The rain came, but was it in time? For those crops that escaped frost damage, this last week’s weather has been well worth the wait. For those anticipating new corn and soybean growth, however, the last week has led to more disappointments than expected. What’s going on? Peter Johnson kicks off this week’s Word with… Read More
Category: Eastern Canada
Does farm size matter when it comes to managing interest rate hikes? It does, says Greg Pate, economic policy analyst with Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, but not in the way you may think. Bernard Tobin spoke with Pate at a recent half-day farm finance conference held at Guelph, Ont., to talk… Read More
If you’re keeping tabs on Ontario’s beef industry this Local Food Week, you’ve seen how a company’s profile can grow when it markets its brand effectively, promotes itself tirelessly, and stands on values instead of gimmicks. A prime example is VG Meats, which seems to be popping up everywhere. VG stands for Van Gronigen, a… 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
If you thought environmentalism was a recent invention, you may be surprised to learn that it was actually former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, in 1971, that created a bill to declare a week that focused on environmental health. Today, “Canadian National Environment Week,” is celebrated the first week of June, in tune with the United Nations’ World… Read More
Statistics Canada shared its report on 2014 Canadian farm cash receipts last week. In laymen’s terms, these numbers are an estimate of how Canadian farmers earned their income last year. (The cash receipt charts do not account for expenses or depreciation, so in no way do they reflect profit or net income.) Total farm cash receipts, according… Read More
There are few Ontario farmers not grappling with the fallout of the May 23rd frost — corn and soybeans both have started to grow through the damage, though persistent dry conditions up until the last few days had stopped some re-growth short. Farmers also likely saw the coming weed spectrum while out scouting frost damage… Read More
Grains saw a choppy end to the trading month of May as government reports seemed to sway the market the most. Corn and wheat prices on the futures board saw their values fall as USDA crop progress reports reminded everyone that a lot of corn is already in the ground and that wheat crops in… 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
Tractors seemed to keep getting bigger and wider, and when farmers started looking at triples, Case IH opened the gate to a four-track prototype tractor. And, says Case IH’s Mitch Kaiser, producers loved it. Related: Case IH Maxxum Tractors Sport “Aggressive New Look” Every system has its pros and cons, and although the cost of tracks… Read More
There was a time when it was hard for farmers to access credit — so much so that it spurred the creation of a farm credit corporation, now known as Farm Credit Canada. Those old enough to remember FCC’s creation are also old enough to recount the hardship that was farming in the early 1980s…. Read More
The threat of retaliation from Canada and Mexico is forcing American lawmakers and farm groups to weigh whether it’s worth maintaining the mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) rules for meat. The American Farm Bureau Federation, which describes itself as the largest general farm organization in the U.S., announced Wednesday it has decided to back… Read More
Yesterday, Ontario’s legislature passed Bill 40 — Agriculture Insurance Act, 2015 — which will allow for more types of agricultural products to be covered by the province’s production insurance program. Production insurance is part of the business risk management programs (RMP) designed to help farmers manage losses due to events beyond their control, such as weather, pests and… Read More
From frost in Ontario to flea beetles in the West, and just a few things in-between, here’s TWORA for May 28th, 2015: Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS
The Canadian Pork Council has published a study outlining not only what Canadian hog producers stand to gain from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but more significantly, what the Canadian hog sector would lose if Canada isn’t part of the multi-lateral trade deal. While the TPP negotiations currently include 12 countries, for Canadian hog producers, the deal… Read More