One of the highest-ranking public servants in the federal agriculture department is leaving Ottawa to become Ontario’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Greg Meredith has worked for the federal government for more than 30 years, serving as Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM), Strategic Policy with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada since 2010. He was… Read More
Month: December 2016
Seed companies are turning to new sources of resistance to protect canola against blackleg disease, as the pathogen population in Western Canada has adapted over the years. Until recently, most of the varieties marketed as “blackleg resistant” relied on what’s known as the Rlm3 gene, explains Sakaria Liban, pathologist with DL Seeds, in this episode of… Read More
Dairy Quality Inc. and its mobile milk testing device was the big winner at Ontario’s 10th annual Premier’s Awards for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence. Premier Kathleen Wynne presented the Premier’s award – the province’s highest honour for outstanding contributions in innovation to the agri-food sector – to the Newmarket-based company. Its mobile testing device helps dairy farmers… Read More
New Holland has added some nutrient delivery innovation to its self-propelled sprayer line-up. Earlier this year, the company reached an agreement to give its sprayer customers access to the NutraBoss dual fertilizer placement tool. In this video interview from the 2016 Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, New Holland’s Jarrod Angstadt explains how the lightweight… Read More
From Ottawa, Shaun and Lyndsey discuss their Question Period experience and catch up with a number of the people in town for the GrowCanada conference, including a discussion about food choices with speaker & ag economist Jayson Lusk of Oklahoma State University, an impromptu appearance by Grain Growers’ new past-president Gary Stanford, and Paul Thoroughgood… Read More
As winter sets in, decisions are being made on what to plant next year, and thanks to U.S. biofuel policy and weather issues in South America, it’s looking like soybeans will be a preferred option. Yes, Real Ag agronomist Peter Johnson’s talking markets to kick off this week’s edition of the Word. Moving from soybean demand… Read More
The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Crop’s (CRSC) has created an agro-ecosystem working group. The group has created a “vision for sustainability” for Canadian agriculture over the next 10 years. With a commitment to using science as the guiding principal for development of 12 key outcomes for 2026, the seven member organizations of the working group include:… Read More
Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay announced changes to Farm Credit Canada’s Young Farmer Loan program in Ottawa on Wednesday. FCC will double the amount of credit available to individual farmers under the age of 40 — raising the maximum to $1 million from $500,000, said the minister. The ag lender will also lower the minimum down-payment… Read More
For many people that visit Agribition for the first time the activity at the barns can be overwhelming. There are people hustling and bustling around the cattle, from stall to stall. There is lots of laughter, serious discussions, and the odd red Solo cup. This was not my first time in the barns, but I… Read More
Cities and towns are approving land development now that may not happen for a decade. If we’re to protect farmland from being swallowed by ever-expanding municipal boundaries, we need to act now to stop it, says Keith Currie, president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) . Currie’s organization is one of 16 farm groups leading a… Read More
Today’s edition of RealAg Radio features a special guest host in a very special recording locale, but don’t worry, it’s the same calibre of farm radio you’ve come to expect from the RealAgriculture team (we hope). RealAg Radio Co-host Shaun Haney is joined by resident fast-talker and field editor Lyndsey Smith for an Ottawa-based recording… Read More
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has proposed changes to the rules for the transportation of animals. Discussions about changes to the transport regulations, most of which have been in place since 1977, have been ongoing for a number of years. The draft amendments were finally published in Canada Gazette on December 3 (read the entire proposal here.) The… Read More
All organizations evolve over time. Whether it is a family business, a Fortune 500 company, or a startup, organizations change with the passage of time. The Beef InfoXchange System (BIXS) is no different. Traceability is still important, and everyone feels differently about where it exactly fits into long term profitability. According to the BIXS website:… Read More
Statistics Canada issued its “final” crop production estimates for 2016 on Tuesday morning, leaving it up to the market to interpret how much crop was harvested after the agency surveyed producers. The November Farm Survey was conducted between October 21 and November 13 — just as farmers in Alberta and Saskatchewan were getting back into the… Read More
Choosing the right genetics is the most important decision growers make when tackling leaf diseases such as northern corn leaf blight (NCLB). Fungicides applied in-season can provide both curative and preventative benefits, but the battle to fend off yield-robbing leaf diseases starts with your seed choice explains, OMAFRA field pathologist Albert Tenuta. In this episode… Read More