Reading Time: 3 minutes When a new asparagus variety was introduced in Ontario almost 20 years ago, no one, including its breeder, had any idea of the transformative impact it would have on an entire sector. Launched in 2000, Guelph Millennium marked not only the start of a new millennium — but also a new era for Ontario’s asparagus […] Read more
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Down with DON: a clear corn crop
The Ontario corn ear mould and mycotoxin survey showed levels are considerably lower than 2018 with 96 per cent of…
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Drones helping farmers control pests, and keep kids in school
Thomson Reuters Foundation – Ephraim Kofi Kenney does not like to work in the fields scaring pests away. But today…
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Artificial intelligence could create efficiency and reliability in greenhouses
Microsoft Research, with help from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, won the first Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge in 2018 with Project Sonoma…
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Researcher grades on-farm soil management
Glacier FarmMedia – The grades are in. Eastern Canadian farmers get high grades for their understanding of soil health and…
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Protein that triggers plant defences to light stress identified
A newly discovered protein turns on plants’ cellular defence to excessive light and other stress factors caused by a changing…
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African swine fever outbreak cuts Vietnam hog herd by 20 per cent
Chicago | Reuters – African swine fever has killed off about 20 per cent of Vietnam’s hog herd, and it…
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Stories from our other publications
Guelph asparagus variety has transformed the Ontario sector
University of Guelph recognizes breeder Dave Wolyn’s work with Innovation of the Year honours
New trade order called bad news for Canada
A new report says Canada and its farmers aren’t equipped to deal with a move away from the ‘liberal world order’
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Farmers face a starkly worsened long-term world market for their crops and livestock, fears a Canadian agricultural economics analysis firm. And that means many basic assumptions of how farm markets and prices behave might have to be radically reconsidered. “Some of the assumptions of the liberal world order — price arbitrage and […] Read more
CETA trade deal an exercise in frustration for ag exporters
In two years since adoption, Canadian exports to Europe have dropped
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – This summer, French politicians spent many hours defending the Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union. The French National Assembly ratified the trade deal in late July and politicians, at least those in the governing party, spoke in favour of the deal and the economic value to France. […] Read more
Down with DON: a clear corn crop
Toxin levels are lower this year thanks to weather and farmer and supplier vigilance
Reading Time: 4 minutes The Ontario corn ear mould and mycotoxin survey showed levels are considerably lower than 2018 with 96 per cent of samples testing less than two parts per million of deoxynivalenol (DON). OMAFRA field crop specialists, Grain Farmers of Ontario and members of the Ontario Agri-Business Association collaborated to complete the survey. Why it matters: Farmers […] Read more
Drones helping farmers control pests, and keep kids in school
In addition to helping farmers map fields and fertilize more efficiently, they also annoy pests
Reading Time: 3 minutes Thomson Reuters Foundation – Ephraim Kofi Kenney does not like to work in the fields scaring pests away. But today he must. A flock of migratory birds has repeatedly invaded his parents’ rice plot outside Accra, Ghana’s capital, and the 16-year-old has been tasked with keeping the invaders away from the young crop. If he […] Read more
Artificial intelligence could create efficiency and reliability in greenhouses
Canadian researchers say fewer managers are needed to run greenhouses with their system
Reading Time: 2 minutes Microsoft Research, with help from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, won the first Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge in 2018 with Project Sonoma — a system to operate greenhouses efficiently and reliably, while enabling greenhouse controls from remote areas. Wageningen University and Research, in Wageningen, Netherlands, and corporate sponsor Trencent challenged researchers, scientists and experts to build the […] Read more
Researcher grades on-farm soil management
Eastern Canadian farmers get high grades for soil health awareness, but low grades for increasing soil organic carbon
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – The grades are in. Eastern Canadian farmers get high grades for their understanding of soil health and the rapidly growing use of cover crops, but low grades for increasing tillage which reduces soil carbon storage. Mario Tenuta, a University of Manitoba soil scientist, says eastern farmers get a B for adoption of […] Read more
Protein that triggers plant defences to light stress identified
Science notes: Finding could play role in protecting crops from harsh clime conditions
Reading Time: 2 minutes A newly discovered protein turns on plants’ cellular defence to excessive light and other stress factors caused by a changing climate, according to a new study published in eLife. Plants play a crucial role in supporting life on Earth by using energy from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugars and oxygen, a […] Read more
African swine fever outbreak cuts Vietnam hog herd by 20 per cent
Larger operators indicate the disease’s spread has slowed
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – African swine fever has killed off about 20 per cent of Vietnam’s hog herd, and it is not clear whether the outbreak has been contained, U.S. Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Ted McKinney said October 18. There were some reports that the number might be higher, said McKinney, who spoke to reporters […] Read more
Maple Leaf hits carbon neutral
The company has been working throughout its operations to reduce environmental impact
Reading Time: 2 minutes Maple Leaf Foods says its operations are carbon neutral, a status achieved through improvements in its own operations and investments in offsets elsewhere. The company claims to be the first major food company to be able to say that it is carbon neutral. Why it matters: Major operations decisions by large companies almost always have […] Read more
