For farmers looking for a different weather story than last year’s, you might be out of luck. Although most of us know that there is no sure-fire, 100% accurate weather forecast, the spring and summer forecast for Ontario doesn’t look all that encouraging. According to meteorologist Art Douglas, a short growing season due to moisture… Read More
Year: 2012
This post was originally found on his blog, The Farmers Life. He farms in Indiana raising corn, soybeans, popcorn, and wheat. Brian is also passionate about technology. He showcases this passion by writing for TheMobileFarmer.com. Follow @thefarmerslife on Twitter. Today is the day. The Occupy movement is going to occupy the food supply. According to the occupiers… Read More
With last weeks expected sale of the Viterra Livestock Division to Hi-Pro Feeds LP the feed industry in Canada has changed in Western Canada. Hi-Pro will be owned by Birch Hill Equity Partners and the employees of the company. In the press release Viterra said that the sale was initiated for strategic reasons. Viterra is… Read More
Crosby Devit is currently travelling completing his Nuffield Scholarship. You can check out more of his trip by checking out Crosby’s blog or by reading his blog posts on RealAgriculture.com. At the time of writing I am in the Hong Kong airport, on my way from New Zealand to the Netherlands. We wrapped up a great… Read More
Cattle producers and industry members from the U.S., Canada and beyond gathered at NCBA 2012 to talk about the state of the industry, the triumphs and the challenges. As we look further ahead into 2012, the challenges for the margin operator don’t seem to get any easier. In fact, you could say that it looks… Read More
Planting early is almost always a good idea. There are aspects and elements that we can’t control like the weather that tend to throw the best laid plans out the window, but in general, the theory is simple. The soybean plant is a factory that produces soybeans. That factory runs primarily on sunlight. The more… Read More
In this episode of the Corn School we continue our series with agronomist Darel Walker about the key factors in the pursuit of 300 bushel corn. In the first episode of the series we looked at soil tilth as one of those factors; in this episode we look to proper nitrogen application as another piece… Read More
There are many farmers and many Canadians, that if you asked “Do you feel that government hears your voice as a farmer?”, would launch into a frustrated and angry tirade about any number of issues under their skin. In some cases that’s a legitimate expression of a system that failed them, but in a greater… Read More
Adopting a national food strategy is no small task. The development of that strategy involves a number of complex issues that have to be identified by importance and then integrated together into a sustainable strategy supported by government policy and a diverse demographic. Simple, huh? There’s a reason it’s taken so long. With all that… Read More
The World Trade Organization’s ruling on the country of origin labelling (COOL) legislation brought some small sense of victory to the Canadian beef industry. The excitement over that victory was short-lived however as producers realized that any tangible results stemming from that ruling would be a long way off. The potential for an appeal by… Read More
The continuing saga of the financial crisis in Europe and in particular Greece is leaving a lot of analysts on the edge of their seats. The latest development being the 170 billion dollar Greek bailout deal presented Tuesday. The failure of that deal could have far-reaching implications. But just how much could Europe’s problems spill… Read More
Through the January farm show season I continued to run into people that said to me that they were getting a Blackberry Playbook or had just bought one. Whether its the $200 price point or the the increased interest in tablets, it seems to me that the Blackberry Playbook finally has some appeal. It would… Read More
by Kent Erickson and Lynn Jacobson In the past 150 years, wheat has played a significant role in the settlement of the Canadian prairies and the development of Western Canadian agriculture. Canada became the “bread basket of the world” because of the quality and quantity of wheat it supplied to countries around the globe. In… Read More
Of all of the aspects of a business that have to be managed, human resources can be the most challenging. The needs and the dynamics involved in managing human resources are unique to every business and have to evolve as a business grows and changes. For many farmers human resources can suck the life out of running… Read More
As far as cover crops go, red clover is a no-brainer. That according to OMAFRA wheat specialist Peter Johnson. It’s a statement that seems to be backed up by a lot of facts. The first being its ability to provide ample amounts of nitrogen and organic matter to the soil. A good stand of red… Read More