Reading Time: 3 minutes Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) continues to migrate across Ontario and is adapting to resistant varieties. Albert Tenuta, field crop pathologist with OMAFRA, says SCN is showing up outside the traditional southwestern Ontario infection areas and into Huron, Bruce and Simcoe counties. Resistant varieties are beginning to show symptoms on the roots. Why it matters: Soybean […] Read more
Tag Archives OMAFRA
Soybean cyst nematode infected area continues to expand
Soybean’s biggest yield robber gaining resistance as trait effectiveness declines in some areas
Silage options to rotate away from corn
Ryegrass, triticale, sorghum species all have potential to help avoid corn-on-corn rotations
Reading Time: 2 minutes In Europe, it’s ryegrass. On the Prairies, it’s barley. In areas where either climate or pesticide resistance makes it impractical to grow corn, livestock producers nonetheless achieve good gains or high milk production. And, during a recent session hosted by OMAFRA, crop and livestock specialists encouraged Ontario’s livestock producers to consider rotating away from corn […] Read more
Local governments hit greenhouse light pollution
Growing clusters of greenhouses light up the night sky, creating problems with neighbours
Reading Time: 5 minutes Updated Jan. 18, 2021 Municipalities in the major greenhouse-growing area of the province are clamping down on increasingly bright greenhouse lighting making night into day in the rural areas where they operate. The municipality of Leamington recently enacted a bylaw to stem and roll back light pollution emitted from the region’s sizeable and diverse greenhouse […] Read more
Relationships crucial for farm-to-farm cover crop grazing
Neighboring farmers find mutual benefit in livestock grazing, farming arrangement
Reading Time: 4 minutes There’s opportunity for the grazing of cover crops, whether it’s livestock farmers using their own cropland and animals, or offering services to cash-cropping neighbours. That was the overarching message delivered over three successive Tuesday evening Zoom meetings, hosted through November by the Cover Crop Grazing Committee — a collaboration between OMAFRA, Beef Farmers of Ontario, […] Read more
Pasture profits lost if precision practices ignored
Research needed to fill knowledge gaps to hasten precision data adoption
Reading Time: 4 minutes The speed at which green grass grows could translate into higher profits if producers implement precision pasture management. “The knowledge gap is the first hurdle to overcome to get to precision pasture management”, says Christine O’Reilly, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) forage and grazing specialist. Why it matters: Forages have seen […] Read more
Request for Ontario farm names withdrawn
Freedom of Information request had drawn significant farmer concern
Reading Time: < 1 minute The agriculture community is celebrating a win after a Freedom of Information (FOI) request for all Farm Business Registrants was withdrawn. “Together, our farm organizations strongly opposed the release of this information as it has the potential to greatly impact the health, safety and security of our farm operations,” said Keith Currie, Ontario Federation of […] Read more
What tar spot’s arrival means for Ontario
Cases identified in Lambton and Chatham-Kent, but impact insignificant overall
Reading Time: 3 minutes Tar spot, a pathogen affecting corn, has moved into Ontario, after five years of international attention. Tar spot can cause significant yield losses if left unchecked. The problem does not now appear to be widespread. Why it matters: Evidence from the United States indicates tar spot can depress corn yields by 20 to 60 bushels […] Read more
Long-term lessons from a problem program
A farmer worries that conditions that led to the OCHHP program could still be in place
Reading Time: 4 minutes Some Ontario farmers who failed to get a payment from an OMAFRA program more than a decade ago are concerned that the reasons the program failed could be replicated in new programs with the same poor results. They continue a sometimes lonely fight in the courts and in the court of public opinion to get […] Read more
How OMAFRA methods changed after critical report
An Auditor General’s report in 2017 looked for changes in disaster funding and interim payment
Reading Time: 2 minutes OMAFRA has increased its monitoring of overpayments as part of its response to a 2017 Auditor General’s report that criticized farm support programs. Interim payments – faster flowing payments to help farmers – and their accuracy, were at the core of the Auditor General’s concerns. After the 2017 audit, OMAFRA and Agricorp (which administers many […] Read more
Kelly named new OMAFRA deputy minister
Reading Time: < 1 minute John Kelly is the new deputy minister of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs for Ontario. Kelly is known for numerous roles he’s held in Ontario and Canadian agriculture over the past 25 years. He’s been involved in organizations such as the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, MaRS Landing and Bioenterprise. He also has had […] Read more
GFM Podcasts
Special Podcast
Farmtario is committed to providing information that matters to farmers in Ontario. Backed by leading and experienced farm journalists and content creators, Farmtario is a new source of insights for farming in Ontario including news, crop and livestock production, markets and ag tech. Receive your free eNewsletter today!