Board cancels dairy production incentive days Tuesday, March 3, 2009 © AgMedia Inc.by SUSAN MANNIs the current economic recession causing a weakening demand for dairy products?That’s what Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s board wants to know. At last month’s meeting the board learned that butter stock levels jumped 5,600 tonnes from Dec. 31, 2008 to Jan. 31. DFO senior policy adviser Phil Cairns describes it as “one of the largest changes” in a single month in butter stock levels that he has seen.“It’s not abnormal for stocks to start to accumulate in January,” Cairns days. “It’s just that they seem to be accumulating at an abnormally fast rate.” One reason for the increased stock levels may be that the demand for dairy products is weakening. But there are other reasons, such as falling world prices and changes in the Canadian Dairy Commission’s offer-to-purchase program. If that’s the case the jump will just be a short-term blip, Cairns notes.The dramatic increase in the butter stock levels in one month means Ontario’s dairy farmers won’t be getting any extra room to produce more milk starting this month as previously thought.But the board did approve incentive days for the fall period when production is traditionally low and demand starts to build for the Christmas season. This fall, farmers will get two incentive days a month in each of August, September, October and November.Staff are still analyzing why the stocks increased so much in one month. The board plans to review the need for milk production incentive days starting this spring at their meeting later in the month. BF Cover Story: Sour grapes in wine country Export and slaughter numbers tell the COOL tale
Two-pass Weed Control Critical in Managing Herbicide-Resistant Waterhemp in Ontario Monday, September 8, 2025 Dr. Peter Sikkema of the University of Guelph recently shared insights into the growing challenge of multiple herbicide-resistant water hemp at the 2025 Great Ontario Yield Tour final event in Woodstock Ontario. Dr. Sikkema research highlights both the biology of the weed and practical... Read this article online
First Northern Cohort Joins Ontario Vet Program Thursday, September 4, 2025 This September, the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) at the University of Guelph welcomed its inaugural Northern Cohort of 20 students through the Collaborative Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Program (CDVMP). This initiative, created in partnership with Lakehead University, marks a milestone... Read this article online
Manitoba Farmers Defend Their Whisky Roots Amid Ontario Backlash Thursday, September 4, 2025 As most reader will know by now, on August 28, beverage alcohol giant Diageo announced it will be closing its Amherstburg, Ontario bottling plant. Located just 25 kilometres from the nearest U.S. border crossing, the company says the decision is part of a strategy to streamline its supply... Read this article online
Canadian Farmers Face Weaker Soybean Yields Ahead Tuesday, September 2, 2025 Statistics Canada forecasts that Canadian soybean production will decline in 2025, reflecting weaker yields across major producing provinces. Nationally, output is projected to fall by 7.3% year over year to 7.0 million tonnes. The decline is linked to a drop in yields, which are expected... Read this article online
Canadian Corn Outlook Shows Mixed Regional Trends Tuesday, September 2, 2025 Statistics Canada projects Canadian corn-for-grain production to grow slightly in 2025, despite drier-than-normal weather and high temperatures that have pressured yields. National production is forecast to rise 1.4% year over year to 15.6 million tonnes. This gain comes from higher... Read this article online