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Ontario growers have shown that they can adapt and compete in the province’s processing tomato sector.
News

Editorial: Convoluted solution is no solution

By
Reading Time: 3 minutes Tomato growers and processors need a clear solution to the marketing purgatory into which they’ve been plunged over the past couple of years. However, the province’s recent proposals fail to provide the needed stability. I’ve written numerous similar pieces over the past couple of years as the province tries to break the collective bargaining power […] Read more
Apples are one of the first crops that will have benchmarking information available.
Crops

Benchmarketing projects aim to improve available farm data

Canadian and global numbers can help compare Ontario to other jurisdictions

By
Reading Time: 3 minutes The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs is engaged in two benchmarking initiatives which aim to improve the quality of information comparing Ontario farms. Why it matters: Benchmarking can be an important tool to help farmers gauge costs and evaluate management practices. The new OMAFRA program involves working with the Ontario Farm Income […] Read more
Solartech is providing electric tractors in North America, but they are best suited for small farm uses so far.
Machinery

Will electric tractors ever dethrone diesel?

There is plenty of space for electric power in smaller, lower-torque jobs

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Reading Time: 4 minutes Despite exponential increases in the technology’s effectiveness — and widespread use in other industries — battery power and charging challenges continue to limit the scalability of electrically-driven farm equipment. That doesn’t mean diesel will always reign supreme, though. According to three Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) technology experts, electric motors have […] Read more
Brandon Glenney says soil sampling is most helpful when farmers decide they want to use the information.
Crops

Zone sampling for soil tests allows for more detail, accuracy

Vague soil sampling results can provide misleading information

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Reading Time: 3 minutes Sampling soil by zone is more efficient and accurate than using grids or bulk sampling methods, an agronomist with Clark Agri Services says. Bulk samples, having one sample for the whole field, are the simplest, yet not the most accurate when comparing to more detailed sample methods. Vague soil sample results can provide inaccurate information. […] Read more
Crops, News

Pest lessons learned in the 2019 Ontario crop year

Ontario Field Crop Report for the week of September 23

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Reading Time: 3 minutes We all agree that this has been one of the most challenging cropping years in Ontario, but there were some pest lessons learned from the experience. Effect of delayed planting Delayed planting can reduce the risk of some early season pests. Pests like bean leaf beetle (BLB) move into the earliest emerging fields first. With […] Read more
Western bean cutworms cause damage to corn and other crops.
Crops

Western bean cutworm laying low so far

Western bean cutworms haven’t been a major issue this year but their full impact is still unknown

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Reading Time: 3 minutes Will western bean cutworm (WBC) be to 2019 what DON was to 2018? According to the evidence thus far, probably not. In fact, WBC appears sparser than expected. That said, Tracey Baute, field crop entomologist and WBC expert with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, says several factors have combined to make […] Read more
News

Ontario launches Excellence in Agriculture program

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Reading Time: < 1 minute Ernie Hardeman, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, has announced that the Excellence in Agriculture program is open for applications and now includes a new category to recognize outstanding young farmers. The Excellence in Agriculture program recognizes agri-food innovations and advancements that demonstrate leadership, product development or technology advancement that will benefit the […] Read more
Crops, News

Winter wheat harvest winds down, increase of SDS in soybeans seen

Ontario Field Crop Report for the week of August 12

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Reading Time: 3 minutes Winter wheat Winter wheat harvest is winding down across the province and reported yields to date have ranged from 80-130 bu/ac which compares well to the five-year average yield of 82.7 bushels/ac. This was a pleasant surprise for many growers’ considering all the stresses the winter wheat crop had to endure. Good reports of straw […] Read more
Desiccants should be used only when 85 per cent of field peduncles have changed colour.
Crops

Timing of 2019 wheat harvest challenging

Uneven staging and fusarium head blight have complicated harvest decisions

By
Reading Time: 2 minutes Uneven staging of wheat fields across Ontario is making it difficult for farmers to make the call on when to harvest. Why it matters: Difficulty with timing of harvest can create a window of opportunity for fusarium development, lodging problems and poor quality grain. Less than ideal conditions last fall and the cold, wet spring […] Read more
News

Agricultural Adaptation Council loses funding role to OMAFRA

The Agricultural Adaptation Council has meted out government funding to organizations for years

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Reading Time: 3 minutes The Ontario government is taking Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) funding for organizations and partnerships in house, a significant blow to the industry-led Agricultural Adaptation Council, which has administered such programs for 23 years. “We’re disappointed with the province’s decision,” said Terry Thompson, executive director of the AAC. “The decision to abandon industry-led delivery is a […] Read more

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