Update — April 12th, 2015: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on April 12th announced that a 10km radius control zone has been established around the single farm where H5N2 avian influenza was confirmed last week. 29 poultry farms within this zone are now under quarantine, although so far, the virus has only been found at the infected… Read More

Ergot (often refered to as “Ergot of Rye”) is a disease caused by the plant fungus Claviceps pururea. It’s history with humans is rich and painful, believed to be a contributing factor in the Salem Witch Trials, and the diagnoses of “Holy Fire,” later termed “St. Anthony’s Fire.” Today, it is regarded as a highly… Read More

Ontario beef farmers will now have access to double the individual loan limits under the Ontario Feeder Cattle Loan Guarantee program. For the purchasing of feeder cattle, new members who are enrolled in the program are now able to access a loan for up to $100,000 (an increase of $50,000), and existing members are now… Read More

If you saw the 2011 movie Contagion, you know how bird flu can be vilified. Movie goers left the theatre scared senseless that any traveller they encountered could be a ticking time bomb, as a result of a virus that appeared to spread from the close association between poultry and humans on some Asian farms…. Read More

Only 53% of women have the confidence to invest money, while 82% of their male counterparts are confident investing money, Gwen Paddock, national manager, agriculture and agribusiness, client and business strategy at RBC Royal Bank, told delegates at this year’s Advancing Women Conference in Calgary. Yet, Paddock explained, women tend to be better investors than men…. Read More

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed the avian influenza virus found in a turkey flock near Woodstock, Ontario is the same subtype identified in British Columbia in December and in several states in the US Midwest over the last month. “The CFIA’s testing at the National Centre for Foreign Animal Diseases has confirmed the strain responsible for… Read More

Top-end speed for tractors has climbed over the years, as farmers look for ways to reduce the amount of time spent transporting equipment. Faster road gears have become more valuable as farms grow in size, with longer distances between fields. While it might exceed what’s practical on most North American farms, a new Guiness World Record for fastest tractor speed… Read More

Newspapers of late seem to be drenched with neonicotinoids, often blaming the now well-known active ingredient for declining bee populations. Related: Canola School – Bees & Beneficials – Defining Terms, Protecting Habitat and Recognizing Benefits Here in Canada, between 2013 and 2014, the beekeeping industry actually experienced some impressive growth, with increases in beekeepers, colonies, honey production… Read More

Tough conditions last fall resulted in fewer acres of wheat being planted than planned in Ontario. Some of those fields could end up defaulting back to soybeans for 2015. In this Soybean School episode, Dave Hooker, field crop agronomist and assistant professor at the University of Guelph-Ridgetown, and Bernard Tobin discuss the implications of back-to-back soybean crops, and… Read More

North American hog prices have tumbled dramatically from the record highs seen last summer, pushed by a reduced impact from disease, a growing breeding herd and lagging U.S. pork exports. “It’s amazing how quickly things can change, but it does accent how high we were last year as well,” says Tyler Fulton, director of risk management… Read More

 

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