Behind the Lines - February 2014

Monday, February 3, 2014

The announcements late last year of closings, one after the other, of the Heinz tomato processing plant in Leamington and the Kellogg cereal plant in London, could not have given a higher profile to the erosion of food processing capacity in the province of Ontario.

Freelance writer Jim Algie delves deeper into those closings and what it means for farmers in the tomato industry in particular. While there are success stories in food processing in Ontario, there's also a sense that traditional long-term markets are tenuous, and there are more questions than answers as to why plants are leaving the province. On top of that all is the overwhelming concern that, as one farmer put it, "at what point is there nothing left?" That story starts on page 12.

In Better Farming's March 2013 cover story, we highlighted livestock farmers' deepening concerns about dealing with the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA), a largely charity-funded enforcement agency with police powers. Nearly a year later, a number of agreements have been penned between commodity organizations and the OSPCA that allow for peer review of farm situations. That story about building bridges, by Joe Callahan, begins on page 22.

A picture is worth a thousand words, as the saying goes. Crop consultant Pat Lynch looks at the right way to take photos to save time and help your advisor to solve growing problems quickly. See his article on page 30.

There's a double dose of power stories in this issue. From Europe, Norman Dunn writes that computer power is king in the newest farm machinery offered for sale to farmers at the biggest equipment show in the world. Back here at home, Ralph Winfield, a former Ontario Hydro engineer, opines that our utility companies are letting their rural Ontario customers down. Power at Work starts on page 35.

We don't think we've let you down, but it does seem like last month's Crop Scene Investigation stumped everyone. This is only the second time in the history of our long-running CSI series that this has happened. There is a wireless weather station waiting for you if you pull out the January issue and are the first to figure out why Richard's field was infected with septoria.

To get the most out of your cropping program, you need the right ensemble. No, we're not talking about wearing a cool Better Farming hat and high-fashion jeans. On page 43, Phil-the-forecaster Chadwick, in his regular weather column, describes ensembles from Environment Canada that can help you manage risk.

And still on the topic of risks, Joel Gardiner, the subject of this month's Up Close feature, believes that one of the keys to success in farming is to "know your risks" and be comfortable with them. Establishing and operating a manure digester under Ontario Power Authority's Feed-In Tariff power generation program certainly qualifies him to talk about risks. For more on this dynamic farmer and his outlook on the business of agriculture, see page 33. BF

ROBERT IRWIN & DON STONEMAN