Better Farming - October 2016

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6 Farm News First > Better Farming October 2016
SHORTTAKES
The United Nation’s global food price index dropped in
July, following a period of rising numbers for the first five
months of 2016. This recent drop resumes a decline that,
until the early 2016 rally, had persisted for five years.
The mid-summer index was 68 points below its 2011
peak, but University of Guelph Food Institute director
Evan Fraser played down Canadi-
an implications. The index
averaged 161.9 points in July,
down eight per cent from June
and 1.4 per cent below July of
2015, the UN’s Food and Agricul-
ture Organization website says.
Lower cereal and vegetable oil
prices outweighed dairy, meat
and sugar gains.
The index is a reliable measure of world markets, but
can mask regional factors such as weather and currency
values, Fraser said in an interview.
Low oil prices linked with a low Canadian dollar
created food price inflation in 2015, mostly because of the
volume of food that’s imported, he said.
Prevailing world markets may create hardship, “espe-
cially for farmers that took on significant loans during
that 2011 period,” Fraser said. But current prices remain
generally above the level of the past 20 years, he said.
Agriculture continues to be an area of significant
growth, Fraser said. BF
A new way for Ontario vineyards to keep their grape
vines clear and clean is starting to take hold. And it’s not a
baaa-d idea at all.
Some vineyards in Niagara now use sheep and lambs
to eat the vines’ lower leaves that cover grape clusters.
Normally, growers remove the leaves by hand or with
machines. “It’s a slow and methodical
process” that can cost $330 an acre, said
Featherstone Estate Winery winemaker
and co-owner David Johnson. Remov-
ing a vine’s lower leaves helps prevent
mould and mildew.
Johnson first learned of the practice
of using sheep to do the work during a
work placement in New Zealand in 2007.
Johnson says each year he seeks out a small workforce of
Southdown lambs (an English breed) to tend to the vines.
The lambs must be short – 22 inches to the shoulder – to
ensure they only eat the lower leaves. They arrive in July
and graze through mid-September. Johnson says the lambs
don’t touch the grapes and only eat the leaves.
“They really work in established vineyards where the
plants have strength and root structure,” he said.
Others, such as nearby Tawse Winery and Southbrook
Vineyards Inc., have followed suit. BF
According to
Agriculture and
Agri-Food Canada’s
report, 2016
Overview of the
Canadian Agricul-
ture and Agri-Food
System, public
investments into
agriculture research
and innovation were projected to total $649.5 million in
2015-2016. This spending has shrunk since 2007, but,
according to the Overview, “continues to exceed that of
the United States,” in terms of the share of gross farm
receipts.
Despite the decreases in funding, a number of
organizations remain actively engaged in public agricul-
tural research and innovation. This month’s installment
highlights a number of relevant Twitter accounts. This
list does not indicate endorsement.
@UofGuelphOAC (Ontario Agricultural College,
University of Guelph)
The OAC Twitter account shares updates on the research
conducted by its students and faculty. The university’s
researchers study, for example, poultry cage enrichments
and invasive insect species in crops.
@AgInnovationOnt (AgInnovation Ontario)
AgInnovation Ontario is published by the Agri-Technol-
ogy Commercialization Centre. AgInnovation recently
covered University of Waterloo’s research into identify-
ing fake pesticides and Trent University’s research into
indoor grape production.
@ONAgFoodRuralRI (Agriculture, Food and Rural
research and innovation)
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural
Affairs tweets findings relevant to Ontario ag. It high-
lighted, for example, global research into alternative
methods for sustainable livestock production.
@USDA-ARS (U.S. Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service)
If you’re interested in ag research south of the border,
the USDA Agricultural Research Service is a good place
to start. This account’s recent topics included faba beans
and food labelling.
What social media accounts do you like to follow?
Tweet us, post on our Facebook page or email us at
. We always appreciate your
thoughts. BF
Global trend masks local gains
Lunching lambs are labour savers
Social (Ag)Media: Agricultural
research and innovation
Martin Konz/Hemera /Getty Images Plus
kates_illustrations/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Courtesy Featherstone Estate Winery