The Rural Ontario Institute recently hosted the International Association of Programs for Agricultural Leadership (IAPAL) conference in Ottawa, for the first time in two decades. Conference attendees toured the Senate, the Ottawa Smart Farm and GPS Ontario’s farm in North Gower. “I found it fascinating talking with them about how they handle political situations; how […] Read more
News — page 249
Global leadership conference returns to Canada
For the first time in more than 20 years, the IAPAL conference was hosted in Canada
Public trust in Canada’s food system comes off pandemic high
Cost of living and other factors drive a return to pre-2020 consumer perceptions
After a pandemic-induced boost, the latest public trust report from the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity indicates Canadians’ faith in the food system has fallen back to general historical trends. As the 2022 CCFI Public Trust Research Report describes, 24 per cent of survey respondents believe the food system is headed in the wrong direction, […] Read more
PHOTOS: Royal Agricultural Winter Fair returns to in-person
Event celebrated a century of bringing agriculture to the city
After a 2-year hiatus, the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (RAWF) took place Nov. 3 to 14 at Exhibition Place in Toronto. The RAWF began in 1922 when a collective group of farmers and horseman banded together to plan an exhibition to show off what Canada had to offer in agriculture. According to historical documents on […] Read more
Forage lineup brand new for 2023
New Maizex soybean resists disease
Maizex Seeds has new hybrids it says will build on its existing stable and provide yield and value to growers. Stephen Denys, director of market and product development, says Maizex has a new earlier-maturing grain corn hybrid, MZ2266DBR, that has an 82-day relative maturity, good yield potential, excellent grain quality and high test weight. Within […] Read more
Farmer mental health worsened during COVID-19 pandemic
National survey findings reflect significant concerns and need for more mental health interventions
Canadian farmers have poorer mental health and more substance abuse than people in the general population and that hasn’t improved in the last five years, according to survey data recently released by researchers at the University of Guelph. Scores in anxiety, depression, perceived stress, emotional exhaustion and cynicism (two components of burnout), alcohol use and […] Read more
Editorial: Will the country keep coming to the city?
Earlier this month the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (RAWF) took place in Toronto, celebrating its 100th year. That’s an incredible achievement. The RAWF shares this achievement with a multitude of agricultural societies throughout Canada, some of whom have been hosting fairs almost as long as Canada has been a country. It shows that those who […] Read more
Ontario government’s Bill 23 accelerates concern about loss of farmland
More Homes Built Faster Act will allow new house builds on protected lands
After four years of rolling back protective Greenbelt legislation, the Ontario government’s More Homes Built Faster Act is opening acres for urban development. The Greenbelt was established in 2005 to protect environmentally sensitive lands and farmland from urban development but the recently announced act, known as Bill 23, will remove 7,400 acres from protection. Wayne […] Read more
Chronic labour shortages increase national food security risk: study
Labour shortages trigger lost sales, lost contracts and decreased services
Labour shortages are a global issue across every sector, including Ontario’s agri-business, according to a recent survey from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. “We found that almost two-thirds (61 per cent) of agri-business owners turned to their existing employees to work more hours due to lack of staff,” said Jasmin Guenette, the federation’s vice-president […] Read more
Study tracks wild bird infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza
First-of-its-kind study looks at how the virus may be spread by wild birds
Glacier FarmMedia – For the first time, scientists have tracked the movement of a wild bird known to be infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza in North America. The new research, led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), may improve estimates of when and where the virus could spread in the environment and to other birds. […] Read more
Low cost, real-time soil carbon quantification could be a game changer
Two start-ups combine forces to provide farmers with better decision making on soil carbon
A new partnership between two companies with technologies rooted in artificial intelligence is making carbon quantification more accessible, profitable and scalable for farmers and landowners. Quebec-based ChrysaLabs is an agtech startup that uses cloud computing, artificial intelligence and machine learning for precision soil sampling in real time. It has teamed up with EarthOptics, a soil […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
