Sidebar 4: Cathy McKay, 55, South of Port Perry (Durham Region) Monday, May 4, 2009 McKay is the main operator of Nature's Bounty, a farm which she owns with her husband, Marvin Stevenson. They have one son. An apple orchard is the 100-acre farm's primary focus. She also grows pumpkins, squash, gourds, decorative corn and the operation includes 40 ewes, pasture and alfalfa. In the mid-1990s, the couple shifted the farm from exclusively wholesale apple sales to on-farm retail and wholesale. Greatest success. Implementing the transition from wholesale to retail and transforming the farm from a money loser to a profitable business.Greatest challenge. "Being pulled in many directions. Sometimes people don't understand that you are working. Yes, you're home, yes you have some flexibility, but you are working."Words of advice. Farming is a "huge commitment," she says. "You have to really like it." Sidebar 5: Laura Kivits, 32, Dalkeith (Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry) Sidebar 3: Trudy Reid, 29, District of Thunder Bay
Ontario crops respond to summer heat Wednesday, July 2, 2025 According to the OMAFA Field Crop News team, Ontario field crops are showing rapid development as summer-like temperatures have dominated late June early July. The warm spell has accelerated growth and helped reduce the heat unit deficit from a cool spring. Corn fields have seen a burst... Read this article online
Canada’s Place in Global Food System Resilience Wednesday, July 2, 2025 Canada’s food system is facing serious pressure due to global supply chain issues, climate change, and rising food prices. According to a KPMG report, bold and united action is needed now to make Canada’s agriculture sector more resilient and self-reliant. With the global population... Read this article online
Calf Auction Raises Funds for Youth Monday, June 30, 2025 Wyatt Westman-Frijters from Milverton won a heifer calf named Ingrid through a World Milk Day promotion by Maplevue Farms and a local Perth, Ontario radio station. Instead of keeping the calf, 22-year-old Westman-Frijters chose to give back to the community. The calf was sent to the... Read this article online
Cattle Stress Tool May Boost Fertility Friday, June 27, 2025 Kansas State University researchers have developed a cool tool that may help reduce cattle stress and improve artificial insemination (AI) results. The idea came from animal science experts Nicholas Wege Dias and Sandy Johnson, who observed that cattle accustomed to their environment... Read this article online
Ontario pasture lands get $5M boost Friday, June 27, 2025 The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $5 million to strengthen shared community grazing pastures. This funding supports the province’s plan to protect Ontario’s agriculture sector and help cattle farmers improve pasture quality, ensuring long-term sustainability and... Read this article online