Despite the best efforts to quell its rise, the highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) has hit 20 Ontario poultry operations and backyard flocks as of early May. It’s been seven years since highly-pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been detected in Canada, but it’s returned with a vengeance this year. Commercial and backyard flocks in […] Read more
Avian influenza continues to break across province, Canada
Concerns rise over spring planting contributing to spread
Higher than normal weed pressure in evidence
Tough weather conditions last fall and moisture this spring have prompted weed proliferation
Weather conditions last fall, coupled with a wet spring, have created higher than normal weed pressure across Ontario, according to agronomists. “There’s a lot of people that planned to spray fields that couldn’t get to it in the fall or planned to work fields that couldn’t get to it and the weeds grew, and they […] Read more
Opinion: When it comes to food prices, the Canadian government’s hands are tied
There is no easy fix and many price reduction options would hurt domestic producers
The rhetoric around inflation and increasing food prices has become a point of emphasis for politicians, particularly for those in opposition to the incumbent government. Even pundits and non-profit organizations are pressuring the government into taking specific actions on food prices. This begs the question: Should governments take steps to reduce food prices? And more […] Read more
COVID-19 lockdowns could delay Chinese corn
Country has restricted movement to slow spread of the virus, making it difficult for farmers to return from their city jobs
Corn planting in one of China’s major producing areas could be delayed as many of the region’s millions of farmers struggle to return home from temporary city jobs because of strict coronavirus lockdowns. Why it matters: Lower yields for Chinese crops would mean more demand for those crops from exporting countries like Canada. Any delay […] Read more
Editorial: Pre-election budget misses the mark
Ontario’s Progressive Conservative party released its pre-election budget April 28. As the Legislature dissolved the following week, the budget essentially serves as a campaign platform leading up to the June 2 provincial election. The $198.6 billion, 268-page budget didn’t have many surprises. Titled “Ontario’s Plan to Build,” it outlines major commitments previously announced, but with […] Read more
Slow U.S. economic growth could depreciate Canadian dollar
Grain prices remain high, but a recession could change that
According to Statistics Canada, Ontario farmers will increase corn acres by eight per cent compared to last year and Ontario soybean acres will see a year-over-year increase of three per cent. Last fall, Ontario farmers decreased winter wheat acres by 13 per cent from the previous year, which made room for the year-over-year increase in […] Read more
What’s in store from machinery brands?
Deere, CNH commit to more tech, electric and hybrid drives
Glacier FarmMedia – The new powered farm machines parked on dealership lots in the coming decade are going to look a little different than they do now, at least under the hoods. That’s according to information released recently by two major manufacturers, John Deere and CNH Industrial, parent company to Case IH and New Holland. […] Read more
Opinion: Farmers could teach other Canadians about facing risk
Anybody who’s farming today has faced multiple crises and survived them
Glacier FarmMedia – Hog farmers face high feedgrain prices, multiple animal disease threats, increasing restrictions on how they operate and a public that sometimes treats them with hostility. Grain farmers face high fertilizer prices, dry soils, higher machinery costs and rising interest rates. Yet both sets of farmers, at least the ones I interact with, […] Read more
Maedi Visna – the hidden disease
The illness is difficult to detect as symptoms don’t usually appear for one to three years
The Sheep Farmers of Ontario (OSF) is encouraging sheep producers to consider taking steps to mitigate a silent, hidden illness that may be having a greater impact on their bottom line than they realize. Maedi Visna (MV), also known as ovine progressive pneumonia, is a chronic viral illness that is 100 per cent fatal. The […] Read more
Canadian early alert system expands services for fungal crop diseases
Spornado can detect fungal spores in many crops and help growers make targeted spraying decisions
Last year, a made-in-Canada system to alert farmers to the presence of airborne crop pathogens was showcased as one of Canada’s top 101 Most Innovative Predictive Analytical Companies. The Spornado is a simple and low cost in-field tool that passively traps air- and waterborne spores on specialized filters. Those filters are then analyzed for the […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
