Whether it's through the Trans-Pacific Partnership or not, Canada's meat processors say they need a trade deal with Japan to maintain exports. While Australia and New Zealand remain hopeful the TPP can move forward, the 12-country deal's future looks bleak after President Trump followed through on his campaign promise to withdraw the U.S. from the... Read More
Category: Eastern Canada
Let's face it — farming can be an incredibly stressful and emotional way to live life. We might pride ourselves on being tough and resilient, but we are human. We have the same vulnerabilities as everyone else. With the spotlight on mental health this week, thanks to #BellLetsTalk, we dug into the archives for a... Read More
Will bare fields and warm weather cause wheat to break dormancy? And if so, could we be looking at a wheat price rally for 2017? That's where we start with Wheat Pete's Word, and from there Peter Johnson takes us on a wild agronomy ride that covers strip-tilling dry beans into hay ground, what to... Read More
Does it make sense to grow more bushels per acre of wheat? Only if it’s more profitable, says agronomist David Shortall. In this episode of Wheat School, Real Agriculture agronomist Peter Johnson talks with Shortall, a native of Ireland, who now works for Cargill in Ontario. They discuss the results of a recent case study... Read More
If farmers are going to pay a tax on carbon emissions, they should also receive credit for the carbon their farms remove from the atmosphere. Many in the farm community are trying to make that case, as the federal and provincial governments roll out pricing systems that appear to lean on the cost side of... Read More
Geographically speaking, Ontario and Western Canada aren't actually that far apart. But agriculture within the two regions is incredibly different, though some may argue it's getting more similar all the time. Picture Butte, Alberta-based Shaun Haney recently sat down with Guelph-dweller Norm Sutherland, a district sales manager for Syngenta, to celebrate the uniqueness of farming... Read More
Grain markets through the middle of January continue to be driven by South American weather challenges, namely flooding in parts of Argentina just as the soybean crop down there is starting to emerge. However, geopolitical factors like the U.K. Brexit and Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 45th U.S. President also weighed on markets. While soybeans... Read More
Despite the protectionist rhetoric coming from President Trump, the trade critic for the federal Conservatives sounds hopeful — even optimistic — about Canada's trading relationship with the United States. "It's fine to say you want to put America first. It's fine to say you want to create jobs at home, but at the end of... Read More
There's a concerning trend in Ontario's soils: organic matter is being depleted. The decrease may seem small — about 0.8% over 12 years — but organic matter is vital to soil's water holding capacity, nutrient-cycling ability, and compaction resiliency, to name just a few roles. What's more, replacing lost soil organic matter is a slow,... Read More