Corn drives the agriculture commodity complex which provides great coffee shop and water cooler fodder. Demand for corn has been strong and supplies have been tight which has made the market strong. One of the scenarios livestock producers were hoping for was for the 2011 crop to produce strong yields and a cushion in the… Read More
At first glance, Patrick Moore resembles more CEO than ecologist, but give him a topic like the opposition to genetically modified crops, and you get all the emotion you’d expect from someone who helped found Greenpeace. Moores involvement with Greenpeace started in the late 1960’s in opposition to nuclear testing and the arms race and… Read More
With June 10th coming fast and the wet ground pushing plans to the brink, many Ontario farmers are trying to decide whether they should plant soybeans or spray their post emerged corn. Depending on where you are the weeds in the corn fields are coming fast. Farmers have been educated to spray their corn at… Read More
The world is both growing and shrinking at the same time. As the global population increases, our interconnectedness becomes more and more apparent, especially when it comes to resources like food and water, water being the most critical element. Land is available and needed in countries like Africa for food production, but the infrastructure is… Read More
Farmers across the eastern provinces may finally be getting a break from the extreme moisture thats been flooding parts of Quebec and delaying planting for farmers in parts of Ontario. It may be uncomfortably humid, but a welcome change from soaked homes and fields. How will the rest of the Spring shape up? What can… Read More
The trials and tribulations of Ontario soybean corn planting is well documented. An Ontario corn grower told me this morning that even the old timers cannot remember a spring like this one. With 60-65% of the Ontario corn planted producers are running out of time to get this corn crop in the ground. If warmer… Read More
With the supremely wet weather that has been significantly delaying corn and soybean. Another one of the impacts of this wet weather is the need to consider fungicides for your wheat crop. Wet conditions tend to bring on disease and that can dampen your yield expectations if not handled accordingly. Phil Needham is a leading… Read More
The business world has gone mobile. From the smartphone to the rise of the tablet and the advent of the cloud server, people want, and can get their information anywhere and anytime. Agriculture is no different. Long hours in the tractor can now be ( fortunately or unfortunately ) long hours at the office. Every… Read More
As we get closer to June, with acres still to be planted and wet weather still on the horizon, farmers begin to think about switching from corn to soybeans. Some Ontario farmers are even considering lowering the CHU’s of the soybeans they will plant. The one thing that makes soybeans different than corn is that… Read More
The G20 may be dealing with one of the most universally concerning issues its ever faced as it attempts to address the wild swings in food prices across the globe. The developing world is most urgently in need of help as the prices of basic staples have reached levels previously unheard of. Political unrest, malnutrition… Read More
In case missed it….the 2011 spring is providing to be a real challenge across the country. It is wet everywhere except for Northern Alberta. Areas like Southern Alberta are over 75% seeded while parts of Ontario have only 40% of the corn planted and 5% soybeans. Eastern Saskatchewan and Manitoba have major issues while Peace… Read More
The food versus fuel debate seems to be alive and well according to Kevin Grier from the George Morris Center. Kevin also believes that some of the people that should be the most update are livestock producers in Canada. As Kevin mention in the below interview, with 40% of the US corn crop being burned… Read More
By Shaun Haney We live in world right now that thrives on the speculation of conspiracy. A great example of a mainstream conspiracy theorists are the “birthers” that don’t believe Barack Obama was not born in the US even though he produced a birth certificate. Conspiracy theorists are very prevalent in agriculture as well. I… Read More
Its the race against the calendar. Ontario farmers are pushing to try and complete planting before they have to re-consider their heat unit selection. From twitter I have been picking up that many of the farmers are planting close to around the clock which is very taxing on the mind and body but the reality… Read More
This week the USDA report really smacked the commodity market into a downward spiral on Wednesday. Most people said that the negative reaction was an over reaction but still it does wake some farmers up to the potential downward snap that this market can take. As Jon Driedger, FarmLiunk Marketing discusses below, this is great… Read More