Ontario processing tomato growers are harvesting one of the best crops in 10 years, with one of the top two contracted volumes of the past 10 years. That’s despite political challenges to the industry as the provincial government dismantled and then recreated the board of the Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers Association. Why it matters: Political […] Read more
Author Archives
Dry weather means large processing tomato harvest
Farmers have about 35 per cent more tomatoes in the field this year than usual
Editorial: Yes, a food policy for Canada still has a chance
The creation of a national food policy for Canada is a daunting task, full of practical and political pitfalls — likely why no federal government has tackled it before to any extent. I recently waded through the summary of public comments on a food policy released in early September by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. It […] Read more
Wheat performance trials online
A lack of disease pressure meant challenges differentiating by disease this year
The 2018 Ontario winter wheat performance trials have been posted, but don’t look for great differences in disease tolerance in this year’s numbers. This growing season was good for growers, but not for researchers looking to differentiate among wheat varieties resistant to disease, said Ellen Sparry, general manager at C&M Seeds and performance trial co-ordinator […] Read more
Edible bean growers could get more weed control options
Ridgetown College research shows that older chemistries can help control glyphosate-resistant weeds in strip till
When the Weed Society of America challenged its members to evaluate weed pressure on field crops, Peter Sikkema found that in Ontario edible beans were most challenged by weed pressure. “The crop I work on that is most affected by weed interference is dry beans,” the professor at University of Guelph’s Ridgetown campus said at […] Read more
Breeders look to bump up adzuki bean yield
The high-value bean consistently yields less than other edible beans, but breeders are trying to change that
Adzuki beans are prized by Japanese buyers for taste and colour and used in many Asian foods, including soups and desserts. But it’s hard to convince growers in Ontario to plant them because of their lower yield. There’s not much doubt about the lower yield, says Chris Gillard, an associate professor at the University of […] Read more
Glyphosate drives long-term herbicide changes
Ontario keeps track of detailed herbicide use every five years, which shows how the use of active ingredient has declined
A study of glyphosate use in Ontario shows the herbicide has created significant change in crop management. It shows that while corn and soybean acreage and yield have increased in the province since 1983, the impact of herbicide use per acre has declined, in large part because glyphosate has displaced other herbicide chemistries. Why it […] Read more
Food policy consultations reveal challenges of creating national direction
The next steps, not yet known, will be important to the success of the program, says CFA president
The public is more concerned with conserving environmental health and ensuring access to affordable food, versus growing more of it, according to public consultations on Canada’s Food Policy. The results of a long public consultation process were released recently and show the challenges that the federal government will have in creating A Food Policy for Canada, […] Read more
Great Lakes Grain crop yield tour 2018
Great Lakes Grain’s annual crop tour of the south and central parts in Ontario wrapped up this past weekend. In this video, Devin Homick, grain originator coach of Great Lakes Grain, talks about the good yield potential they’ve found in both soybeans and corn.
Farming blockchain
The ability to secure data and transactions through a chain of users could improve agriculture supply chain efficiency
Imagine a consumer who really likes a steak reaching back through the supply chain to give the farmer who raised that beef a tip. Or, being paid immediately for grain delivery. Those are a couple of the ideas behind Grain Discovery, a Prince Edward County agriculture start-up company planning to use blockchain technology to make […] Read more
Case IH rolls out precision tillage controls
Sensors will co-ordinate all parts of the tillage tool when soil depth is changed
Case IH is adding more precision technology to that last bastion of crop farming simplicity — tillage tools. The company announced its new AFS Soil Command Agronomic Control Technology for Tillage recently. The technology puts sensors in hydraulic cylinders and means more automated adjustments for tillage implements. For example, if the depth of the main […] Read more
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