when times are good)

and

Think Summer, All Winter   (Be Optimist when times are tough)

 

Take care and see you soon,

 

Joe Dales

 

Permalink Reply by Roadrunner on January 6, 2011 at 4:11pm
I think the story could be the large swings in commodity prices....in June the experts were warning about $2.50/bu corn and now they are talking about $7 corn...Crazy markets is my vote.
Permalink Reply by John Beardsley on January 7, 2011 at 9:33am
i agree with you joe that crop price and yeild is the story. never have we been in the news more and because food prices never came down after the wheat spike in 2007-2008 we don't have all the noise about ethanol being bad for society.Never in my life in agriculture have i seen good yeilds and good prices in all main commodities of corn soys canola and wheat. pork buy out program allowed many to get out with dignity and equity intact. and teeth in not being able to refill barns for three years will allow even the pork industry to recover
Permalink Reply by Joe Dales on January 7, 2011 at 10:56am

Thanks John,

I heard the crops did well up there.

What kind of yields on corn and soy?

Talk to you soon.

Joe

Permalink Reply by bert on January 9, 2011 at 5:00am

You must have memorized all 180 sayings

 

Joann said:

Albert Einstein is quoted to saying "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them".

 

Then by all means, I would suggest you are both righ. 

 

Our government has managed to further erode farmers' rights in Ontario but have not released our obligations to the public.   ......in other words..... our provincial government is incapable of solving our agricultural problems as they are the very people that lead us to this point.

 

Woe is us.

 

John Schwartzentruber said:

Government interventions have historically had a way of insulating producers from the realities of market forces that conflict with personal choices. So your thoughts are interesting, Steve, but no new story here! Remember the infamous Farm Debt Review Board of the 80's?
Permalink Reply by Joann on January 9, 2011 at 11:11am

No.

 

I just happen to like people such as Einstein and especially Hawking.

 

 

 

bert said:

You must have memorized all 180 sayings

 

Joann said:

Albert Einstein is quoted to saying "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them".

 

Then by all means, I would suggest you are both righ. 

 

Our government has managed to further erode farmers' rights in Ontario but have not released our obligations to the public.   ......in other words..... our provincial government is incapable of solving our agricultural problems as they are the very people that lead us to this point.

 

Woe is us.

 

John Schwartzentruber said:

Government interventions have historically had a way of insulating producers from the realities of market forces that conflict with personal choices. So your thoughts are interesting, Steve, but no new story here! Remember the infamous Farm Debt Review Board of the 80's?
Permalink Reply by Bristow on January 10, 2011 at 1:41pm
I would say Carbon tax mark two, this time by the proviencal means, as a poss to fedral acts.  The rock spiders are planning it already. 
Permalink Reply by Roadrunner on January 15, 2011 at 3:09am

Steve, I think the wild land prices and rents will be the story in 2011 with these crop prices and everyone tripping over themselves to get a bigger piece of the gold rush...

 

 

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

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

Alberta Rural Municipalities Pushing For Raw Milk

The Rural Municipalities of Alberta have voted to push for changes to Canada’s raw milk laws. At this week’s convention, two-thirds of Alberta towns and counties backed a resolution from the MD of Greenview calling on Ottawa to allow on-farm sales of unpasteurized dairy under strict conditions. Supporters say modern safety practices—like closed milking systems, refrigeration, and microbial testing—can reduce health risks. They point to European models where raw milk is legal with producer registration, labelling, and traceability. Right now, raw milk sales are banned in Canada, driving an underground market. Advocates argue a regulated system would give consumers choice and help rural economies thrive. Alberta’s agriculture department opposes the move.

Water driven yield potential technology aims to improve ROI for producers

Water is one of the most important inputs in agriculture, and is often the most significant factor limiting crop yield, particularly in dryland farming. Working with EMILI at Innovation Farms powered by AgExpert during the 2025 season allowed Crop Intelligence to fine-tune its Dryland Farming Ultra Package to help producers better understand their water driven yield potential (WDYP). Dryland Farming Ultra is a hardware and software solution that allows farmers and agronomists to monitor the total available water for their crop, and use that information to make informed decisions on overall crop agronomy. Often, producers use soil tests and tissue tests and base agronomy decisions on these results. Crop Intelligence allows producers to take it one step further to measure how much can be grown based on the total amount of water available. “I think there are a lot of assumptions in any given year about how much can be grown, but without actually measuring it, it’s impossible to know whe

This is agriculture: Third-generation Manitoba grain farmer

Rick Rutherford is a third-generation farmer whose deep passion for agriculture has led to local and international partnerships focused on advancing innovation and supporting the next generation of farmers. Rutherford is the first producer EMILI partnered with when launching Innovation Farms powered by AgExpert in 2022. Locating the first Innovation Farms on Rutherford’s 5,500-acre seed farm in Grosse Isle, Manitoba has allowed EMILI to provide innovators with access to leading-edge equipment, technology, and production practices to increase productivity, sustainability, and profitability across the agriculture and agri-food sector. Rutherford Farms has hosted Harvest on the Crescent since 2021. Each year a different crop grows on Wellington Crescent while raising money for Harvest Manitoba. Over the past five years this initiative has raised thousands.  Describe your job in one sentence. I am a third-generation farmer operating a pedigreed seed and commercial grain farm located in

John Deere defending against misinformation again

A video circulating online indicates the manufacturer is leaving Canada

Border restrictions in place due to U.S. vesicular stomatitis outbreak

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has announced temporary import restrictions on horses, swine, and ruminants — including cattle — from certain U.S. states following an outbreak of vesicular stomatitis (VS). Importation of these animals from affected states is currently suspended until further notice. Canadian-origin animals that have been in a VS-affected state within the past 21 days will also be denied re-entry to Canada, except under very limited circumstances. To return to Canada, animals must have been moved to a non-affected state, remained there for at least 21 days, and be certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as originating from areas free of clinical or epidemiological evidence of VS during that period. Producers and transporters are encouraged to avoid travel through VS-affected states whenever possible. If transit through these areas is unavoidable, shippers must complete a supplementary declaration upon arrival at a Canadian port of entry.

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service