Dig Deep Archive | Page 8 | Better Farming

Mapping your way through precision ag

Sask. farmer finds profitability mapping allows him to maximize production and efficiency

By Kate Ayers

Profitability mapping has changed Saskatchewan farmer Terry Aberhart’s approach to crop production and how he manages the land. Together with his ag consultants, Aberhart analyzes his field data and gross revenue from across his fields.

Profitability maps can be generated using yield data and the cost of production for each field. These maps colour code zones of the field to indicate areas that are making money, losing money or, perhaps, simply breaking even.

Livestock producers face predator pressure

Farmers requesting financial support for reasonable care plans

By Kaitlynn Anderson
Staff Reporter

Wildlife predation is such a pressing issue for the province’s producers that the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) may ask the government for more assistance.

Cultivating a level playing field

Ontario could take notes from lessons learned through other provinces’ organic regulations

by Kate Ayers

The Ontario government is reviewing the Organic Products Act, which would ensure that products for sale within the province could not be labelled or marketed as “organic” unless they are certified as such in conformity with the act. As the Ontario discussions continue, Better Farming provides an overview of the five provinces in Canada which have provincial organic regulations: British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Quebec.

Take control of charging water

Producers may be eligible for funding for erosion control structures

By Kate Ayers

Runoff and soil erosion are major issues in some areas of Ontario, and best management practices (BMPs) cannot always solely solve these problems, says Brad Glasman, manager of conservation services in the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.

Accessing end-of-life care in rural Ontario

How legislation about medical assistance in death affects palliative care

by Jim Algie

New federal law permitting medical assistance in death (MAID) has changed aspects of the palliative care provided by physicians in Canada. The law particularly affects the treatment of patients in the early stages of diagnosis with life-limiting illnesses, said Dr. Peter Tanuseputro, a leading researcher of palliative care and a family physician in Ottawa.

Forecasting tools boost farm efficiency

Precision ag may be less daunting with multiple means of product assistance

By Kaitlynn Anderson

Many precision ag companies offer more than just an online resource.

For example, Farmers Edge, which was founded in 2005, offers face-to-face support for product users. In fact, trained precision technology specialists will set up the product components, including on-farm weather stations.

Farmers may also benefit from the year-round assistance provided by some companies.

Supporting rural Ontario’s health care

Poultry farmers raise funds for rural health research

by Jim Algie

A group of Huron and Perth County poultry farmers has gathered in the month of September for a few years now at the Seaforth Golf Club for what they call “The Chicken Classic.”

The event is a round of golf for fun that also raises funds for charity. In recent years, the Chicken Classic organizers have donated the proceeds to the Goderich-based Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health, a unique, nine-year-old organization created to support and research rural health issues.

Less waste, more resources

Biofertilizers offer range of nutrients for land application

By Kaitlynn Anderson

With the Waste-Free Ontario Act underway, farmers could see more biofertilizers, such as LysteGro, being used across the province.

LysteGro, manufactured by Lystek, “is registered as a fertilizer with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and is currently utilized by farmers throughout Ontario as a commercial fertilizer replacement,” said Mike Dougherty, director of product management for Lystek International Inc.

A shock to agriculture’s bottom line

Lessons to learn from California: Minimum wage increase should be gradual

By Kaitlynn Anderson

In California, the minimum wage is scheduled to increase to $15 per hour, similar to Ontario. However, there is one major difference: the time frame for the implementation of this increase.

While the Ontario government plans to enact the change over a period of 18 months, California has set a date of 2023 – about eight years after the change began in the state in 2016.

Much ado about hemp

Highlighting the crop’s uses and abuses

By Nicholas Van Allen

Hemp has different uses and it’s incorporated into some products you might not have considered.

Nutritionists and health experts prominently note hemp’s benefits to Canadian diets: hemp seed is a rich source of both protein and healthy fats. “Two tablespoons of shelled hemp seeds can contain between seven and 11 grams of protein,” and are a source of dietary fibre, EatRight Ontario says.