The Ontario government’s soil health strategy is a sprawling plan that aims to provide industry guidance on improving soil health out to 2030. It plans to do that by bringing farm groups, government and agribusiness together to provide the drive to make change happen. Why it matters: Crop farming practices have changed in Ontario, with […] Read more
Crops
Must Reads
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Potatoes one of earliest crops in the ground
Some potato growers in the province have their crops in while others have taken advantage of the warm-up this past…
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Neonic use dropping faster than provincial data shows
Crop industry sources say Ontario’s environment ministry data understates the decline of neonicotinoid insecticides used on corn since 2014. The…
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Hay co-op using existing compactor this year to hit export markets
Ontario-grown hay – both pure alfalfa and pure timothy – will make its way by container ship to the Middle…
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Ontario canola yields grow, and with it the threat of spreading clubroot
Last year was a good year for growing canola in Ontario, with the best average yields the province has had.…
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For China corn farmers, prices trump policy ahead of planting
Beijing | Reuters – China’s farmers are expected to plant more corn this year, eyeing higher prices and profits despite…
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Lessons from farm data innovators
Where do you start with data management on crop farms? Three farmers who use data extensively say to start with…
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Stories from our other publications
Province lays out soil health strategy
Measures aim to improve soil health over the next decade
How can hay compete with corn, soy and wheat?
Applying more intensive management, especially fertilizer, can bump hay yields
There is significant potential to increase yields on Ontario’s hay fields by implementing strategies commonly used growing crops like corn and soybeans. Why it matters: The Ontario Hay and Forage Co-operator is looking to increase the amount of acres of high quality hay, especially timothy, grown in the province and in order to increase hay […] Read more
Patience, vigilance urged this planting season
Planting into fit soils at the right depth almost always means it pays to wait to plant
[UPDATED: May 16, 2018] Recent spells of dry wind and sunshine mean corn planting has started in southwestern Ontario. In Eastern Ontario, however, producers are being encouraged to sit tight for less soggy conditions. But despite differences in moisture and temperature, agronomists say farmers from both areas can take some similar — if not often […] Read more
Potatoes one of earliest crops in the ground
Some potato growers have planted a crop, but the cool, wet spring has kept others out of the field
Some potato growers in the province have their crops in while others have taken advantage of the warm-up this past weekend, despite the cool start to the spring. According to Eugenia Banks, special consultant with the Ontario Potato Board, planting in some parts of Ontario began right around Easter. By April 10, reports from one […] Read more
Neonic use dropping faster than provincial data shows
Crop industry sources say Ontario’s environment ministry data understates the decline of neonicotinoid insecticides used on corn since 2014. The ministry says use has dropped only 22 per cent whereas industry estimates put the decline generally at over 30 per cent and higher in some areas. Why it matters: The province has set a goal […] Read more
Hay co-op using existing compactor this year to hit export markets
Ontario-grown hay – both pure alfalfa and pure timothy – will make its way by container ship to the Middle East this summer, through the efforts of the Ontario Hay and Forage Co-operative Ltd. That assurance was given by the organization’s chair, Fritz Trauttmansdorff, during a first-ever production information meeting recently in Mount Forest. Why […] Read more
Ontario canola yields grow, and with it the threat of spreading clubroot
Last year was a good year for growing canola in Ontario, with the best average yields the province has had. That’s despite growing concern about managing clubroot in the province. It was testing during the 2016 growing season that established the prevalence of clubroot in the province, after some clinical signs of the disease showed […] Read more
For China corn farmers, prices trump policy ahead of planting
Beijing | Reuters – China’s farmers are expected to plant more corn this year, eyeing higher prices and profits despite a push to reduce acreage devoted to the cereal under the government’s latest five-year plan. Corn planting has fallen for the past two years, while soybean acreage has risen, as Beijing looks to whittle down […] Read more
Lessons from farm data innovators
Where do you start with data management on crop farms? Three farmers who use data extensively say to start with what you can manage and make sure that the system is set up from the start to supply quality data into whatever system you choose to manage it. Why it matters: Sensors and better recording […] Read more
Seed Synergy project gets federal funding
The project has brought together six organizations representing the seed sector
The federal government is investing $760,000 in Canada’s seed sector, to help modernize seed regulations and enhance global marketing. Much of the funding will be used to continue the work of the Seed Synergy Collaboration Project which is currently creating a new vision for seed sector regulation in Canada. Why it matters: Canada’s seed production […] Read more
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