Farmers took their tractors to Simcoe streets March 23 protesting regional quarantine requirements “The local health unit has such powers if we don’t dot our I and cross our T with our quarantine plans,” said Frank Schonberger with Farmers of Ontario’s Garden, a new grassroots group organized to represent the producers. Why it matters: Haldimand-Norfolk County […] Read more
News — page 336
Ever-changing worker protocols bring farmers out to protest
Farmers, local government, concerned about Haldimand-Norfolk health unit dictates
Comment: Escaping the echo chamber on Agriculture Day
If the point of Agriculture Day is meant to celebrate and promote agriculture, it sort of succeeded on the first and failed on the second. Celebrations were done mostly inside an echo chamber. Industry people went, nobody else heard much about it. Industry can look outside of itself to see there are effective ways to […] Read more
Dairy sector adjusts to butter debate fallout lessons
Now that the rhetoric around butter hardness has settled down, farmers look to managing without palm fat supplements, while research continues
As the Buttergate social furor and ensuing questions around transparency settles into a dull roar, where does dairy go from here? “What this conversation is about is – what is the way forward in light of some of the challenges thrown at us over the past few weeks?” said David Wiens, Dairy Farmers of Canada […] Read more
Abnormal La Nina plays havoc with weather predictions
Spring is expected to be wet, with a drier summer, says meteorologist
Farmers are likely to get one more hit of winter before the weather clears up for spring planting. The polar vortex could be forced back into the middle of North America by another building high pressure system, says Mike McClellan, of Mobile Weather Team Inc., during a recent webinar put on by Great Lakes Grain. […] Read more
Public pressure halts city’s bid for Welland farm
Expropriation attempt loses support at recent vote
Nationwide public outcry is being credited for helping save City of Welland farmer Marsha Rempel from being forced to sell her 67-acre farm for industrial development. On March 2, city councillors voted 8-3 to put the brakes on an expropriation process which had been initiated in July 2020, and taken another step forward on Dec. […] Read more
How viable is mechanical pollination?
Pollen collection, not just distribution, is a major hurdle for those trying to help insects
An Israeli start-up company has developed a mechanical pollination system that it says will help ensure the continued production of nutritious food. There is concern about the decline of pollinators and its effects on food production. Pollinators play a critical role in moving pollen from male to female parts of the plant that result in […] Read more
Electric vehicle surge to unplug ethanol demand
There will likely be a decline in fuel demand, but byproducts and demand for other alcohols could keep ethanol going
After shouldering some unusual market hits in recent years, the ethanol industry now faces new and more fundamental demand uncertainties as electric vehicles grow in popularity and capacity. Some argue the sector will find new outlets for the plant-based fuels while others worry it will crumble beneath the collective weight of social, economic and environmental […] Read more
Editorial: Lessons from an enthusiastic agriculture IPO
Farmers Edge has gone public on the TSX, the stock exchange in Toronto, and the large interest around it saw share price rise quickly after the launch. The company is a Winnipeg-based provider of data-driven agronomy and farm management services. An initial public offering (IPO) allows a company to raise funds and sell ownership of […] Read more
Dairy farmers offered free safety vests
Purina is promoting safety on dairy farms by giving away free safety vests through their Be Safe. Be Seen. campaign. From March 8 through April 8 Canadian dairies can claim up to two safety vests, in various sizes including kids, at Purina ProActiv on Facebook while supplies last. “While a safety vest may not prevent […] Read more
How Farm Credit Canada became a major player in venture capital
The farm lender’s mandate now includes funding agri-food innovation
Glacier FarmMedia – In 2017 the Barton report said Canada has a massive opportunity to boost exports of agricultural commodities, agri-food and seafood. The most memorable part of the report, from the Minister of Finance’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth, set a target of adding $30 billion to Canada’s agriculture and agri-food exports by 2027. […] Read more
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