Ontario's fruits and vegetable farms are labour intensive and highly dependent on seasonal agricultural workers. COVID-19 has interrupted regular flows of worker travel and has resulted in some gaps in labour availability. COVID-19 outbreaks at a few large horticulture businesses has put further pressure on labour availability. The labour shortage could mean some crops go... Read More
Category: Eastern Canada
July has hit Ontario hot and dry; a continuation of the dry bias, but a welcome change from the unseasonably cool start to the season. While corn and soybean fields aren't as negatively impacted by dry weather this early in the season, much of the wheat crop and spring cereals are either filling or about... Read More
Nearly 500 farmers and farm businesses were emailed a letter in late June informing them of a request through the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) for a list of business names and Farm Business Registration Numbers (FBRN). Several farmers have publicly addressed concern over the release of this information and the... Read More
It's no secret that COVID-19 has had an impact on the cost of raw materials and energy prices. Due to the plummeting cost of raw materials, growing production capacity, and mediocre demand, there have been pressures on the global price indicators of nitrogen, phosphate, and potash to fall either to or near ten-year lows. According... Read More
Andy Pasztor, a grain and vegetable farmer in southwestern Ontario got a rather large nod from a big green and yellow machine recently. Pasztor, @apasztor82 on Twitter, has built a reputation for doing a rather thorough job cleaning and caring for equipment, so much so that he's got his own hashtag for it — #AndyClean... Read More
As June winds down to a close, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) rolls out its revised acreage report. The latest report brought some surprises, to say the least, as some numbers were a significant revision from March, 2020. It is safe to say the market was a little shocked, as the USDA came... Read More
An unidentified individual has asked the Ontario government to supply a full list of farmers and farm businesses by name and Farm Business Registration (FBR) number. The formal request, filed under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, asks the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) to provide the following... Read More
Just like farmers take pride in putting in the hard work and long hours to see a job done, now is not the time to take our foot off the gas of the mental health and wellness conversation in agriculture. "I can understand how people can start to be feeling burnt out about hearing about... Read More
Grain farmers in Manitoba and west all the way to B.C. will be required to sign an eligibility declaration at the elevator when delivering grain after the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement comes into force July 1. For most farmers in that region, this requirement doesn't actually change all that much, as declarations have been part of... Read More
The Ontario Harness Horse Association (OHHA) has been accepted as an organizational member of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). The OFA is one of three farm policy organizations in Ontario, and represents 38,000 farm members. OFA has 51 County Federations of Agriculture and includes 31 organizational members and affiliates representing a majority of Ontario's... Read More