The father-and-son duo of George and Heath Taylor believe they have an ideal strategy for dairy farmers taking up the use of sexed semen for breeding: Wagyu beef. “They’ve got […] Read more
Breeding strategy bringing dairy-beef crosses to meat market
Advent of sexed semen means more dairy cattle being bred to beef
Relay cropping adzuki beans into winter wheat
A Woodville-area farmer aims to benefit from multiple crops in one field
A volunteer crop from the previous year growing between the rows of the present year’s crop represents a nuisance to most farmers, but not to Dustin Mulock. Instead, a patch […] Read more
Award presented to recently retired OIMP executive director
Laurie Nicol served 33 years with meat processing lobby group
The recently retired head of the Ontario Independent Meat Processors was recognized for more than 30 years of dedication to the province’s livestock and poultry sectors at the recent annual […] Read more
Producers reluctant to sign on with verified veal program
Lack of Ontario-based federal processing capacity cited as factor limiting adoption of the program
Veal producers in Ontario are looking on as their counterparts in Quebec see gains in access to both domestic and international markets while their own ability to supply Ontario-raised meat […] Read more
Bean growers head laments drop in research funding
Farmer groups say there is more competition for dwindling funds given for shorter durations
Days before a new intake of applications for funding under the federal-provincial Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP), the executive director of Ontario Bean Growers (OBG) has expressed frustration with what he […] Read more
Communicating the complexity of livestock farming
Farmers do have consumers’ trust on their side
The dairy industry should find simple ways to convey the complex messages of how it deals with animal welfare, food safety and environmental stewardship. If it doesn’t, it runs the […] Read more
OSPCA to step away from livestock inspection and enforcement on March 31
Organization’s decision hastens timing for legislative rewrite for animal cruelty enforcement
The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) says it will stop cease enforcing animal cruelty regulations for farm animals as of March 31. That’s shorter than […] Read more
Aim for consistency in mixed dairy cow rations
Avoiding variations in feed timing and TMR make-up means happier cows
Feeding dairy cows too little protein can be a problem if total mixed rations (TMR) are inconsistent batch-over-batch. That was one of the findings from a 2014 study of eastern […] Read more
Riding the learning curve on organic no-till
Farmers are pushing the boundaries of roller-crimping winter rye and direct seeding soybeans behind
Planting soybeans into a just-terminated cover crop of winter rye is gaining popularity among Ontario’s organic community, as farmers strive to introduce minimum-till strategies into their rotations. No-till planting has […] Read more
Getting the grass-fed dairy details right
Harriston-area dairy farmer focuses on pasture and grass forages and feeds no grain
Martin Pronk showed a slide of a cow that had been milking for over 700 days, and suggested to an audience at the recent Guelph Organic Conference that his lack […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
