Cyber Attacks Take a Byte Out of Ag Cyber Attacks Take a Byte Out of Ag Remember when “hacking” was simply a way of cutting through the brush on your woodlot?
Residue Management Residue Management Are you thinking about planting next season? Hopefully, the answer is yes.
Managing Your Farm as Interest Rates Fall Managing Your Farm as Interest Rates Fall The Bank of Canada lowered its key interest rate to 4.25 per cent on Sept. 4, making it the third consecutive cut in a row for Canadians.
Canadian Government Continues Building an FMD Vaccine Bank Canadian Government Continues Building an FMD Vaccine Bank The Government of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) recently announced the next step in developing a vaccine bank for foot and mouth disease (FMD).
‘Farmers Still Have A Push.’ ‘Farmers Still Have A Push.’ The farming community’s voice on land use and government policy can be strong, as a recent series of events proved.
Rural Healthcare: Still Under-Resourced Rural Healthcare: Still Under-Resourced Indeed, some farm families continue to grapple with limited healthcare options across rural communities here in Ontario.
Don’t Forget Our Spring Learnings! Don’t Forget Our Spring Learnings! Growing crops can be so emotional. Mother Nature throws us curveballs all year long.
From Seed to Feed From Seed to Feed One of the most critical choices dairy producers will make is hybrid selection.
‘All Things Agriculture’ ‘All Things Agriculture’ Rob Flack was recently appointed Ontario’s new minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness.
Plan Ahead. Be Patient. Ask For Help. Plan Ahead. Be Patient. Ask For Help. As harvest season fast approaches, Ontario farmers gear up for one of the most important times of the year.
A Decade Running Jolley’s Farm Toys A Decade Running Jolley’s Farm Toys Nicholas Grose is an avid toy collector – and so dedicated to the hobby that when the opportunity to purchase Jolley’s Farm Toys presented itself, he jumped at it.
Drones: How Can They Make Farming Easier? Drones: How Can They Make Farming Easier? Drones have been creating a lot of buzz in agriculture for over a decade now.
Biologicals: The Next Frontier Biologicals: The Next Frontier One thing that is always constant in agriculture is change. That’s what I love about this industry. Agriculture is constantly evolving to meet the needs of the producer.
I Should Have Fixed That! I Should Have Fixed That! I’m sure we have all had breakdowns that were preventable if only we had looked a bit closer and taken more time on our maintenance.
Emerging Disease: Tar Spot Emerging Disease: Tar Spot As the disease continues to spread and impact Ontario’s corn crop, it’s important that producers are informed about how to identify tar spot and which resources are available to monitor it in their area and beyond.
Keeping Your Soybean Crop Happy Keeping Your Soybean Crop Happy Imagine a world where you could see into the future. What would it be like if you could predict the weather? If you could predict which insects, diseases or other issues would affect your crop and what this would mean for final yields.
Overapplying Nitrogen: When More Isn’t Better Overapplying Nitrogen: When More Isn’t Better More isn’t always better when it comes to applying nitrogen fertilizer – agronomically or financially – certainly not in the face of federal goals to slash nitrous oxide emissions.
Populations: Do They Matter? Populations: Do They Matter? The No. 1 question I get as a seed agronomist is, "What is the ideal population for corn and soybeans?"
Battery Energy Storage Systems Battery Energy Storage Systems Rural municipalities across Ontario have been receiving proposals for the development of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) over the past few years.
Farmland Values & Market Resiliency Farmland Values & Market Resiliency Ontario's farmland remains valuable despite other economic hardships.
Can You Teach An 'Old Dog' New Tricks? Can You Teach An 'Old Dog' New Tricks? Thank goodness for winter agronomy meetings. They allow growers and ag industry folks to get together and see what is working in agriculture.
Farm Payroll Practices Farm Payroll Practices How Ontario farm workers get compensated has become more formalized and organized, and both employees and employers are seeing the benefits.
Opportunities In Carbon Sequestration Opportunities In Carbon Sequestration 'The best management systems for soil carbon are the ones that we don't touch.'
When Biology Meets Chemistry When Biology Meets Chemistry Biological amendments are relatively new to the conventional row crop world and can be a great way for Ontario growers to better utilize nutrition.
Handling Pesticides: Don't Forget About Safety. Handling Pesticides: Don't Forget About Safety. 'Read the label. That's everything you need to know about the product.'
Control What You Can! Control What You Can! Use a multi-system approach to weed control against resistant species. Ask any farmer about weeds and they want them gone.
Business Management: Still Room to Improve Business Management: Still Room to Improve Despite a growing need for a more business-oriented approach to farming, not all Ontario producers are adopting the tools they'll need to ride out challenging times.
Retirement 101: Keeping Active Retirement 101: Keeping Active Are you one of those people who don't want to retire? Perhaps you enjoy what you do and don't want to quit.
Does kernel Size Matter? Does kernel Size Matter? Recording these finer details will allow you to manage for larger yield increases.
Annual Weeds: A Game-Plan for 2024 Annual Weeds: A Game-Plan for 2024 Looking ahead to next growing season, you can be sure these uninvited guests will return, to compete with crops, steal essential nutrients, water and sunlight, and hinder profitability.
The Farmerettes: Renewed Awareness The Farmerettes: Renewed Awareness The Farmerettes, also known as the Farm Service Force, were created in 1941 to fill the demand for farm labour created by the Second World War.
Do Your Crops Get three Square Meals? Do Your Crops Get three Square Meals? An adequate, well-balanced fertility program will ensure your crops are healthy.
Farmers advised of important tax reporting changes Farmers advised of important tax reporting changes Be proactive with your accountants throughout the year; don't wait until year-end to engage.
Choosing A Guidance System Choosing A Guidance System Guidance systems have become commonplace on Ontario farms as precision agriculture technologies grow in popularity.
Time For Some Soybean Disease Detective Work Time For Some Soybean Disease Detective Work With harvest complete, focus shifts to seed selection for the 2024 growing season and beyond.
Farm Antiques & Collectables Farm Antiques & Collectables Do you have a collector on your shopping list this holiday season?
'Reviving' Regional Ag Federations 'Reviving' Regional Ag Federations The OFA created the Revive Fund in 2020 to support projects created by regional federations to improve their rural communities.
Does Your Soil Act Like A Sponge? Does Your Soil Act Like A Sponge? Going forward as an industry the biggest limiting factor to higher yields will be water availability.
Farmers Under Pressure to Mitigate Interest Rate Impacts Farmers Under Pressure to Mitigate Interest Rate Impacts Farmers could use relief from high interest rates, but aren't likely to get any soon, leaving them to mitigate the challenges themselves.
'How Do You Sell What You Can't Get Processed?' 'How Do You Sell What You Can't Get Processed?' Ontario has 114 provincially licensed abattoirs that specialize in the slaughter of food animals and play a key role in the value chain of livestock production.
Ray Robertson: Canadian Agricultural Hall of Famer Ray Robertson: Canadian Agricultural Hall of Famer Ray Robertson's passion for growing his local community in Grey County has led to a long career with international impacts.
Strip-Tillage: Save Your Soil & Labour Costs Strip-Tillage: Save Your Soil & Labour Costs With concerns for soil health, many producers look for alternatives to conventional tillage.
'Why are we burying residue deeper than we plant?' 'Why are we burying residue deeper than we plant?' Historically, fall harvest was never truly considered complete until the moldboard plow had passed through the fields.
Smoke, Sun & Crop Effects Smoke, Sun & Crop Effects If you were to ask my wife, she would tell you that I am addicted to the weather.
Is it still possible to start a farm? Is it still possible to start a farm? 'Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it.' Starting a business in any industry is a challenging endeavour.
Farm Transition Increasingly Complex Farm Transition Increasingly Complex More farm wealth than ever before is passing from one generation to the next.
Winning with Winter Wheat Winning with Winter Wheat Start with Soybean Harvest, Then Timely Wheat Planting with a Starter Fertilizer.
One on One with Mack Emiry One on One with Mack Emiry When Mack Emiry, a dairy farmer from Massey, found out he was selected to be inducted into the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame this year, he was surprised.
Working With Family Working With Family 'I Want Farm Families to See Conflict as a Good Thing that Can Be Resolved.' Most farms in Canada are owned, operated, and passed down through families.
Don't Give Up on Your 'Sons & Daughters' Don't Give Up on Your 'Sons & Daughters' If you have children, you know that throughout their life, they can challenge you daily. Ask yourself, have your ever given up on your children?
All from the Comfort of Your Seat: Central Tire Inflation System Friday, December 13, 2024 BYLINE: Zahra Sadiq Any farmer knows that adjusting your tractor’s tire pressure is often necessary on the farm, as factors like vehicle type, load, and speed all impact the optimal pressure. The Central Tire Inflation System (CTIS) has your back. The CTIS allows you to control tire... Read this article online
Take a virtual reality tour of Ontario’s egg and sheep farms Thursday, December 12, 2024 Canadians now have the opportunity to explore new virtual farm tours on www.FarmFood360.ca, thanks to Farm & Food Care Ontario (FFCO), is a coalition of farmers, agriculture and food partners proactively working together to grow public trust and confidence in food and farming. The... Read this article online
December Better Farming Ontario available online Thursday, December 12, 2024 The December issue of Better Farming Ontario has been held up, like many publications, by the Canada Post strike. Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), which provides their members with a Better Farming subscription, has graciously agreed to share the digital version of the... Read this article online
New fund targets invasive phragmites spread Thursday, December 12, 2024 The Ontario Phragmites Action (OPA) program has announced the launch of the Invasive Phragmites Control Fund (IPCF) and is now accepting project proposals. Supported by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, this fund aims to enhance efforts to control invasive Phragmites across the... Read this article online
Farm Fresh Ontario is now Agritourism Ontario Wednesday, December 11, 2024 Agritourism Ontario (formerly Farm Fresh Ontario—the name change took place on December 2, 2024) is heading into 2025 with a new name and look that is more reflective of what the association does. It is also taking on some big projects thanks to the support of the Ontario Ministry... Read this article online