The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) has published its full comment on the Ontario government’s pollinator health proposal — a proposal that singles out neonicotinoid seed treatments of corn and soybean crops as a key factor in pollinator health risks. OFA’s response includes four key points, including: the need for and content of a pollinator… Read More
Category: Regulatory
Grain Farmers of Ontario met December 18, 2014, with government representatives to ask the provincial government to abandon the proposed seed treatment regulations and, instead, “support an approach that will work for the complexities of both grain farming and bee keeping.” “Family farmers need your commitment to agriculture now,” says GFO of the provincial government,… Read More
Last week, the Ontario government announced its plan of an “aspirational” goal of an 80% reduction in acres planted to corn and soybean seed treated with neonicotinoid seed treatments by 2017. What farmers need to know now is how they are expected to meet said goal, and what the stated increase in rules and regulations may… Read More
A new group made up of several Ontario commodity groups marked the launch of Farm Action Now with an inaugural meeting held earlier this week. The “task force” of farm organizations, representing a broad-section of Ontario’s agriculture sector, has been formed, organizers say, to evaluate the fate of Ontario agriculture in the face of looming… Read More
Merck Animal Health has announced “significant progress” in the implementation of its Zilmax Five-Step Plan (follow that link for details). With insights from the company’s advisory board, an extensive assessment and analysis of existing, as well as new product data, was conducted, Merck says. Merck had suspended sales of Zilmax in August of 2013 following… Read More
Nature is cruel. Or, put another way, nature is perhaps the most fair — she, if we can call it a she, cares very little as to the outcome of any change in the environment. There is a consequence to every action, but nature doesn’t judge what is good and what is bad. It just… Read More
Do you know the most likely way your farmland loses nitrogen? (Now would be a great time to review all the ways N evades being used by the plant. Check out the image in this post). Why does this matter? For one, putting down fertilizer that’s simply lost to the water or air is just… Read More
How did the bees do this spring planting season? Very well, says Tracey Baute, field crop entomologist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Likely attributed to several factors — a late planting season being one of them — Baute and her colleagues have kept a close eye on the Ontario bee… Read More
The federal government can do something to help Ontario’s $900-million mushroom sector — that is, extend or change the temporary foreign worker program. Such a change might help other agri-food sectors too and give new skilled Canadians a productive place in our society. The agri-food sector’s struggle with labour is widely known. Canadians like to… Read More
Bees, pollinators and honey-makers alike, are enjoying some much deserved attention right now. There was a time not too long ago when many consumers had no inkling of the importance of pollinators in our food supply. Unfortunately, much of the added attention stems from recent bee deaths, the mysterious colony collapse disorder (CCD) and controversy… Read More
Ontario’s agriculture minister recently announced a move to increased rules and regulation regarding use of neonicotinoid seed treatments on corn and soybeans. As noted, there are no new set regulations on the product’s use at this time, however the government is set to begin a consultation process ahead of rolling out changes to the insecticide’s use…. Read More
The debate about Canada finally adopting UPOV 91 has transpired all winter. For some in the seed industry the inclusion of UPOV 91 being included in the Canadian Federal Government’s Agricultural Growth Act (Bill C-18) has been a long time coming. The NFU has been strongly trying to convince farmers and the general public that… Read More
A shift in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s focus means that ranchers transporting cattle to auction, pasture or the abattoir may face increased scrutiny on the condition of the cattle they’re moving. All existing regulations have remained the same, however, ranchers should expect to see CFIA inspectors actively checking on and ticketing animals under transport…. Read More
Modernizing Canada’s varietal registration system needed to happen — the removal of kernel visual distinguishability and the CWB’s monopoly in recent years has changed crop variety development in Canada. The registration system needs to evolve with it in order to stay current and competitive. Read More: Upov 91, Gerry Rits and Canada’s variety registration system… Read More
After watching the throne speech yesterday I quickly remembered back to a conversation that I had with Gerry Ritz back in January at Farmtech regarding Canada implementing UPOV 91. (Canada’s plant breeder’s rights system is currently based on the 1978 convention). On several occasions Minister Ritz was very confident Canada would conform to the UPOV… Read More