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Tag Archives OMAFRA — page 13

manure spreading
Livestock

The details on CAP

Details are now available for the first intake of the new federal-provincial program, which closes May 8

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With maximum funding ranging between $25,000 and $35,000 per project, aspects of manure and nutrient management and livestock handling and housing represent key areas of focus for government support in the recently-released Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) suite of programs. Also on offer is a maximum of $75,000 for either livestock or food crop producers for […] Read more
Edible bean fields close to corn fields with high levels of Western Bean Cutworm will often be infected too. Photo: Courtesy Jennifer Bruggeman and UGRC
Crops

Western Bean Cutworm taking on more than corn

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Western Bean Cutworm is now the most economically significant pest in corn, but it’s quickly becoming a challenge in other nearby crops, especially dry beans. Why it matters: Scouting for Western Bean Cutworm (WBC) is much more challenging in dry beans than corn, so knowing the status of nearby corn fields and increasing moth trap […] Read more
University of Guelph President Dr. Franco Vaccarino (right) and Jeff Leal, Ontario’s minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs, sign the new research partnership agreement, with Liz Sandals, Guelph-area MPP behind. Photo: John Greig
News

OMAFRA, University of Guelph renew research partnership

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Up to $713 million in agriculture research will be funded at the University of Guelph over the next 10 years through a renewal of the university’s agreement with OMAFRA. The new agreement has been updated to manage digital data and is aimed to provide a base from which to leverage more research funding from other […] Read more
University of Guelph president Dr. Franco Vaccarino (right) and Ontario Agriculture Minister Jeff Leal sign a new research partnership agreement, with Guelph-area MPP Liz Sandals. (John Greig photo)

Ontario, U of Guelph renew ag research partnership

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Up to $713 million in agriculture research will be funded at the University of Guelph over the next 10 years through a renewal of the university’s agreement with the provincial ag ministry. The new agreement has been updated to manage digital data and is aimed to provide a base from which to leverage more research […] Read more
Ron MacDonald is a long-time Ontario farm energy consultant. Photo: John Greig
Machinery

Start with easy steps to control electricity costs on farms

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Farmers looking to take control of their energy costs have to start with knowing what electricity or gas they use and where. The answer may surprise them. Why it matters: Electricity prices in Ontario have risen by about 40 per cent since 2008. That means that electricity is now a significant cost of doing business. Ron […] Read more
John Van de Vegte with one of the sensors being used on farms. Photo: John Greig
Machinery

Simple, cheap sensors remaking farm data measurement

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Farmers no longer need to turn to expensive technology companies for automation solutions. Open source technology and software mean that they can do it themselves. The bottom line: Sensor technology continues to drop in price, meaning for a reasonable investment, there are now solutions to farm issues that weren’t there before. The sensors are giving […] Read more
Canola plants with clubroot galls from a field near Verner, Ont., about 50 km west of North Bay. (OntarioCanolaGrowers.ca)
Crops

Clubroot arrives in Ontario canola

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Ontario has its first case of clubroot disease in canola — and further testing has confirmed clubroot in canola fields across the province. During the 2016 growing season an agronomist in the Verner area of northern Ontario examined a canola field and found the distinctive clubbed roots, said Meghan Moran, canola and edible bean specialist […] Read more
OMAFRA headquarters in Guelph. (Photo courtesy OMAFRA)
Livestock

Ontario names new top ag bureaucrat

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Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has a new deputy minister. Greg Meredith will become deputy minister on Jan. 9. A deputy minister is a ministry’s chief civil servant, managing its implementation of government policy. Meredith replaces Dr. Deb Stark, who recently retired as deputy minister, capping a 30-year career in public […] Read more
The use of cover crops such as radish has spread rapidly in Ontario in the past five years. Ontario’s environmental commissioner wants to see that continue. (John Greig photo)
Crops

OMAFRA seen needing a soil health ‘tuneup’

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Ontario’s environmental commissioner is calling on the provincial ag ministry to rebuild its soil health expertise and find ways to encourage farmers to adopt soil-friendly production practices, to deal with what she calls a “catastrophic” loss in soil organic matter levels. The report recommends better soil carbon level monitoring and 10-year programs to financially encourage […] Read more

Cyber-Savvy Farmer

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