Here’s a little tidbit for you: if you’re scouting canola at the 2- to 4-leaf stage and spot blackleg lesions it’s already likely too late to spray. What’s more, a fungicide application later in the season is also likely a waste of money and time, even if symptoms are severe, because the yield loss has… Read More
Category: Industry Issues
The XL Foods beef recall over E. coli contamination and its detection was one of the top ag news stories of 2012. It’s unfortunate that bad news is big news, and even worse that once the dust settles we discover that what happened was preventable even within the existing rules and regulations. An independent panel’s… Read More
Editor’s note: This is Owen Roberts’ Real Talk, Real Action column. Each week, Owen will offer his insight into how farmers and the agricultural industry can participate in the rural- and ag-related discussions going on around them. Contact Owen at [email protected] or on Twitter at @TheUrbanCowboy. Score one for agriculture. In Ontario, the province is proposing… Read More
Monsanto Company today hosted a conference call to outline what is known and yet to be determined regarding the reported finding of Roundup Ready wheat plants in an Oregon, U.S., field. The company has published a 13-page presentation, seen here, to outline exactly what is known, what testing has been done and what testing will… Read More
Location has often been the first three things that drives real estate value, but when it comes to farm land, location means something very different. What’s more, while location is very important to land’s intrinsic value, there are several other factors that may trump where farm land is located. It makes sense, as farm land… Read More
It’s great to see farm groups take a public position. Their members want to hear from them, and increasingly, so does the public, especially when these groups are represented by real farmers.Even better yet is when a farm group’s concerns mesh with the public’s understanding of the status quo – such as border crossing into… Read More
Though it has not been grown in nearly a decade, wheat containing the Roundup Ready gene has been reportedly found in an Oregon, U.S., field by the USDA. The Roundup Ready wheat was field tested many years ago by Monsanto in the state from 1999 to 2005, but the crop was never approved for commercial… Read More
I’m all for peaceful protests. Say it loud, say it proud, whatever you need to get off your chest, please do. And it’s with this spirit that I propose we have a march to promote marching against real problems in our society — children living in poverty and suffering from hunger even as a growing… Read More
Controversy has surrounded the giant white wind turbines nearly since the first turbine farms cropped up across rural Ontario. Wind turbines are commonplace in much of Europe and are expanding in Western Canada and Ontario, but not without push back from some residents who list several health issues as fall out from these green-energy generators…. Read More
For many in the agriculture industry and especially the beef industry, the announcement that BSE had been found in the Canadian cattle herd was one of those moments where you’ll likely always remember where you were when you first heard it. I was at work, my first job in publishing, and the news came over… Read More
Just when you thought things couldn’t get any weirder…A new, free app for Androids and iPhones has been launched. The app, christened “Buycott,” and developed by Buycott Inc. (an overwhelming amount of creativity, I know), allows users to join a number of campaigns of their choice and make purchase decisions based on the “campaign targets.”… Read More
It’s no secret that farm land prices across Canada have been red hot. Ontario has certainly reflected that trend, with sky-high prices in late winter this year leaving some very happy, and others more than a little concerned about the affordability of land. Ontario field editor Bernard Tobin spoke with Marleen Van Ham, appraiser and broker… Read More
Ontario ginseng is the class of its field. The species grown here, called American ginseng (versus Asian ginseng, the other popular variety) is the apple of ginseng exporters’ eye. It now generates $130 million in export sales annually, and it’s growing every year. That’s great news for farmers who work the unique sandy soils in… Read More
In a tight seeding window, is it better to seed first and spray later, or is a pre-seed burn-off a must? That’s the question we asked Kristen Phillips, agronomy specialist for Manitoba with the Canola Council of Canada. She says that 24 hours is all you need after a glyphosate application before heading in to… Read More
If you are aggravated by puns or organisms belonging to the family Apidae, a warning: this article may bug you. But honey, I’ll try not to drone, if you promise to bee open-minded. There has been a lot of media coverage on the recent and very controversial propesed two-year suspension of neonicotinoids in the European… Read More