Kevin Grier had some good news for a change for beef farmers at their recent annual meeting. Canadians are continuing to consume beef, while paying high prices for that meat. Why it matters: There’s a lot of negative information about meat consumption, but population growth and continued support from most consumers mean demand continues to […] Read more
Author Archives
Ontario beef market stabilizing
Cow numbers have stopped their decline and beef price spread with the U.S. is shrinking
New rural caucus chair provides voice of the countryside to government
Francis Drouin lauds the recent appointment of a rural economic development minister
Expanded internet access, solving rural labour issues along with rural infrastructure problems are priorities for the new chair of the Liberal rural caucus. Francis Drouin, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell in eastern Ontario was recently elected by the 50 members of the Liberal rural caucus as its chair, replacing TJ Harvey, an MP […] Read more
Opinion: Check-off fund increases always a challenge
There’s little that gets people as excited in farm country as a check-off increase. The extra $1.50 that was approved by the delegates to Ontario Beef Farmers’ annual meeting recently is a case in point, and was watched closely by other farmer organizations. Beef Farmers of Ontario has seen the sector decline in the province, […] Read more
The repercussions of a $1.50 beef check-off increase
A proposal that failed last year to boost marketing funds passed at this year’s BFO annual meeting
Beef farmers have approved an increase of $1.50 in check-off per animal to fund an ambitious industry-wide marketing effort for Ontario beef. The move has been closely watched by other agriculture commodity organizations pondering their own ability to market product more effectively for their members. Farmers at the Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) annual meeting […] Read more
DON corn testing: A new era begins
After a disastrous vomitoxin outbreak, the Ontario Corn Committee is implementing a testing program that farmers have wanted for years. But will companies participate?
Ontario corn farmers have been relying on their own observations and those of their neighbours along with scant information from corn companies to make hybrid selections that lower their risk of vomitoxin. When they go to make their selections for 2020, however, they will have new independent disease risk numbers on which to base their […] Read more
Soil management can boost soybean yield to full potential
A big data project in the U.S. has yielded precise information on soil zones and crop management decisions
Farmers in Ontario grow soybeans that yield about 50 bushels per acre. Sean Conley, Wisconsin’s state soybean extension specialist, says the yield potential is 120 bushels. The differences are about the same in the United States and Conley set out to use some large data sets to figure out why. The answer? Not every field, […] Read more
Rain makes for tough Argentina crop season
An Argentinian farmer visiting Canada says unpredictable government policies are always a concern for farmers there
Parts of Argentina are awash in rain and January planting of corn was delayed in the north and centre regions of the country. German Peyronel, a farmer in Bandera, in the Santiago del Estero province of Argentina, hasn’t been able to plant all the acres he wanted to by now because of the rain and […] Read more
Manage to the average no more
Beef research and new technology take aim at individual animal management, but will it be profitable on the farm?
The new beef research facility being constructed at the University of Guelph’s Elora Research Station will expand capacity to 288 cows and 96 replacement females and will enable researchers to gather more individual data on the animals. Why it matters: Beef cow numbers have been declining in Ontario as other sectors, especially crops, provide more […] Read more
Editorial: A farm leadership foundation
I didn’t really connect with my Greig grandparents when I was young. To my young self, they lived in a tidy house in Listowel, with a lot of breakable knickknacks, but always lots of food. We usually had to dress up to visit on a weekend. Rambunctious play was discouraged. They came across to the […] Read more
Ontario beef checkoff to rise by $1.50
Ontario beef farmers have approved an increase of $1.50 in checkoff per animal to fund an ambitious industry-wide marketing effort for Ontario beef. Producers at the Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) annual meeting in Mississauga on Wednesday voted 87 per cent in favour of the plan. A similar plan was rejected at last year’s annual […] Read more
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