Farmers in six Ontario counties have until Tuesday, June 18, to plant corn and still receive production insurance coverage through Agricorp. The announcement came late last week for corn acres being planted in Lambton, Middlesex, Niagara, Chatham-Kent, Essex, and Elgin counties. "Wet weather in parts of Ontario is creating difficult planting conditions for some corn... Read More
Category: Eastern Canada
As Canadians, we pride ourselves on our clean water, living skies, the Rockies, maple syrup, playing hockey, and saying sorry. There are other things to be proud of too, like our democracy and our ability to grow food for the world's population. It would seem, though, that when one or more of these points of... Read More
It didn't take long for Ontario's new agriculture minister to put his stamp on the provincial agriculture department, at least on its title. Former Masterfeeds CEO-turned-MPP for Elgin—Middlesex—London, Rob Flack jokes he will go down as Ontario's shortest-tenured Minister of Farming, Agriculture, and Agribusiness, as that's how he was introduced in Premier Doug Ford's cabinet... Read More
It's not just insects that may have a jump on the crop this year in Ontario — weeds are large and in charge, and diseases, such as tar spot, could blow up from the U.S. much earlier than last year. But that's not all the agronomic knowledge you'll glean from this episode of Wheat Pete's... Read More
Ontario winter wheat growers are crossing their fingers and holding their breath as a potential record crop heads into its final weeks of grain fill and approaches harvest. RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson says a key yield indicator he's been watching is the number of seeds at each spikelet. He notes that growers have been sharing... Read More
As the calendar pushes to mid-June, growers in areas of the province still struggling with wet planting conditions are now deciding whether to try to plant corn, switch to soybeans, or make unseeded acreage claims. Agronomists and ag reps attending a Ridgetown, Ont., virtual Ag Business Breakfast Meeting on Tuesday did their best to assess... Read More
Ontario government sources have confirmed that Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) will no longer exist after Premier Doug Ford cabinet shuffle, announced late Thursday. OMAFRA was hatched in 1994 when Bob Rae's New Democratic Party government combined agriculture with the rural affairs portfolio to create the new ministry with Agriculture Minister... Read More
The strike at Cargill's beef processing facility at Guelph, Ont., is nearing the two-week mark, forcing cattle to be marketed elsewhere in and outside the province. Around 960 workers at the Cargill facility, which can processes around 1,500 head of cattle per day and represents between 75 and 80 per cent of Ontario's beef processing... Read More
Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced changes to his cabinet late Thursday, June 6, the final day of the spring session in the provincial legislature with MPPs headed home until October. While many of the senior cabinet positions were left unchanged, there are some significant changes for agriculture. Lisa Thompson, who has served as Minister of... Read More
Sclerotinia is one of the most challenging diseases for growers to manage in canola, and in soybeans, where it appears in the form of white mould. In both crops, field history and moisture are two key drivers of the disease. Hit play and watch/listen to this episode on sclerotinia and white mould featuring Chris Manchur... Read More