The P&H Milling Group, with support from the Ontario government, is building the first flour mill in Ontario in 75 years. Ontario Minister of Agriculture Jeff Leal made the announcement on Monday at Parrish & Heimbecker’s Hamilton Harbour location, where the new bulk mill is expected to commence operation in 2016. The expansion will allow… Read More
Author: Bernard Tobin
Bernard Tobin is RealAgriculture's Ontario Field Editor. A Ryerson University journalism grad, @AgBern was raised on a dairy farm near St. John's, Newfoundland. For more than two decades, he has specialized in agricultural communications, working for numerous farm media outlets, communications agencies and ag consulting companies. He is based in Georgetown, Ontario.
As the Bill 6 debate continues in Alberta, Real Agriculture is taking a look at how other provinces regulate farm labour, health and safety. Are there lessons to be learned from how other provincial legislation was developed and how it’s constructed? Let’s take a look at Ontario. In June 2006, Ontario agriculture was brought under… Read More
Is your farm secure? That’s a question farmers need to ask themselves says security specialist Larry Wallace. As traditional rural farm communities become more urban, farms become larger and valuable equipment fills yards and drive sheds. That means farmers need to be more diligent in their security practices, says Wallace, who founded Wallace Risk Management… Read More
The “Natural Foods” section of any grocery store is a truly fascinating place. Here you find clusters of people intently reading fine print ingredient labels and sorting through the growing number of label claims fighting for space on product packaging. There’s a little something for everyone – from non-GMO verified, gluten-free, organic and dairy free… Read More
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture is hoping the arrival of new federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay will mark a change in the impact farmers have on public policy. MacAulay’s been on the job for less than a month, but so far Ron Bonnett likes what he sees. The CFA president received a call from the… Read More
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture has re-elected Don McCabe as its president for 2016. The Lambton County farmer was unopposed for the position, which he won for the second consecutive year during the OFA’s annual meeting in Toronto this week. Despite being acclaimed, there were some challenges for the returning president regarding how he and… Read More
Every year in the US, feed left in the bunk costs dairy producers $2 billion. That’s about eight percent of all the feed placed in front of dairy cows, says J. W. Schroeder. The North Dakota State Extension Dairy Specialist told a packed presentation room last month at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin,… Read More
Farming is not just about producing crops or raising livestock. Much of what separates high performance farms from average to below-average farms is their ability to excel at everything from human resources management and looking after their team to understanding financial ratios and how to deal with the banker, says Rob Hannam, lead facilitator for… Read More
Looking for a tractor with a custom midnight black paint job, an awesome sound system, Bluetooth capability and piles of other custom features? Give your Challenger tractor dealer a call. There are only 50 of the new Challenger X-Edition packages available on the Challenger MT 700 and 800 tractors. RealAgriculture got a first-hand look when… Read More
In this episode of In The Dirt, Salford’s Jim Boak introduces us to AGRIS Co-operative agronomist Dale Cowan and the role agronomists play in helping farmers implement and achieve 4R nutrient stewardship. Boak recommends farmers pay particular attention to how Cowan uses an approach called MOM to meet 4R objectives. This includes using the right… Read More
What crop and seed mixes could farmers plant to make their farms more bee-friendly? That’s a question Bayer CropScience and Pollinator Partnership are trying to answer with a study aiming to give farmers recommendations on what they can do to improve bee habitat on their farms. Vicki Wojcik, research director for Pollinator Partnership, a non-profit… Read More
Dairy farmers are currently employing 34,000 robots around the globe and manufacturer DeLaval expects that number will double in the next five years. Since robots began appearing on farms in the 1990s, most have been confined to smaller farms throughout Europe, including Germany, France and the Netherlands. Canada currently sits sixth in the ranking of… Read More
John Deere’s new ExactEmerge retrofit kit will allow farmers who own the company’s late-model planters to step up their speed and accuracy. John Deere launched its ExactEmerge seed delivery system in 2014, promising farmers precise seed placement and spacing while boasting the ability to travel at much faster planting speeds, up to 10 mph. The… Read More
Elora, Ontario’s Bert Stewart made his first trip to the World Dairy Expo (WDE) in 1969. He hasn’t missed one since. He’s been connected with some of the best female cattle to ever show at the annual dairy event and, since 1990, has mentored countless Ontario 4-H members who have competed in the National 4-H… Read More
Farmers watched as planters and seeders of all sizes, shapes and capabilities rolled down the field during the planting and seeding demonstration at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock last month. Some planted at 10 MPH while others showed off their ability to plant multiple crops, combine seeding and tillage, or the flexibility to plant… Read More