While corn yields are quite good across much of Ontario, the level of DON — a mycotoxin produced by gibberella infection — in some of the tonnage coming off fields is just too high to easily market the grain. There’s been much frustration over testing procedures at the elevator, questions on crop insurance, and conflicting… Read More
Grain Farmers of Ontario plans to purchase grain baggers to assist in “short term storage of corn for farmer-members.” The producer organization, representing Ontario’s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean and wheat farmers, met with Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, late last week to address the high DON corn crisis in Ontario. At the… Read More
Grain Farmers of Ontario is asking the provincial government to issue refunds to farmers who paid into the provincial cap and trade program prior to the program being repealed by the current government. Representing Ontario’s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean and wheat farmers, GFO is supportive of Doug Ford’s provincial government cancelling the current cap and… Read More
“Brutal” is just one word being used to describe some of the corn coming off in Ontario. While yields are good, a perfect storm of disease-inducing conditions at and following pollination has left a chunk of the 2018 corn crop riddled with myctoxins, most notably vomitoxin. “There is still lots of good corn in Ontario,”… Read More
The future of any neonicotinoid product being registered for use in Canada is very uncertain, as Health Canada is currently proposing a ban or near ban on all uses of clothianidin, thiamethoxam, and imidacloprid. That said, Ontario’s main farmer organization, Grain Farmers of Ontario, is calling for its province to scrap its provincial restrictios of neonics, and… Read More
Why is ethanol important to agriculture, the environment, and consumers? On this episode of the Corn School, RealAgriculture’s Bernard Tobin travels to the Honda Indy in Toronto for a firsthand look at how Ontario grain farmers are reaching out to consumers to increase understanding of biofuels and the role farmers play in powering cars in the… Read More
Grain Farmers of Ontario wants to see a targeted growth strategy, a focus on business risk management programs, funding for an educational farm demo site, and signed trade agreements out of the next Ontario government. GFO also says it would like to see an exemption on farm fuel costs associated with Climate Change regulations of… Read More
Producer groups from both eastern and western Canada are partnering on a research project with the University of Saskatchewan looking to provide information to consumers on consumption of foods made from both whole and enriched non-whole grains. Led by Hassan Vatanparast of the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Pharmacy and Nutrition and School of Public Health,… Read More
Whether the government brings forward small business tax change legislation, the U.S. closes the border to Canadian cattle, or a bill (i.e. C-49) ends up locked in the Senate and going nowhere fast, our industry associations and member-based organizations lobby for change on behalf of farmers. According to Wikipedia, lobbying is defined as: the act of attempting… Read More
When you let your name stand as chair of an organization, you never know what challenges you’ll face. For Mark Brock, who stepped in as chair of Grain Farmers of Ontario in 2015, there was little time to adjust to the new leadership role. As he was nominated, the organization was facing one of its… Read More
Grain Farmers of Ontario have named its 2018 executive, including Markus Haerle as its new board chair. Haerle replaces Mark Brock, who served as chair for the last three years. The province’s largest commodity organization, Grain Farmers of Ontario represents 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean, and wheat farmers. The balance of the 2018 executive committee… Read More
Grain Farmers of Ontario has named Laura Ferrier, a Certified Crop Advisor, as its agronomist. This is a newly created position for the organization that represents the 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean, and wheat farmers in the province. Ferrier may be the new agronomist, but she is certainly not new to Grain Farmers of Ontario… Read More
The demand side of the Ontario corn balance sheet is poised to grow with the provincial government proposing to double its ethanol mandate for gasoline from five percent to 10 percent by 2020. “We currently have the five percent mandate in place and it takes at least about a third of the corn production in… Read More
Several of Canada’s largest farm organizations are united in calling for a comprehensive review of the government’s business risk management (BRM) programs for farmers. In government lingo, the BRM acronym refers to AgriStability, AgriInvest, AgriRecovery and AgriInsurance (which includes crop insurance) — all programs that are intended to help farmers manage against volatile weather and… Read More
Will Canadians see a renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement any time soon? Don’t bet on it, says political commentator David Frum. Earlier this week, the editor of The Atlantic and former speech writer for George W. Bush, shared his thoughts on the Donald Trump presidency and possible NAFTA renegotiation at the Grain Farmers of Ontario… Read More