BMO expects farm sector to grow Friday, April 29, 2011 by PAT CURRIEThe Bank of Montreal on Thursday forecast that Canada’s agricultural sector will grow by between 3.5 and 4 per cent this year barring major flooding that may hurt crop yields."Momentum from the second half of last year has carried over into 2011, with farm output up 3.3 per cent from a year ago in January," said Kenrick Jordan, senior economist, BMO Capital Markets. After two years of contraction, Canada's agricultural sector now enjoys the prospect of "better prices, healthier global economic activity, improved financial conditions, expanding global economic activity and improved financial conditions as favourable factors," according to the bank’s Canadian Agricultural Prospects report. The crops segment is expected to grow faster than its livestock counterpart, where activity will be limited by smaller breeding herds and high feeding costs. Canadian farmers are likely to continue to experience solid financial performance this year, with crop and livestock prices expected to remain buoyant and output rising on stronger demand and improved yields."Our agriculture customers tell us they are well poised to capitalize on this opportunity," said David Rinneard, National Manager, Agriculture, BMO Bank of Montreal. The BoM report was released only a day before the Supreme Court of Canada upheld Ontario’s ban on farm labour unions."That gives farmers of little bit of confidence, some cautious optimism going at a time when volatile fuel prices are causing some concern," said Ron Bonnett, a Sault Ste. Marie area farmer and president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, a group that represents 200,000 Canadian farm families. BF Behind the Lines - May 2011 Farm employer group 'delighted' by Supreme Court ruling
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Remembering Ralph Winfield: Beloved Better Farming Columnist Tuesday, October 21, 2025 Ontario's farming community is mourning the loss of longtime agricultural writerRalph Gordon Winfieldof Glanworth, who passed away peacefully at St. Thomas-Elgin General Hospital on Oct. 17, 2025, at the age of 85. Ralph’s name has been closely tied to Better Farming since 1999. His... Read this article online
Case IH FieldOps Brings Smart Connectivity to Modern Farming Friday, October 17, 2025 that FieldOps operates on desktops through a web interface and on mobile devices through an app compatible with iPhone, Android, or iPad. This flexibility allows farmers to access critical machine and field information anytime, anywhere. One of the most significant upgrades to... Read this article online
New Holland Marks 50 Years of Twin Rotor Innovation Friday, October 17, 2025 New Holland is celebrating 50 years of leadership in twin rotor harvesting technology, a milestone that began with the introduction of the TR70 combine in 1975. This machine transformed agriculture by bringing the world the concept of twin rotor threshing and... Read this article online
22 young leaders graduate from Rural Ontario Institute’s Change Makers Program Thursday, October 16, 2025 The Rural Ontario Institute (ROI) has marked a milestone in rural leadership development with the graduation of 22 participants from its Rural Change Makers (RCM) program. The private ceremony, held this October, celebrated a year of learning, collaboration, and community impact. “We... Read this article online