Leamington cubing mill on the drawing board Friday, January 28, 2011 by BETTER FARMING STAFFNew Energy Farms expects to employ eight to 10 workers this summer when they open a mill to convert biomass into coal-sized cubes for burning. The mill will be in a 26,000 square foot building that is not yet under constructionDean Tiessen, one of the owners of New Energy Farms, said the plant and equipment is going to cost about $3.2 million. Biomass for the plant will come from "our own purpose-grown material (miscanthus), from straw, any ag residues that might be out here in the area that's cost effective as well as wood fibre," Tiessen said.Plant capacity will be 70,000 tonnes of biomass cubes per year, with half of the product going to fire boilers in Leamington area greenhouses owned by New Energy Farms. The plant will also process biomass for use as animal bedding, greenhouse plant medium for hydroponics and fibre for trays and other rigid products.The building roof will be used for a 250-kilowatt solar production unit supplying power to the Ontario electric grid through the feed-in tariff program. BF Safety crackdown surprises maple syrup producers Books shut on Berendsen case
A new front in the repair access debate Friday, March 6, 2026 Iowa lawmakers have pushed the right‑to‑repair conversation into new territory with House File 2529, a bill that focuses specifically on diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) systems—the single most common cause of emissions-related downtime on modern farm machinery. The bill would require... Read this article online
March 8 is International Women’s Day Friday, March 6, 2026 Across the United States and Canada, women are taking on increasingly visible roles in agriculture—managing farms, leading ag-tech startups, advancing research, and strengthening the rural economies that feed both nations. Their work reflects a shift in an industry once defined... Read this article online
Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry to Visit Toronto and Southwestern Ontario Tuesday, March 3, 2026 The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry will be in Toronto and Southwestern Ontario later this week as part of its ongoing study on the role of Canada’s agriculture and agri‑food sector in strengthening national food security. The fact‑finding mission is scheduled for... Read this article online
AgriStability Program Updated to Include Pasture-Related Feed Costs Beginning in 2026 Monday, March 2, 2026 In case you missed it last week, the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced that pasture-related feed costs will be added as an allowable expense under AgriStability starting with the 2026 program year. The update addresses rising operational... Read this article online
Bringing more Food and Ingredient Processing Back to Canadian Soil Monday, March 2, 2026 Protein Industries Canada has announced the second cohort of nine companies participating in its Program, an initiative designed to bring more food and ingredient processing back to Canadian soil and expand the nation’s value‑added agriculture sector. The selected companies span the... Read this article online