Farmers behaving badly Monday, February 3, 2014 Some bizarre stories of farmer misbehaviour have been making the headlines lately. The Irish Examiner reports that pig farmer Donal Connaughton was sentenced to a year in jail after he ordered two repossession men to strip naked and get into a pen with an "agitated" boar. A cellphone recording taken by one of the men during the ordeal features the sound of the boar in the background while the men plead for their release. Connaughton made the men kneel and say an "Our Father" before finally letting them leave, without their truck. In Lancashire, a cattle farmer has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for violating U.K. gun laws. The Daily Mail reports that Paul Alton possessed a "bizarre" homemade gun "crudely constructed from lumps of wood, belts and tags" attached to an air-rifle barrel. The weird weapon could fire 74 rounds of "expanding ammunition" that would mushroom upon hitting flesh. Police were told about the gun by Alton's wife when they came to investigate a domestic dispute. Shame these farmers couldn't just blow off steam like Australian farmer Oscar Bell. He told ABC that, after a November frost ruined his canola crop, he fed it to his sheep. While making paths with the slasher, he wrote a giant "Sh*t Happens" into his field. He then asked his father to check the paddock from the air, and when Geoff Bell flew his ultralight over the artwork he captured his son's "deep-felt sentiments" on camera. BF Ontario livestock groups reach agreement with OSPCA Butterball, have you tried beer?
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
Global grain trade gets a shake-up: What it means for Canadian farmers Tuesday, September 2, 2025 The global grain and oilseed trading industry is undergoing a major transformation—and Canadian farmers should take note. A recently published study in the September 2025 issue of discussed how the traditional dominance of a few multinational giants is giving way to a more competitive,... 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