The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) has come under fire this week for its apparent support of the Ontario government’s near-ban on neonicotinoid seed treatments for corn and soybean. Don McCabe, president of OFA, says that while the regulations are not perfect, the lobby organization is the only one “still at the table” with government,... Read More
Category: Eastern Canada
New crop wheat futures fell from recent highs on Wednesday after the USDA published some larger-than-expected wheat supply projections. The USDA’s June reports were not friendly for prices across the board, says Neil Townsend of CWB Market Research in our conversation below. (Read the WASDE report here and the Crop Production estimates here.) Along with... Read More
We should know better than to be surprised by the weather, but wow, some areas of the province have gone from too dry to rain, rain, rain. In some areas, reports of up to six inches of rain is causing ponding, flooding, and is delaying first planting, let alone replanting. And so, we can think... 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
Skipped plants in a corn row aren't always due to mechanical error or seedling blights. Early insects like wireworm or grubs can kill plants rather stealthily, leaving gaps in a row or neat leaf damage, while cutworm can clip off a patch of plants overnight. Knowing which insect causes what damage is important when assessing... Read More
Mind Your Farm Business (MYFB) is a 12-part audio series exploring a wide-range of farm business management topics. Featuring thought-provoking leading experts in an engaging format, MYFB is brought to you by RBC Royal Bank. What's the plan for your farm? If that question seems far too large and long-term to answer effectively, you're exactly... Read More
Swiss-based Syngenta has rebuffed a second $45 billion purchase offer from U.S.-based Monsanto, calling it "unsolicited" and a "reputational risk." Initially, Syngenta cited worries over global regulatory approvals as one of the main reasons behind the first refused offer. And, though Monsanto saw "no legitimate basis for the regulatory concerns" outlined in Syngenta's refusal, the... Read More
How do you sell an industry full of potential? If you’re hoping to influence career choices, you have to be top of mind when high school students are contemplating opportunities. That’s the motivation behind Ontario’s Lisa Thompson’s private member’s motion, Growing Agri-food Jobs, first read at Queen’s Park in November, and introduced this week. Thompson,... Read More
>It can be hard to know when to spend the money and when to save the cost in the weeks leading up to harvest, and even more challenging when you're dealing with a crop that doesn't look quite right. For some winter wheat producers in Ontario right now, that means a crop of rather short... 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