Ontario has a new official soil Monday, November 30, 2015 by SUSAN MANNThe province’s designation of an official soil helps raise Ontarians’ awareness about the importance of soils, says Alan Kruszel, president of the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association.On Monday, provincial Agriculture Minister Jeff Leal designated the Guelph soil series as Ontario’s official soil. The designation was made to commemorate the soil’s important role and historical significance to the Ontario agri-food industry’s development, according to the ministry’s Nov. 30 press release.Kruszel says the association helped the ministry “figure out which soil should be the one to be chosen.”There are almost 300 soil series in Ontario. Soil series is one of the ways soils are classified.The Guelph soil series is one of the most productive agricultural soils in Ontario, the release says. It’s found on the rolling hills across Wellington County and the surrounding regions. More than 173,000 acres of Guelph soils have been mapped across Wellington, Brant, Dufferin, Oxford, Perth and Lambton counties, Waterloo and Halton regions and the city of Hamilton.The soil’s texture ranges from loam, to sandy loam to silt loam and it typically has few stones. It’s well drained but capable of retaining enough moisture for crop production.Kruszel says the Guelph soil series is “an excellent soil with good fertility and supports the growth of a variety of crops. It’s a perfect choice” to be named the official soil. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations declared this year as the International Year of Soils and Dec. 5 is World Soil Day. BF CFIA steps up breeding sheep and goat import restrictions Municipalities take a pass on land transfer tax powers
Corn and Soybean Diseases Spread This Season Wednesday, September 10, 2025 As reported on the OMAFRA website fieldcropnews.com, as well as in previous articles by Farms.com, the 2025 growing season is nearing its end with corn and soybean farmers in Ontario and the U.S. Corn Belt facing disease challenges that reflect changing weather conditions. For corn, two... Read this article online
Wheat Output Decline Projected for 2025 Wednesday, September 10, 2025 Statistics Canada’s latest modelled estimates suggest that wheat production in Canada will decline slightly in 2025, driven primarily by weaker yields across several regions. National output is expected to edge down 1.1% to 35.5 million tonnes, with yields forecast to fall 1.2% to 49.6... Read this article online
Research Projects and Companies Supported Through OAFRI Tuesday, September 9, 2025 The governments of Canada and Ontario have announced an investment of up to $4.77 million to strengthen the province’s agri-food sector. This funding, delivered through the Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative (OAFRI) under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable... Read this article online
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