Precision farming — encompassing field imagery, soil and elevation maps, variable rate crop inputs, guidance and the creation of field management zones — has been, arguably, the technology that has chugged along, rather than taken off. Depending on who you ask, widespread adoption of a full suite of precision agriculture options has been held up... Read More
Category: Eastern Canada
Grain markets ended the month of April on generally jovial terms as weather concerns (AKA premiums) are playing to the minds of the bullish speculators. For the week, oats was the biggest performer, up 5.3%, followed by Chicago’s soft red wheat market, gaining 2.55%. Corn gained 0.5% on planting concerns while soybeans fell 0.55% on... Read More
Sales of new farm equipment through the first quarter of 2017 are up compared to the same time last year. Whether it's due to the currency market benefiting Canadian producers on the selling side, dealer program timing, or a combination of different factors, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers' latest report doesn't go into the "why,"... Read More
Todd Lewis found himself at the end of the driveway on his family's farm near Gray, Sask., this week watching a motorcade pull up. Among the people climbing out of the vehicles parked along the gravel road was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — a rare visit to a farm by a sitting prime minister. Accompanying... Read More
As 2017 soybean planting gets rolling across Ontario, what management considerations should be top of mind for growers? In our planting edition of Real Agriculture Soybean School, we put that question to Pride Seeds market development agronomist Dan Foster. In this episode, Foster explains why he’s excited to see Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans going... Read More
The Ontario Liberals are spending big, but there’s not a whole lot in the 2017-18 provincial budget for agri-food and rural Ontario. The Liberals are going to balance the budget but they are going to spend more than $140 billion in this fiscal year and push the provincial debt over $300 billion. There’s big money... Read More
Reports the White House was finalizing an executive order to withdraw the U.S. from the North American Free Trade Agreement sent shockwaves through the markets and export-reliant sectors of the economy, including agriculture, on Wednesday. However, after President Trump spoke with leaders from Canada and Mexico on Wednesday night, the White House issued a statement... Read More
Kathleen Wynne's Liberal government released its 2017-18 budget on April 27. The budget is the first balanced Liberal budget in a decade. However, the provincial debt now sits north of $300 billion with interest charges estimated at $12 billion annually. The $141 billion budget includes huge dollars for health care, some education tweaks, and 2,000... Read More
Do I plant a workhorse or a racehorse hybrid? That’s a typical question corn growers contemplate when making seed choices. But with the growth of precision farming and advancing genetic progress, there’s now a new question to contemplate: should I plant a fixed, flex, or semi-flex hybrid? In this edition of Real Agriculture Corn School,... Read More
Rejoice, people who say we need more agriculture education in the classroom. Here’s some good news. In Ontario, plans are underway to have up to 50 agriculture in the classroom teacher ambassadors – twice as many as now exist — trained and available for assignment by the 2018/19 school year. This initiative is being driven... Read More