A five-year phase-in is now underway for owners of pressure boilers used in agricultural applications to bring their equipment into compliance with Ontario regulations. The change affects greenhouse operators and some maple syrup producers, wineries and mushroom growers. Why it matters: Compliance with TSSA regulations will increase safety for farm operators who use boilers. “The […] Read more
News — page 323
Five-year phase-in underway for farm boiler inspections
Agricultural exemption was highlighted by auditor-general in 2018 and will soon be closed
Farm gate cannabis shops open
Farm shops create opportunities for outreach to community
Selling produce from a farm gate is nothing new for many farmers, but they soon will be joined by their cannabis-growing neighbours. The inability to sell cannabis from the farm gate has been a sore spot for cannabis producers who want to supply more boutique types of the product from the farm. Why it matters: […] Read more
Editorial: Will high prices cure high prices again?
It’s always good to be able to write a “prices are awesome” column. Despite a recent pullback, corn and soybean prices are well into profitability territory and have touched near the highs of 2012, when the Chicago Board of Trade corn price briefly went over $8, before falling to half that a year later. While […] Read more
Local ag education turned virtual during COVID-19
Programs that had focused on their area schools suddenly had a larger audience
A virtual on-line format has allowed locally driven agriculture education programs to reach classrooms across the province. COVID-19 put a halt to school attendance and many regularly scheduled events, including Bite of Brant, an agriculture awareness program for Grade 5 students across Brant County. Last year would have marked the 25th anniversary for Bite of […] Read more
OFA’s Home Grown campaign aims to educate citizens on declining farmland
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is sowing seeds of advocacy through their ‘Home Grown’ campaign, launched during #Plant21. Home Grown aims to increase awareness of how farmland is a finite and depleting resource when agriculture is under increasing pressure to provide food for Canadians and the world. Why it matters: Urban sprawl is threatening […] Read more
Support for Bill 216 addressing student food literacy is whipping up support
A private member’s bill advocating integrating experiential food literacy education into the provincial school curriculum is gaining traction. “I’m encouraged that literally across the spectrum, we’re getting broad acceptance, and most importantly, we’re getting input,” said Daryl Kramp, MPP for Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox-Addington (KFLA). Why it matters: Bill 216, ‘The Food Literacy for Students […] Read more
Retiring Soy Canada head had storied career
Ron Davidson worked around the world, opening markets for Canadian products
Glacier FarmMedia – Few people have a Fidel Castro story. Ron Davidson has two. Davidson met Castro in the 1980s, when he traveled to Cuba with former agriculture minister Eugene Whelan. Davidson was working in a newly formed market development division in Agriculture Canada. He was responsible for expanding trade with Latin America and the […] Read more
Rural child care faces a long road ahead
There is reason to be optimistic, but local initiatives will be key for implementation
The federal government has pledged $30 billion over the next five years to help offset the cost of early learning and child care services. Its goal is to create a national child care system with costs of $10 per day for the average Canadian family. The proposed program has created optimism that child care services […] Read more
Hydroponic system offers year-round on-farm feed solution
The vertical farm system can make sense where land is expensive and dairy feed scarce
Imagine having a steady, fresh supply of livestock feed available daily that’s not subject to price fluctuation or unpredictable weather. That’s the vision behind HydroGreen’s fully automated system that applies the principles of indoor vertical farming to producing livestock feed. “In agriculture specifically, we have some very important dilemmas where farmers are being asked to […] Read more
Dry field conditions prevail, corn, soy planting nearly complete
OMAFRA Field Crop Report for May 26
Conditions Some thunderstorms through Essex provided some moisture, but most areas of the province received less than 5 mm over the long weekend and conditions throughout the province remain dry. Temperatures have transitioned from colder than normal to summer-like, and double-digit night-time temperatures have helped newly planted crops to emerge quickly. Cereals Early planted wheat […] Read more
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