What was looking like a profitable year for Ontario pork producers has turned into a wreck. That’s prompted the Canadian Pork Council to come up with a hybrid proposal to fix income supports under AgriStability in a desperate bid to help the sector navigate the market chaos created by COVID-19. While most of the industry’s […] Read more
News — page 376
Hog producers lose money, request changes to risk management
Canadian Pork Council takes different approach to extract government funds
New farm research group offers more by pooling resources
Central Ontario soil research and stewardship groups try two-year collaboration
A partnership based out of Trent University is offering farmers free access to its expertise. The Quinte Farm Research and Stewardship Collaborative is a two-year initiative described by project co-ordinator Lindsay Nash as a network focused on modern agricultural practices in relation to soil health, water quality and new technologies. Why it matters: There are […] Read more
Specialized cellular compartments discovered in bacteria
Science Notes: Discovery of bacterial “organs” could pave the way for a new generation of antibiotics
Researchers at McGill University have discovered bacterial organelles involved in gene expression, suggesting that bacteria may not be as simple as once thought. This finding could offer new targets for the development of new antibiotics. The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first to show that E. coli uses similar […] Read more
Opinion: Technology changes – but adoption barriers don’t
Farmers are still waiting for companies to explain their new technology proposition
The capabilities of digital technologies change regularly, but how developers speak about adoption in the ag-sector doesn’t. The rhetoric and questions posed are the same as those asked several years ago — namely, what is required for more farms to adopt data technologies? The fact that such a fundamental question has not changed makes me […] Read more
Parts of animal trespass bill to go into force immediately
Continued blockading of trucks going to processing plants has become a safety hazard, says province
The provincial government has proclaimed four sections of Bill 156, making it an offence to “stop, obstruct, hinder or otherwise interfere” with a vehicle transporting farm animals. Why it matters: Dueling protests between animal rights activists and supporters of truckers have become flash points after an activist was killed after she tried to block […] Read more
An unclear Clean Fuel Standard
Farmers wary of potential for lost acres, inadequate credit system
Canada’s Clean Fuel Standard act – intended to achieve a reduction of 30 million tonnes of annual greenhouse gas emissions in fuel and energy – includes restrictions on land use for crops grown for biofuels. Ambiguous language and stipulations regarding buffer strips, however, have some growers concerned they will lose the ability to grow crops […] Read more
WTO committee looks at COVID-19 farm measures
Some regions bumped their agricultural subsidies during the pandemic
Glacier FarmMedia – Canada and other countries are calling for more transparency of farm measures taken by members during COVID-19. During a July 28 meeting of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Committee on Agriculture, some countries questioned how the international community can better monitor each country’s response to the pandemic through agricultural policies. Australia introduced […] Read more
New soil test hones in on microbial populations
Understanding microbial populations can lead to better soil health, yields
A new soil health test, VitTellus Bio Soil Health, launched by A&L Canada Laboratories quantifies soil microbial populations that support improved soil health and crop productivity. The test is an extension of the VitTellus Soil Health Test, launched in 2018, and looks at providing deeper information about the physical and biological interaction in the soil. […] Read more
Editorial: Seeds of mystery
There’s been much made of the arrival in the mailboxes of Canadians and Americans of mystery plant material and seeds from China and other countries in that region. There are numerous reasons that this is an intriguing story and made a splash across all the major media shortly after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) […] Read more
Finding farmland in Ontario’s north
It’s believed there are up to three million acres of Class 2, 3 and 4 land in the north that could be farmed
The economics of modern agriculture have rekindled interest in pushing long-abandoned farms in northeastern Ontario into production. Millions of acres considered part of the fertile Northern Clay Belt remain largely undeveloped in municipalities stretching north and west from New Liskeard since the region was first opened to farming in the 1950s. Alain Robichaud, economic development […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
