Darren Ireland, a farmer on Concession Road 8 who sold some of his land for the DGR site, allowed the Nuclear Waste Management Organization to conduct borehole drill testing on his optioned land. He said the testing could reveal additional subterranean opportunities regardless of whether South Bruce is chosen.

Battle lines clear in nuclear waste storage plan

Opponents and proponents weigh in on risks, benefits

A battle between opponents and proponents of the proposed geological repository for nuclear waste in South Bruce continues to rage ahead of an Oct. 28 referendum. The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is seeking a home for waste from the province’s nuclear generating stations, and a 1,700-acre area in South Bruce is one of the […] Read more


Real estate apps are already big business in residential markets. If they cut transaction costs, why not in agriculture too?
 Photo: Getty Images

U.S. Lawmakers seek to limit corporate, foreign ownership of farmland

Farm groups, lawmakers are concerned that foreign, investor ownership is driving up prices and threatening national security

Washington | Reuters – U.S. lawmakers from both parties are pushing legislation that would limit who can own American farmland, with a latest effort from Democratic Senator Cory Booker aimed at curbing corporate ownership. Farm groups and lawmakers are concerned that land buys by investors and foreign countries are driving up farmland prices and threatening […] Read more

File photo of a rye field in Kazakhstan. (Stsmhn/iStock/Getty Images)

Kazakhstan’s president orders ban on foreign ownership of farmland

Almaty | Reuters — Kazakhstan will permanently ban foreigners from owning or renting farmland in the vast central Asian nation, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Thursday, ending a lengthy dispute that once prompted anti-government protests. Kazakhstan is a major producer of grains, oilseeds and meat in the former Soviet region sandwiched between China and Russia […] Read more

Tighter regulations take effect for B.C. farmland reserve

Tighter regulations take effect for B.C. farmland reserve

Local governments' expanded role to take effect this fall

New regulations governing how — or if — changes can be made to land’s status within British Columbia’s Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) are now in force, but local governments get more prep time for their expanded role. The province on Thursday announced amendments to the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) Act — having received royal assent […] Read more


Burying sensors in the soil and running machines over top, like this demonstration at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, 
helps engineers establish tire inflation pressure guidelines to minimize soil compaction problems.

Looking for machinery compaction data

Ontario team working to establish tire inflation guidelines

Preventing soil compaction is something farmers should keep in mind, particularly with the scale of modern farm equipment. At Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock, Ont., Alex Barrie, engineer in training with the Ontario Environmental Management Branch, demonstrated his group’s efforts to study the impact equipment can have on the soil. They have been conducting […] Read more

Zimbabwe to give white farmers 99-year leases

Harare | Reuters — Zimbabwe will issue 99-year leases to white farmers, according to a government circular, after new President Emmerson Mnangagwa said he would end discrimination along racial lines in agriculture. Fewer than 400 white farmers are still operating in the southern African nation, after former president Robert Mugabe’s government evicted more than 4,000 […] Read more

The Verkhovna Rada building, home to Ukraine’s parliament, in Kiev. (Cia.gov)

Ukraine’s parliament extends ban on farmland sales

Kiev | Reuters — The Ukrainian parliament voted on Thursday to extend a ban on the sale of agricultural land by one year, delaying what financial backers say is a key reform essential to Ukraine’s long-term economic growth. The bill was backed by 236 lawmakers, narrowly over the 226 required to pass. Currently Ukraine’s more […] Read more


Australian countryside near Bendigo, northwest of Melbourne. (CIA.gov)

Australia tightens rules over foreign buying of farmland

Sydney | Reuters –– Australia tightened rules on Wednesday over foreign ownership of its agricultural land amid concerns that it is losing control of its own food security, slashing the amount beyond which land purchases would require regulatory approval. From March 1, foreign purchases of agricultural land over A$15 million (C$14.51 million) will be subject […] Read more