Southwestern Ontario farmland values continued to soar in 2022, with some of the most significant increases occurring in what were, at one time, historically undervalued counties. According to the latest farmland values report from Valco, a London-area real estate appraiser, farmland values across the 11 Southwestern counties increased by 25.65 per cent. This, said author […] Read more
News
Ontario land values rise by double digits – again
Grey, Essex, Elgin see rates climb well over 30 per cent
Grocery execs on hot seat at agriculture committee
MPs studying food price inflation take the industry to task for not helping consumers while earning higher profits
Glacier FarmMedia – House of Commons agriculture committee members from all political parties last month grilled grocery retailers over food prices. Francois Thibault, executive vice-president and chief financial officer for Quebec-based Metro Inc., was particularly taken to task by Conservative MP Lianne Rood for fees retailers charge produce growers to place their products in stores […] Read more
March is Agriculture Literacy Month
To celebrate, AgScape offering free programs and resources to youth educators
AgScape is celebrating the 12th annual Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month (CALM) with Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C), the national voice for agriculture education in Canada. Launched by AITC-C in 2012, CALM takes place annually in March to increase awareness, understanding, and appreciation of agriculture and food among youth in Canada. CALM provides K-12 students […] Read more
Editorial: We need to celebrate agriculture each and every day
Canada’s Agriculture Day was celebrated last month for the seventh consecutive year. One word came my mind this agriculture day, Feb. 15, as I received information from groups via email and watched social media channels. That word was ‘meh.’ My lacklustre response made me ponder whether we still need an official day to celebrate Canadian […] Read more
Centre building capacities for processing labour, research and tech development
Centre for Meat Innovation and Technology aims to carve new markets
The Centre for Meat Innovation and Technology may be Guelph’s best-kept secret. Tucked away on the University of Guelph campus, CMIT provides training, product and process development, meat science research and technology adoption in collaboration with Meat and Poultry Ontario. Established in the 1960s, the university’s meat lab was refurbished in 2018 with an extension and […] Read more
A bitter sweet surprise: Sugarbush season starts early
Reports indicate quality syrup resulting from rare February start
A string of mild early-February weather created an early — and in some cases bountiful — harvest for syrup producers in Ontario’s southwest. But while some producers welcomed the season’s early arrival, the chair of the Climate Change Working Group of the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association sees ominous signs of what’s to come from […] Read more
Jakeman’s expands processing capacity
Woodstock-area facility brings in syrup from across the province
Transformation was underway for the nearly 150-year-old, family-owned Jakeman’s maple syrup business near Woodstock in the months before the pandemic. The resulting turmoil could have damaged a less resilient operation but, according to company CEO Chad Jakeman, the ability to think outside the box helped the business weather the COVID-19 storm. Jakeman’s, which has been […] Read more
Getting more out of satellite imagery
“Resellers” are reshaping imagery demand and usability
The demand for overhead imagery continues to gain acceptance. The volume of data gathered is increasing, and the time and learning curves required for analysis by growers and advisers are rising. At the same time, accessibility in nanosatellite technology and higher-resolution imagery has not led to sweeping adoption of detailed information. Has satellite imagery’s march […] Read more
Governments reach Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership agreement
Ontario agri-food sector to receive $1.77 billion in new agreement
A new, five-year agreement between the governments of Canada and Ontario will provide upwards of $1.77 billion in support for the province’s agri-food sector over the life of the agreement. The governments have negotiated a Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) agreement that will see $569 million invested in strategic initiatives, a 25 per cent […] Read more
Seed mills strike back at weed resistance
Researchers have seen up to 95 per cent control of resistant weed biotypes
Weed biotypes have an incredible capacity for developing resistance to chemical products and growers are having a tough time keeping up with the changes. Some farmers are now battling weed resistance at harvest by attaching seed mills to the rear of a combine, which gather weed seeds and damage them, preventing germination. Why it matters: […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
