Cover Story

Grain-based ethanol is under fire for contributing to world food shortages. Many now hail cellulosic as the answer to the world’s mounting fuel crisis. But is this ‘next generation’ biofuel an ideal solution or a troubling compromise?

by Mary Baxter

Succession can be one of the biggest hurdles a farm family faces. And with today’s larger, more complex and investment-heavy operations, more people are usually involved than in the past. Here Better Farming looks at how six Ontario families coped

by KATE PROCTER AND MARY BAXTER

It’s no secret that Canada’s farm population is aging. By 2006, the average age of the Canadian farmer had crept up to 52 from 2001’s average of 49.9. And with advancing years comes the challenge of transferring the farm to the next generation.

This month, the Canadian Standards will unveil the first draft of a comprehensive industrial occupational health and safety management system for agriculture

by MARY BAXTER

For products such as baby seats and bicycle helmets, it’s fairly common knowledge that a Canadian Standards Association (CSA) designation means that they were built with safety in mind. What may be less apparent is the CSA’s involvement in the agriculture sector. Since 1990, it has published 45 standards that tackle the safe design and use of farm machinery.

In many industrial sectors, equipment training is mandatory and, in some instances, licensing may even be required. Not so for farmers. Nor is there an age restriction on who can operate the equipment.

In contrast, there are laws prohibiting children from being on a construction site and the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) requires that farmers ensure their employees are trained on the equipment they operate.

Wayne De L’Orme, co-ordinator of the Ontario Ministry of Labour’s industrial program, says that two trends are emerging from statistics concerning on-farm health and safety violations.

Farms with employees have been required to comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act since June 30, 2006. De L’Orme says that statistics collected during the first 14 months since the Act has been in effect show that most accidents are taking place in southwestern Ontario, where most farms are and involve either people coming into contact with machines or falls.

If you are an owner operator, think again, because you are the most vulnerable member of the agricultural community

by MARY BAXTER

You know your equipment; you’ve used it day in and day out for years. So have your son and daughter. An accident is the last thing on your mind. Then, one day, one of you gets too close. And it happens.

Many of those who own and operate their own farms without the assistance of others may think an accident won’t ever happen to them.

When a bale slipped off a loader and fell onto the hapless operator, it left him partly paralyzed. It’s the type of accident that happens all too often, says the local fire chief

By DON STONEMAN

The accident merited a terse report in a policeman’s notebook and three paragraphs in the local newspaper. It left a young man’s life changed forever, and a deputy fire chief shaking his head in wonderment.

A new business opportunity for farmers, or more aggravation for the neighbours?

Federations of agriculture are pushing for a label that identifies homegrown food. But the concept is proving surprisingly controversial

by DON STONEMAN

Pork producer Louis Roesch takes food, and where it comes from, seriously. He thinks that the time is ripe for a “Grown in Canada” label for local food and support for the idea has grown sharply. The concept is not without its wrinkles, though, and not everyone is onside.

The keys to survival – a level playing field, cost cutting and finding new revenue sources

by MARY BAXTER & DON STONEMAN

Steve Eby farms with his father Stan near Kincardine, where they have capacity to finish 1,700 cattle. Cattle farming is what this 39-year-old father of two knows. Like his dad, he’s been at it most of his life.