Dig Deep Archive | Page 4 | Better Farming

Financing Ontario’s agri-food growth

Non-profit fund launches to support local food sector

A new capital pool for Ontario’s local food producers and related businesses seeks to solve at least one financial challenge facing entrepreneurs in the sector, said Sally Miller, Local Food and Farm Co-ops project manager.

Seeking the authority to manage waste

Communities creatively repurpose closed landfill sites

By Kaitlynn Anderson
Staff Writer

Once rural landfills reach their capacities, communities can collaborate to repurpose these sites.

“Some places have successfully used landfills to create new local features, like parks,” Dr. Dianne Saxe, the environmental commissioner of Ontario, told Better Farming.

Serving up the details on cell-based meat

Will cell-based meat be classified as a novel food? If so, what will this mean for producers and consumers?

By Kate Ayers
Staff Writer
Better Farming

Dumping dirt: Excess soil turns up on farmland

Chatsworth Township producer encouraged municipality to pass site alteration bylaw

By Kaitlynn Anderson
Staff Writer
Better Farming

Many rural Ontario municipalities have struggled to deal with soil dumping operations. In the process, some residents have diligently tackled this problem and encouraged change in their regions.

Pat Cardoza, a beef farmer in Holland Centre, is one such individual.

Sensing your soil’s potential

Image detection systems could enable producers to reduce chemical usage by up to 90 per cent

By: Kate Ayers
Staff Writer
Better Farming

Producers could use sensor-based precision herbicide applications as another tool to fight hard-to-control weeds in their fields.

Canada’s cannabis race blossoms

Ontario horticulturist agrees to rent land to a cannabis producer

By Nicholas Van Allen
Writer
Better Farming

WeedMD’s management built the company’s Strathroy facility with the help of Jerry Zakaria, CEO of Perfect Pick Farms.

Zakaria owns 98 acres of land and rents five of them to WeedMD. Soon, this rental arrangement will grow to 12 acres as part of WeedMD’s expansion into cannabis extraction. WeedMD also has an option to buy the other 86 acres.

Laying the groundwork for better soil

Agronomist discusses how farmers can adopt soil best management practices

By Kate Ayers
Staff Writer
Better Farming

As stakeholders consider ways to implement Ontario’s soil health strategy, a Certified Crop Adviser from Middlesex County provides grounded tips on how producers can adopt new soil management practices on their farms.

Taking the fear out of data sharing

Cash cropper shares how precision ag benefits his farm business

By Kaitlynn Anderson
Staff Writer
Better Farming

Jason Robinson, a third-generation cash crop and vegetable farmer in Courtland, Ont., uses a range of precision ag technology in his family’s operation. Much of his equipment can collect data.

Robinson, who farms with his father, uses this data to make decisions throughout the year.

Unpacking the changing ag export markets

CETA may unlock possibilities for increased Canadian agri-food exports to Europe

Tracking data from farm gate to dinner plate

Canada’s beef industry strives to show traceability and sustainability throughout the supply chain

By Kate Ayers
Staff Writer
Better Farming

Blockchain is an emerging technology that provides supply chains with an online documentation system, which the agri-food industry can use to improve traceability and food safety, as well as reduce food waste.

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Meat processing industry needs investment

January 17, 2020

The provincial government will be providing over $200,000 of cost-share support to 25 food safety projects at abattoirs in the province, said a Jan. 16 statement. This newest funding ads onto previous efforts to engage with and support the meat processing industry that began in 2019, including the formation of and consultation with a meat industry engagement panel. Franco Naccarato, executive director of Meat and Poultry Ontario, said his organization helped with the creation of the panel. “We’ve been engaging with the government on ways we can improve food safety, and help... read more

Saving the Sydenham Fall Fair

January 16, 2020

Members of an Ontario community have stepped up to keep an annual tradition alive for its 167th year. The Sydenham Fall Fair was at risk of closing after the 2019 event because of administrative issues and a need for more volunteers. The Bluewater District School Board, for example, wouldn’t allow animals on the East Ridge Community School property, where the fair had been held for the last two years, citing safety and potential site damage. And the core group of volunteers were being stretched too thin to put on a quality event, said Keith Reid, president of the Sydenham... read more

Accelerating innovation in ag tech

January 16, 2020

The governments of Canada and Ontario will provide funding to Ontario Agri-Food Technologies (OAFT) to help them support innovation and commercialization in the ag industry through a pilot project called the Commercial Deal Accelerator, according to a Jan. 10 statement. However, this funding (through the ) comes after OAFT’s budget was cut by the provincial government. OAFT has a 23-year history but “ultimately it’s one of the organizations that fell to the cuts of this current provincial government,” Tyler Whale, president of OAFT, told Farms.com. “As an... read more

Eradicating PED in Ontario

January 14, 2020

Ontario Pork reported the first confirmed case of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) in 2020 in Perth County on Jan. 2. The viral disease causes vomiting and diarrhea, and tends to have high mortality in piglets and lower mortality in older pigs, Ontario Pork says. In Ontario, industry officials have conducted sampling and reported PED cases since Jan. 2014 as part of an effort to eradicate the disease. The province had a total of 128 confirmed cases since 2014, with only 10 cases in 2019. When cases are discovered, industry stakeholders prioritize cleaning and disinfection, and all parts of... read more

Rural schools need gov’t investment

January 10, 2020

The unions representing elementary and secondary school teachers are locked in ongoing labour disputes with the government, resulting in single-day and escalating strike action. In rural communities, schools need both immediate action and long-term investment to improve. Keith Currie, president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) listed a strong rural school network in the top three OFA priorities for the new decade in a Jan 3. statement. “Rural schools are essential to attract and retain local employees by providing quality education and critical community hubs. An... read more