As corn planting moves along in Ontario, the list of issues to deal with in the field is also progressing, as RealAg agronomist Peter Johnson has a pair of insect alerts on this week’s Word. Unfortunately there’s also been some frost in parts of the country, and Wheat Pete walks us through how to assess the… Read more »
Category: Features
TechTour: Extra sets of eyes on machinery improve efficiency
For farmers with plenty of help, it’s the eyes and ears of others around the farm that help with spotting, moving, or monitoring equipment. For farmers like Jim Hale, from Lancer, Sask., cameras installed on some of his machinery have replaced some of that help. A cereal, pulse, and oilseed farmer, Hale runs his farm operation on his… Read more »
Beef Market Update – I guess that is what you call a correction
Two weeks ago we were talking about higher highs and no where to go but down for the cattle market and thats exactly what we got. The market corrected over the past two weeks which could be fine long term technically. What has hurt Canadian feedyards is that the Canadian dollar has rallied over that… Read more »
Ontario farm leaders head south to keep U.S. ag trade flowing
Starting Wednesday, Ontario ag leaders are headed south of the border to try to mend some of the trade fences that embattled U.S. President Donald Trump has crashed through. Led by Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs minister Jeff Leal, the group – which includes representatives from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the… Read more »
TechTour: Using solar energy to power irrigation pivots
The way we farm is continuously changing, including the way farms with irrigated acres power their irrigation pivots. The idea of using solar energy to help offset the cost of operating pivots once seemed foreign, but there’s growing interest some early adopters have setup solar installations. Merlinds Farms Ltd, near Grassy Lake, Alta. was the first in… Read more »
Beef Market Update: “Sometimes when things look like they could go good, they go better”
It was a wild and crazy run for the cattle markets this week, and the weekend could be the breather that funds and feedyards need. June live cattle finished the week up 3.45 percent, even with the severe limit down drop on Friday. In the last three months June cattle are up 21.44 percent, which… Read more »
Survey shows gap between precision data collection and use
Precision agriculture counts on not only data collection, but also on data management as well. And while a new survey of 700 farmers across Canada shows most producers are indeed gathering agronomic data electronically, many are not yet using that data for management purposes. The survey, which took place over three weeks in November and… Read more »
Door Opens for Easier On-Farm Business Development in Ontario
With 98 per cent of businesses in Canada employing less than 100 people, it really is true that, cliché or not, small business is the backbone of the country. In Ontario, agriculture and food already employs some 800,000 people. Its presence is clear. But once businesses are up and running, they then have to grow…. Read more »
TechTour: Ramp Up Seeding Turn-Around Times with the Wildcard Trailer
Seeding and harvest are the two main pinch points for time on the farm. Many farmers have gone to wider implements, bigger carts, and huge tractors in an effort to cover the maximum amount of acres per day to make the most of an intense spring start. But going wider and adding capacity creates a… Read more »
More Farm and Food Teacher Ambassadors On Deck
Rejoice, people who say we need more agriculture education in the classroom. Here’s some good news. In Ontario, plans are underway to have up to 50 agriculture in the classroom teacher ambassadors – twice as many as now exist — trained and available for assignment by the 2018/19 school year. This initiative is being driven… Read more »
Beef Market Update: Carcass Weights are Lower While the Live Cattle Futures Go on a Run
The cattle markets have seen two weeks of strong futures gains, which is bringing smiles to the faces of cattle feeders. With carcass weights lower in Canada and the United States, they’re are current and looking to fill empty pens as the cash market rises. The summer of 2016 is still fresh in cattle feeders minds… Read more »
Could Investing in Rural Canada Make for Affordable Cities?
We know that housing prices – regardless of whether you buy or rent — are out of sight, especially in Canada’s major cities, and in particular, Toronto, where housing prices have jumped more than 30 per cent in one year. As part of what’s called the Fair Housing Plan, announced Thursday, April 20, Ontario Premier… Read more »
Africa’s Farmers Need Investment to Feed Africa
Globally, the big question in food production – the one that reverberates in any discussion about the future – is who will feed the increasingly hungry world, and how. Most of the focus is on Africa, and the growing population there. So the question goes: Who will feed Africa? Well, after spending two weeks with… Read more »
Real AgVentures – Swimming Pigs: They’re Bringing Home the Bacon
[GREAT EXUMA, THE BAHAMAS] – Farmers everywhere – including the Bahamas — used to get in and out of pigs relatively quickly. It’s not really like that anymore, as farming has become more sophisticated. But back then, when prices went up, herds grew quickly. When prices went down, herds shrunk about as fast. And so… Read more »
The Seedpod —Ep. 12: Wheat Midge Tolerance Gene Detected in Soft White Wheat. What Happens Now?
SeCan recently discovered that the majority of the soft white wheat varieties grown in western Canada naturally contain the Sm1 trait for midge tolerance. The trait has likely always been there, but only recently have we had the technology to test for it. The Sm1 gene was first identified as naturally occurring in soft red winter… Read more »