How is COVID-19 affecting different sectors of the ag industry? Listen to this special Between the Rows four-part podcast series on farming through the pandemic covering topics such as the impact to the agricultural economy, the challenges it presents for Canadian farmers and livestock producers and more. Farming through the pandemic: Part 1 Laura Rance […] Read more
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Farming through the pandemic: A ‘Between the Rows’ podcast special
Floral industry hit hard by COVID-19
Flower growers say a glut of flowers to sell could set their sector back for a couple of years
Greg Schuurman and his family have gone back to their roots selling flowers at the roadside, as much of their Easter and Mother’s Day floral crop has failed to find its usual markets. Schuurman, president and partner in Schuurman Greenhouses, the leader in cut chrysanthemums in Ontario, has been feeling the pain of not being […] Read more
Coronavirus begs question: Why are bat viruses so deadly?
Science Notes: Bats' aggressive immune response may hold the key
University of California – Berkeley – It’s no coincidence that some of the worst viral disease outbreaks in recent years — SARS, MERS, Ebola, Marburg and likely the newly arrived 2019-nCoV virus — originated in bats. A new University of California, Berkeley, study finds that bats’ fierce immune response to viruses could drive viruses to […] Read more
Editorial: When the ordinary becomes extraordinary
Farmers have been disappointed by their treatment by society over the past decade, as nitpickers have taken on everything from pesticide use to animal welfare to carbon impact. What farmers considered ordinary and every day practice became a target. Well that ordinary is now extraordinary. In a world where food system hiccups have caused concern […] Read more
Ontario farmland values continue to jump
Nationally, the 2019 increase tied for the lowest in 10 years
Ontario led Canada’s major agriculture producing provinces in farm land value increases in 2019 according to Farm Credit Canada’s (FCC) annual summary of land sales across the country. The Maritime provinces led the increases with 22.6 per cent in Prince Edward Island and 17.2 per cent in New Brunswick. A 5.2 per cent increase across […] Read more
Comment: Home cooking back in vogue now that we’re stuck at home
Generations have seen much less home cooking, but that could change with COVID-19
These are unprecedented times for all of us. And frankly, we are all trying to figure out how to deal with our new lives, even if we know it will only last for a while. Strange days have found us, as normalcy is just not an option, for the safety of society, for us all. […] Read more
Ontario company creates solution for COVID-19 monitoring
Farm biosecurity and traceability systems could monitor worker movement and reduce shutdowns
A Guelph start-up has developed a tool to help in the fight against COVID-19 using technology from two of its smart livestock monitoring applications. Virtual Studios founder Joel Sotomayor says their Tactical Response Against COVID-19 Epidemic (TRACE) solution can help maintain essential services and reduce disease spread by letting employers locate and isolate COVID-19 on […] Read more
Understanding why biofilm is sticky
Anyone who’s cleaned a feeder or a waterer knows about the fun of getting and keeping biofilm off of surfaces. Now we know why. Belying their slimy natures, the sticky patches of bacteria called biofilms often form intricate, starburst-like patterns as they grow. Now, researchers at Princeton University have combined expertise in molecular biology, mechanical […] Read more
A helping hand for agriculture and food start-ups
The RH Accelerator aims to provide mentorship and to help fund new agriculture businesses
Throughout his career, Joe Dales has had a passion for innovation, agriculture and bringing new tools to farmers. He caught the entrepreneurial bug in the early days of the internet, creating what today is Farms.com. Now he’s putting his network and years of experience to work helping early stage entrepreneurs get their ideas off the […] Read more
China reclassifies dogs as pets, not livestock
New guidelines drafted in post-virus regulatory push
Shanghai | Reuters — China has drawn up new guidelines to reclassify dogs as pets rather than livestock, the agriculture ministry said, part of a response to the coronavirus outbreak that the Humane Society called a potential “game changer” in animal welfare. Though dog meat remains a delicacy in many regions, the ministry of agriculture […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
