Dig Deep Archive | Better Farming

Failing to Plan is like Planning to Fail

Seeking higher yields & bigger returns in 2023

By Paul Hermans

When buying a property, any real estate salesperson will tell you that three things matter – location, location, location. In agriculture the adage that holds true is planning, planning, planning. Failing to plan is like planning to fail.

The 2022 growing (and hopefully harvest) season has come and gone. Now our eyes turn toward the 2023 growing season with anticipation of higher yields and bigger returns.

Slow Going: Still Looking for Clarity on the 413

Tired producers search for answers on the fate of their farms.

By Emily Croft

Frustration grows and confusion continues as farmers continue to wait for news of the fate of Highway 413 – with limited communication and clarity since the resumption of environmental assessments in 2019.

While opposition is still being expressed by some groups, the continuation of highway development appears to progress slowly, drawing out the process for the affected residents of York, Peel, and Halton regions.

Another Look at Lyme Disease

Ontario’s Farm Country Still a Hotspot

By Nicholas Van Allen

Fever. Chills. Headache. Muscle aches and pains. Fatigue. Swollen lymph nodes.

As a farmer, you might be thinking that you are familiar with all these symptoms of COVID-19. But you’d be thinking about the wrong disease. In addition to muscle spasms and facial paralysis, these are in fact symptoms of something else – Lyme disease.

Living & Dying by the Seed Selection Sword

By Paul Hermans

With harvest nearing completion across Eastern Canada, attention is switching to crop planning for the 2023 growing season. Arguably seed selection is one of the most important choices a grower will make on their farm on a yearly basis.

Many factors need to be looked at when picking a corn hybrid or soybean variety. Yield comes to the top of the list every time. But knowing your fields and disease pressure, weed issues, soil types, etc., should play a big factor in ensuring you pick the right product for the right acre.

Are Your Farm Vehicles Safe?

Keeping your trucks secure from theft

By Emily Croft

Pickup trucks are an indispensable tool on farms across Ontario. Transportation between fields, hauling cattle, and running parts are just a handful of the tasks that a pickup truck might be used for on any given day. The necessity of the farm truck makes the concept of vehicle theft all the more concerning.

Over recent years, the theft of newer vehicles has become more difficult due to improvements to anti-theft technologies.

Big climate, small changes

How can producers at the farm level make changes and still reap the rewards

By Colleen Halpenny

As defined by the United Nations, climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. They note that the consequences of climate change now include intense droughts, water scarcity, severe fires, rising sea levels, flooding, melting polar ice, catastrophic storms, and declining biodiversity.

Garbage In Means Garbage Out

Use Farm Data to Make the Best Decisions

By Paul Hermans

Harvest is happening and we are all eager to get the crop in the bin. What we do from a data collection standpoint this fall can affect our 2023 cropping plans and beyond.

Technology in the agricultural sector has changed a lot in the last 20 years. There are big gains to be had using yield monitors and variable rate applications. The old saying “garbage in means garbage out” applies yearly when using these tools.

Rural Care in Disrepair

Can this patient be saved?

By Geoff Geddes

THWACK! As he rolls up the drag hose, it pulls apart, striking him in the head and knocking him out. Frantic, his wife calls 911. The medics find her husband seizing and unresponsive, his skull having shattered into eight pieces. WHOOSH! Into the ambulance … lights flashing … siren blaring … time is of the essence … life-saving care within reach … at last, arriving at Emergency and finding it … closed?!

Cow Chow: Six Tips to Master this Year

Key factors for your best silage harvest season ever

By Paul Hermans

Talk to any livestock producer and they will tell you they get two shots at making a great crop in one year. One during the planting/growing season and the second at harvest.

Silage harvest season is here. Maximizing quality will mean lower feed bills, healthier herds, and higher milk/beef production at the end of the day. A win/win for every producer!

Upping Your Cover Crop Game

Why are we planting it? How are we getting it established? How are we killing it?

By Colleen Halpenny

As defined by the Ontario Cover Crop Strategy, a cover crop is a plant that is seeded into agricultural fields, either within or outside of the regular growing season, with the primary purpose of improving or maintaining soil quality.

These are non-commodity crops either inter-seeded into living crops or planted onto bare fields or crop stubble during fallow periods.