“It’s an atrocity to block the humanitarian gesture of improved nutrition,” says Kevin Folta, scientist and associate professor at the University of Florida, referring to opposition towards Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). We saw incredible public interest in food in 2013, with polarizing discussions often centred around biotechnology. Many, including Folta, argue the current debates are largely… Read More
Tag: Bernard Tobin
For the last 20 years, Dr. Helen Thompson has worked on the research side of the agricultural industry with Britain’s Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA). She recently left FERA to start work with Syngenta, a move that has caused a bit of a stir in the agriculture industry there. But, controversy or not, Thompson… Read More
The former Ontario government, headed up by Dalton McGuinty, pulled the rug out from under the horseracing industry this past spring in what can only be called a very premature effort to move slot machines to a Toronto-area casino (or so the most reputable theory goes). Just how premature was the move? Well, there is,… Read More
Hands down, the one-pass seedbed prep demo was the most popular event at this year’s Outdoor Farm Show held at Woodstock, Ont. Farmers by the hundreds eagerly followed behind each implement, kicking soil and evaluating the job of over 20 conservation-minded tillage units. The sheer volume of farmers present speaks to farmers’ interest and, dare… Read More
As equipment becomes more sophisticated and tech-reliant, farming has become an increasingly precise and data-driven business. It’s rare though that each tractor or piece of equipment and implement is purchased at the exact same time, complete with software interface, all from the same brand. And, even if they did, no brand of equipment has a… Read More
While several Ontario tracks are running right now, horse racing in Ontario is still struggling and the future is fraught with uncertainties. Standardbred racing has been hit particularly hard, and political wrangling around casinos going in, then not, in southern Ontario has those in the industry wondering what the next few years look like for… Read More
If you judge a politician’s strategy by where they choose their photo ops, Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne has her sights firmly set on rural Ontario. Typically the domain of the Progressive Conservatives, Wynne appointing herself ag minister after winning the premiership was a very strategic move in winning the hearts and votes of rural Ontario…. Read More
Horseracing in North America is facing tough times, a result of years of decreased attendance and betting. In Canada, tightening of government budgets in at least three provinces, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, has put heavy pressure on tracks to either evolve, find new business partners or face extinction. Ontario is far and away the largest… Read More
In September, Bernard Tobin, RealAgriculture.com’s Ontario correspondent, explained in this interview that the Slots-at-Racetrack program was ending and ending quickly. As of March 31, 2013, the slot machines would be pulled from Ontario racetracks, and the revenue generated by the slots (and shared with the province) would walk out the door with the machines. The… Read More
Each year, the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation holds an annual conference that brings together over 100 agriculture journalists to offer an up close and personal look at agriculture. The conference is held in a different province each year in order to highlight many different aspects of food, feed and fuel production in the country. This… Read More
Horses and horse racing may not always be top of mind as big business agriculture, but the recent announcement of Ontario pulling the plug on the Slots-at-Racetrack program as of March 31, 2013 is set to rip a huge hole in the equine industry and the economy of rural Ontario. The demise of a horse… Read More