Ontario farmers continue to spend big money on farmland, especially in the southwest part of the province. According to the annual Southwestern Ontario Land Values report from Valco Consultants, the median price paid for an acre of farmland in this region of the province came in at $12,710 in 2017, an average increase of 9.7... Read More
Category: Eastern Canada
Wheat tillers are nothing but a well-camouflaged weed, right? Not exactly. While excessive tillering can cause grief for fungicide timing and harvest management, one tiller can actually pull its own weight and contribute to yield. How do you best manage for one or two tillers? Say it with us now: nitrogen! If you wanted to... Read More
Rural Ontario has long been seething at provincial Liberals for a list of problems it lays at their feet. Now, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) has added a new villain to the list of those it says should show more love for rural Ontario: that is, urbanites. Prior to the provincial budget being announced,... Read More
Whether the government brings forward small business tax change legislation, the U.S. closes the border to Canadian cattle, or a bill (i.e. C-49) ends up locked in the Senate and going nowhere fast, our industry associations and member-based organizations lobby for change on behalf of farmers. According to Wikipedia, lobbying is defined as: the act... Read More
While the deficit amount as a percentage of GDP is small, the real number is large. Kathleen Wynne's Liberal government unveiled its 2018 budget which includes a $6.7 billion deficit, with planned deficits for the next six years. Rolling out $20.3 billion in new spending over three years, this pre-election budget is focused on health... Read More
Are we doing enough to reduce the herbicide-resistance weed seedbank on Ontario farms? That's a question AGRIS Co-operative agronomist Dale Cowan wants farmers in the province to consider when they're planning their weed control programs for this year. Cowan recently attended the Commodity Classic in Anaheim, California, where he talked with farmers from Mississippi who... Read More
Want to maximize combine productivity and put every corn kernel possible in the grain tank? That's what New Holland is promising farmers who invest in the company's new 9200 CornMaster Series of corn heads. The narrow-row heads are specifically developed for farmers planting in 20- and 22-inch row spacings and range from 12-row to 18-row... Read More
Planting is just around the corner, and if you're in full-on crop planning mode you're likely curious about what's new, what's old, what's repackaged, what's the best bet for herbicides in 2018. Lucky for you, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs weed management specialist Mike Cowbrough faces an avalanche of these questions every... Read More
Want to apply 75 fewer pounds per acre on corn ground next year, and possibly achieve a higher yield? Peter Johnson, agronomist for RealAgriculture, has the answer: apply red clover to the wheat crop now. Wait, you say, you tricked me! This isn't a secret at all. And you're right: frost seeding red clover in... Read More
When you let your name stand as chair of an organization, you never know what challenges you'll face. For Mark Brock, who stepped in as chair of Grain Farmers of Ontario in 2015, there was little time to adjust to the new leadership role. As he was nominated, the organization was facing one of its... Read More