Farm-Focused, Community-Driven: The OFA Revive Fund in Action Farm-Focused, Community-Driven: The OFA Revive Fund in Action The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) acknowledges that one-size-fits-all solutions often fail to meet local needs.
Risk Management Matters Risk Management Matters Farming has always been a profession marked by uncertainty, but today’s landscape presents challenges.
Peter Hannam: A Legacy of Leadership Peter Hannam: A Legacy of Leadership Peter Hannam devoted his life to agriculture. Born in 1939 and raised on his family’s farm in Guelph.
Fall Fairs & Farming Roots Fall Fairs & Farming Roots Many rural communities across Ontario have a long-standing annual tradition of gathering at their local fall fair to celebrate agriculture.
Spotting Trouble Before Your Tower Topples Spotting Trouble Before Your Tower Topples Concrete tower silos are a defining feature of Ontario’s rural landscape, serving as crucial storage for silage and grain.
Rural Wells Under Pressure Rural Wells Under Pressure Rural Ontario is dotted with nearly 500,000 private wells, providing the primary drinking water for about 1.3 million people.
From Humble Beginnings to Industry Leaders From Humble Beginnings to Industry Leaders Ryan and Romy Schill have built a thriving sheep and wool business that is a model of innovation and efficiency.
Serving & Growing Serving & Growing Commodity groups have a strong presence in Ontario’s agriculture industry.
Optimizing Management in Robotic Milking Systems Optimizing Management in Robotic Milking Systems Robotic milking systems are not new to Ontario dairy farmers, but the University of Guelph’s Dr. Trevor DeVries says that the adoption of the technology is still climbing.
Fighting On the Front Lines: Farm Under Threat Fighting On the Front Lines: Farm Under Threat In Wilmot Township, Stewart Snyder is fighting to protect the future of his farm.
Weeds to watch for in 2025 Weeds to watch for in 2025 Herbicide-resistant weeds are an increasing problem for many Ontario farmers, limiting their weed management options.
Q&A with Ontario’s New Ag Minister Q&A with Ontario’s New Ag Minister Soon after being named Ontario’s new Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness in late March, Trevor Jones sat down with Better Farming for a discussion.
Setting Soybean Populations Setting Soybean Populations Setting soybean population is both an art and a science.
Facing Farming’s Biggest Threats Facing Farming’s Biggest Threats Farmers have seen several significant threats cast a shadow over the agricultural industry this year.
Farm Insurance: Review Your Coverage Farm Insurance: Review Your Coverage Insurance is not a one-size-fits-all solution for our farm businesses. As operations grow in scale and complexity, so do the associated risks.
Thinking about retiring? Thinking about retiring? Planning for retirement is a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of farming.
Handy Tools for Your Shop Handy Tools for Your Shop Winter fixing season is upon us and many farmers are heading out to their shops to repair their vehicles and equipment.
Seed, Soil, Success: Planting Tips For 2025 Seed, Soil, Success: Planting Tips For 2025 As the planting season approaches, farmers know the importance of early preparation.
Soil, Weeds & Weather: Takeaways From ’24 Soil, Weeds & Weather: Takeaways From ’24 There is so much emotion in farming that sometimes we forget what happened during the growing season.
Planter Upgrades Planter Upgrades Each year, corn growers depend on their planters to sow their corn crop effectively with the hopes of strong emergence and uniformity.
Red Osier Dogwood: A Potential Antibiotic Alternative Red Osier Dogwood: A Potential Antibiotic Alternative Antibiotic resistance is an increasing concern for livestock producers in Canada.
Corn Stunt: Facts, Not Fear Corn Stunt: Facts, Not Fear I had an interesting call last fall from the United States. No, it was not Donald Trump calling to tell me that he got back in.
Canada’s New Right-to-Repair Law Canada’s New Right-to-Repair Law Farmers across Ontario are breathing a sigh of relief following the recent passing of Canada’s new Right-to-Repair law.
Winning At Funding Applications Winning At Funding Applications Funding programs are an opportunity for farmers to improve their land and equipment, while encouraging growth and advances in the agricultural industry.
Keep An Eye On Your Livestock’s Water Quality Keep An Eye On Your Livestock’s Water Quality When assessing livestock management, nutrition and health protocols are often the first considerations that come to mind.
Picking The Right Seed For #PLANT2025 Picking The Right Seed For #PLANT2025 With harvest wrapped up and the new calendar year beginning, the most important task is picking the variety/hybrid for 2025.
New Crop Opportunities: Rounding Out the Rotation New Crop Opportunities: Rounding Out the Rotation Some producers have diversified from their typical soybean crop by adding dry edible beans to their rotation.
Then & Now: Dr. David Biesenthal Then & Now: Dr. David Biesenthal Dr. David Biesenthal’s lifetime career in agriculture and veterinary medicine has left an undeniable mark on the industry.
On-Farm Butchers: In the Spotlight On-Farm Butchers: In the Spotlight Limited meat processing capacity has challenged the Ontario beef industry in recent years.
‘Good records help you ask better questions.’ ‘Good records help you ask better questions.’ Record-keeping is an important practice for anyone raising livestock, but farmers may find it challenging.
Santa’s Ag Wishlist Santa’s Ag Wishlist In a landscape that’s constantly evolving, Ontario’s agriculture scene is buzzing with fresh ambitions and big ideas.
What To Do If the Animal Welfare Inspector Comes What To Do If the Animal Welfare Inspector Comes The PAWS Act (Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act) came into effect in Ontario in January 2020.
Does sulphur Pay? Does sulphur Pay? Over the past decade, a lot of focus has been put on sulphur, and rightly so.
‘Promoting Ag & Leadership’ ‘Promoting Ag & Leadership’ Growing up on a farm, Carson graduated from Ridgetown College in 2015 with an Associate Diploma in Agriculture.
Cyber Attacks Take a Byte Out of Ag Cyber Attacks Take a Byte Out of Ag Remember when “hacking” was simply a way of cutting through the brush on your woodlot?
Residue Management Residue Management Are you thinking about planting next season? Hopefully, the answer is yes.
Managing Your Farm as Interest Rates Fall Managing Your Farm as Interest Rates Fall The Bank of Canada lowered its key interest rate to 4.25 per cent on Sept. 4, making it the third consecutive cut in a row for Canadians.
Canadian Government Continues Building an FMD Vaccine Bank Canadian Government Continues Building an FMD Vaccine Bank The Government of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) recently announced the next step in developing a vaccine bank for foot and mouth disease (FMD).
‘Farmers Still Have A Push.’ ‘Farmers Still Have A Push.’ The farming community’s voice on land use and government policy can be strong, as a recent series of events proved.
Rural Healthcare: Still Under-Resourced Rural Healthcare: Still Under-Resourced Indeed, some farm families continue to grapple with limited healthcare options across rural communities here in Ontario.
Don’t Forget Our Spring Learnings! Don’t Forget Our Spring Learnings! Growing crops can be so emotional. Mother Nature throws us curveballs all year long.
From Seed to Feed From Seed to Feed One of the most critical choices dairy producers will make is hybrid selection.
‘All Things Agriculture’ ‘All Things Agriculture’ Rob Flack was recently appointed Ontario’s new minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness.
Plan Ahead. Be Patient. Ask For Help. Plan Ahead. Be Patient. Ask For Help. As harvest season fast approaches, Ontario farmers gear up for one of the most important times of the year.
A Decade Running Jolley’s Farm Toys A Decade Running Jolley’s Farm Toys Nicholas Grose is an avid toy collector – and so dedicated to the hobby that when the opportunity to purchase Jolley’s Farm Toys presented itself, he jumped at it.
Drones: How Can They Make Farming Easier? Drones: How Can They Make Farming Easier? Drones have been creating a lot of buzz in agriculture for over a decade now.
Biologicals: The Next Frontier Biologicals: The Next Frontier One thing that is always constant in agriculture is change. That’s what I love about this industry. Agriculture is constantly evolving to meet the needs of the producer.
I Should Have Fixed That! I Should Have Fixed That! I’m sure we have all had breakdowns that were preventable if only we had looked a bit closer and taken more time on our maintenance.
Emerging Disease: Tar Spot Emerging Disease: Tar Spot As the disease continues to spread and impact Ontario’s corn crop, it’s important that producers are informed about how to identify tar spot and which resources are available to monitor it in their area and beyond.
Keeping Your Soybean Crop Happy Keeping Your Soybean Crop Happy Imagine a world where you could see into the future. What would it be like if you could predict the weather? If you could predict which insects, diseases or other issues would affect your crop and what this would mean for final yields.
Sunflower farming in Ontario Tuesday, August 19, 2025 While Manitoba dominates sunflower production in Canada—accounting for about 90 percent of the national output (https://oggardenonline.com/where-in-canada-are-sunflowers-grown.html)—Ontario is home to a growing number of sunflower farms. These farms are often smaller in scale and... Read this article online
2025 Livestock Tax Deferral Regions Announced Tuesday, August 19, 2025 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has published the initial list of prescribed regions eligible for the 2025 Livestock Tax Deferral provision, a key support measure for Canadian livestock producers grappling with the impacts of extreme weather. “As we continue to see the very... Read this article online
Winter wheat in Ontario: A resilient crop for a sustainable future Tuesday, August 19, 2025 Winter wheat has long been a staple in Ontario’s agricultural landscape, offering both economic and environmental benefits to farmers across the province. Grown primarily in southwestern Ontario, this crop plays a vital role in crop rotation systems, soil health, and food... Read this article online
Better Soil Health Improves Rain Absorption Monday, August 18, 2025 The OMAFA Fieldcropnews.com team recently held demonstrations regarding how soil management can greatly affect the amount of rainfall absorbed into the soil for crop use. This is especially important for corn, soybean, and wheat growers facing dry spells or intense summer storms. In early... Read this article online
Farm ponds and the trouble with algae Monday, August 18, 2025 Farm ponds are more than just tranquil features on rural landscapes—they’re essential tools for water management, livestock care, irrigation, and biodiversity—especially in North America. They are also considered to be a key agricultural asset outside North America, especially in... Read this article online