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
Tag Archives OMAFRA
What tar spot’s arrival means for Ontario
Cases identified in Lambton and Chatham-Kent, but impact insignificant overall
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
Average DON levels mean good quality corn year
A wet early August could have meant a more challenging quality year
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ontario corn is mostly clean of ear mould and mycotoxin levels are in line with long-term averages, says the annual survey of corn in the province. The survey is conducted by OMAFRA field crop specialists with help from Grain Farmers of Ontario and members of the Ontario Agri-Business Association. Weather conditions in 2018 meant extensive […] Read more
Tar spot breaches Ontario border
Cases identified in Lambton and Chatham-Kent, but impact insignificant overall
Reading Time: 3 minutes After five years of international attention, tar spot has infiltrated Canada’s Great Lakes defences. A pathogen of corn, tar spot can cause significant yield losses if left unchecked. As of now, however, the problem does not appear to be widespread. Why it matters: Evidence from the United States indicate tar spot can depress corn […] Read more
Fair funds help Ontario ag societies survive
Larger organizations that host many events in a year are hurting financially
Reading Time: 2 minutes Recent OMAFRA funding for agricultural and horticultural societies will help, but larger exhibitions are having serious challenges. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) expanded the eligibility for agriculture societies’ annual grant application to help offset the financial losses brought on by COVID-19. For 2020 nearly $1 million are available to all […] Read more
Establishing winter canola
Look at herbicide history, soil type and planting date to get canola growing well
Reading Time: 5 minutes Winter canola seed sales have been strong and Ontario acres in 2020 are expected to be higher than ever before. Why it matters: While research on the crop has been limited, some recommendations are available, based on experience of the past few years and with spring canola in Ontario. Field selection Fields should have good […] Read more
Tar spot in corn and soybean cyst nematode
OMAFRA Field Crop Report for August 13
Reading Time: 3 minutes This week we would like to discuss tar spot in corn as well as soybean cyst nematode and sudden death syndrome in soybean. Tar spot in corn There is a lot of discussion and questions surrounding tar spot this year in Ontario. Tar spot is a new corn disease in the U.S. midwest and since […] Read more
OFA urges farm data requester be named
A Freedom of Information Act request targets anyone with a Farm Business Registration number
Reading Time: 3 minutes Members of the three General Farm Organizations in Ontario have been encouraged to tell the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) to turn down a recent Freedom of Information (FOI) request aimed at Ontario’s farmers. The request looks for names of individuals and businesses holding Farm Business Registration (FBR) numbers, a well […] Read more
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