It’s been a rather down week on several fronts — from the global market meltdown, to frost happening not once but twice in areas of Alberta. To the good, harvest picked up steam in several areas of Western Canada, and Ontario’s soybean crop is developing quickly, giving hope to RealAgriculture’s agronomist Peter Johnson that winter… Read More
Confused about what the new rules governing neonicotinoid-treated corn and soybean seed means for seed orders this fall? You’re not the only one — the Ontario government is hosting information sessions and webinars this week, but several questions and plenty of confusion swirl about what paperwork you must do to access neonic-treated seed. To help… Read More
The Grain Farmers of Ontario have received a court date regarding its case requesting a stay of the Ontario government’s new regulations limiting access to neonicotinoid-treated corn and soybean seed. The regulations came into force as of July 1, 2015. The case will be heard September 28th, 2015, says GFO. If a stay is granted,… Read More
By Terry Daynard. This blog post first appeared on Terry’s blog, here. You can contact Terry via Twitter at @TerryDaynard. The recent decision by the Government of Ontario to critically restrict usage of neonicotinoid seed treatments for corn and soybean growers, despite limited scientific support, has been a real eye opener for Ontario farmers. This… Read More
Scott Horner of HyTech Production Ltd., based at Lethbridge, Alberta, has been named president of the Canadian Seed Trade Association following the CSTA’s annual meeting held last week at Windsor, Ont. A board member since 2008, Horner also represents CSTA on the board of directors of the Seed Association of the Americas. He has also… Read More
Susan Curtis, by all accounts, is the ideal partner for a beekeeper. Her multi-generation dairy farm near Joyceville, Ont., grows ample flowering crops to keep bees fed and producing honey. She was even willing to widen and improve an access road for the bee yard, all for the trade off of a few cases of… Read More
Grain Farmers of Ontario today announced it has commenced legal proceedings against the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. “Late last week, Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) filed a request to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to provide an interpretation of the neonicotinoid treated seed regulations,” says Mark Brock, chair of Grain Farmers… Read More
The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has tallied up the in-season bee death numbers for both 2014 and 2015 (planting only), and the numbers are nothing short of staggering. The PMRA recently reported to the federal bee health roundtable that during the planting period there was roughly a 70% decrease in the number of reported… Read More
The Grain Farmers of Ontario have sought legal advice on behalf of its members and have words of caution for farmers: do not allow beekeepers on your land without a waiver of liability. GFO has contacted members with guidance following concerns that surround possible liability issues with hosting beekeepers’ livestock on their land, the group… Read More
Ontario’s government today unveiled the final version of the regulations governing the use of neonicotinoid-treated soybean and corn seeds. If you can hardly tell the difference from the proposed regulation launched late in 2014, you can be forgiven — the final regulation is only slightly tweaked from the original proposal. Ontario’s Ministry of Environment of… Read More
I’ve often wondered what would happen if I moved my dairy farm to Toronto’s Yonge and Eglinton. I’d take some floor space out in a nearby building and then open the doors to let the cows come and go as the please. Free-range is all the rage, anyway. I wouldn’t feed them myself though, I’d… Read More
Two independent sources familiar with the workings of Ontario’s legislature have confirmed that the impending regulations regarding access to neonicotinoid-treated corn and soybean seed will go to cabinet on Wednesday, June 3rd. This final version of the regulations designed by Ontario’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) will take effect July 1. First announced… Read More
Farmers from across southern Ontario rallied at two MPP offices today, May 29, to demonstrate their frustration over the Ontario government’s handling of impending regulations regarding the use of neonicotinoid treated corn and soybean seed. Grain Farmers of Ontario put the call out earlier this week for farmers to show up between 10 am and… Read More
It’s not often that I can’t find the answers I need. After all, growing crops and sharing information about growing crops is the part of this job I love the most (hello, total agronomy geek up in here!). I’m always willing to dig deep to get the answers farmers need. So it’s difficult for me… Read More
New appointments to the province’s Ontario Pesticide Advisory Committee (OPAC) have got at least one farm group calling foul — yet again — on Ontario’s government. The committee’s purpose is to “annually reviews the content and operation of the Pesticides Act and its regulations and recommends changes or amendments” to the minister of environment and… Read More