Barring some changes to business interaction behaviours, producers should be able to access production inputs as usual this growing season. Why it matters: Currently, the supply of fertilizer, chemicals, seed, […] Read more
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Essential service designation should keep farm inputs moving
Wherever possible, it’s a good idea to lessen risk on cropping inputs
How to get more accurate DON toxin readings
Elevator operators are advised to grind the entire sample before testing to get more consistent results
An industry committee has recommended changes to elevator testing procedures for deoxynivalenol (DON) after probing into the inconsistent results farmers found so frustrating during the fusarium-plagued 2018 corn harvest. While […] Read more
DON tests unreportable for 2019 corn crop
There were not enough statistical differences among hybrids to report results
In 2019, the Ontario Corn Committee (OCC) created voluntary inoculated trials in Ridgetown and Ottawa to rate corn hybrids for susceptibility to DON accumulation. Unfortunately, a number of inconsistencies were […] Read more
Opinion: Keeping up in a fast-moving COVID-19 world
Foreign worker confusion shows the speed things are changing
It is difficult to write something timely about a situation that unfolds by the moment, as a glimpse into how matters have evolved in Ottawa over the past few days […] Read more
Editorial: Food system resilience should be priority
We only had a small amount of COVID-19 coverage in our last issue of Farmtario. What a difference in a couple of weeks, as our world has been turned upside […] Read more
Commodity markets in uncharted risk territory due to COVID-19 concerns
Lower Canadian dollar has kept soybean and wheat prices up
World grain and oilseed markets are digesting logistical and fundamental changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic and historically low crude oil values. The risk environment is unprecedented; commodity merchants are […] Read more
Test period underway for vertical milk storage in Ontario
Approved sampling protocols must be expanded for towers to come into use
A test period has begun on a 600-cow dairy farm near Maryhill for the use of a 40,000-litre vertical milk tank. It isn’t currently legal for use on-farm to cool […] Read more
U.S. says it will ban pig shipments if fatal hog virus is detected
An arrival of African swine fever in the U.S. would disrupt global pork markets
Reuters – The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it will prohibit shipments of all pigs for at least three days if the nation ever finds a case of a fatal […] Read more
Soil health measurement project seeks standard set of indicators
The North American Project to Evaluate Soil Health Measurements hopes to recommend scientifically sound indicators
Glacier FarmMedia – Soil health measurements can vary widely depending on management practices, show early results from a North American study. Paul Tracy, who manages the non-profit Soil Health Institute’s […] Read more
Opinion: We’re often afraid to ask questions, but it’s a key skill
On the farm, being curious and asking lots of questions is a good thing but for some reason, we tend to hold back
The little boy was curious and always asking questions. Over and over again he would ask his increasingly impatient mother why, how come, how far, how long, when, where and […] Read more