Matt Kolkman is flabbergasted that he won the Ontario Canola Grower’s 2024 winter canola challenge. Considering his first season was a comedy of errors with a punishing learning curve, Kolkman’s […] Read more
1.
Archives
First time lucky for Ontario’s top winter canola grower
Winners of the 2024 Ontario Canola Challenge share their growing practices
Number of confirmed wild boar drops in 2023-2024
Most wild pig sightings were domestic or pot-belly pigs
Eurasian wild boar numbers in Ontario have decreased due to removal efforts. Continued monitoring is essential to prevent population establishment.
Getting research into practice needs trust, common language
It is key to increasing producer partnerships and adoption
Trust and communication are the foundation of Getting Research into Practice (GRIP) for new livestock agri-food technologies and practices.
Livestock health bill could receive second chance
New government could reintroduce a bill amending the Health of Animals Act
The imminent reset of Bill C-275 could be a positive development for livestock producers, as controversial amendments will be scrapped and the legislation will return to square one.
Agritourism set to grow with provincial funding, new law
Agritourism Ontario plans to use funding to provide more tools for operators, enhance consumer experience
Agritourism operators in Ontario will now benefit from provincial government funding and have gained new legal protection to shield them from potential liability.
Farm building code updates will drive insurance increases
Companies must replace to full current value after insurable loss, which will be more expensive
An unintended consequence of planned upgrades to Canada’s National Farm Building Code (NFBC) may be higher farm insurance rates.
New online decision-making tool for species at risk
An online tool to help farmers choose the best options to help preserve species at risk and their habitats is coming to Ontario in 2025.
Financial protection for Canada’s fruit and vegetable growers near reality
Bill C-280 receives third reading in Senate, awaits Royal Assent
Scot Davidson’s private member’s Bill C-280, otherwise known as the Financial Protection for Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Farmers Act, received its third reading Dec. 10 and awaits royal assent.
WHO calls for stronger surveillance of H5N1 bird flu among animals
Stronger efforts needed to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus to new species of animals and to humans
A World Health Organization official has called for stronger surveillance in animals for evidence of infection with H5N1 bird flu in order to curb its spread.
Canada lags in agri-food innovation funding
We will never become a true player on the global innovation stage unless barriers removed
The U.S. takes agri-food innovation much more seriously than Canada does, both by recognizing agriculture as a priority sector with economic growth potential and by making meaningful investments into agri-food entrepreneurs in their regions.