As planting of corn and soybeans nears the finish line across Ontario, farmers and agronomists are turning their attention to weed control. A stretch of dry weather that fuelled a two-week sprint of planting, with little time for spraying, means many growers are now checking the status of pre-plant applications and trying to determine next... Read More
Category: Eastern Canada
The Canadian pork industry continues to face roadblocks in rebuilding pork demand and prices, highlighted by the closure of the Olymel processing plant in Vallée-Jonction, Quebec and a HyLife plant in Minnesota. Stephen Heckbert, executive director of the Canadian Pork Council (CPC), says the closures don't necessarily need to be in Canada to impact the... Read More
A Tuesday morning poll of Ontario agronomists, extension specialists, and crop retail representatives based in the southwestern region of the province indicates about two-thirds of the provincial soybean crop has been planted as of May 23. "That's pretty awesome," says Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) soybean specialist Horst Bohner, adding that... Read More
A widespread rain sweeping across Ontario this past weekend provided plenty of moisture to activate soil-applied, pre-plant herbicides in crop fields throughout the province. With the timely rain, many growers are now asking: after activation do these herbicides have the capability to 'reach back' and control already-emerged weeds and grasses such as foxtail? University of... Read More
This weekend marks the 20 year anniversary of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or more commonly known as BSE, being found in an Alberta cow, leading to the historic crash in the Canadian cattle industry. Dennis Laycraft, executive vice president of the Canadian Cattle Association, was on the front lines, and recalls the process that began with... Read More
Massey Ferguson has brought its rugged, hardworking RB Series of silage balers to North America. The machinery manufacturer rolled out the RB 4160V Classic at the National Farm Machinery Show earlier this year in Louisville, Kentucky. In this video report, Massey Ferguson marketing product specialist Lukas Dickerson notes that the RB Series has been working... Read More
Nathan Phinney, now president of the Canadian Cattle Association, was just finished university and ready to ship some fat cattle for a decent pay day when the BSE news hit. The beef producer from New Brunswick says the impact of the BSE finding in 2003 was a "crippling blow" to not just cattle prices, but... Read More
Imagine for a moment receiving 1,000 requests for media interviews in one single day. If you've ever worked as a communications contact or spokesperson for an event or group, that number should bowl you over. It's a tidal wave of attention, and, in 2003, all those asks were of the beef industry. At the time,... Read More
The immediate impact of finding a BSE-positive cow in Alberta in 2003 was swift and brutal. Overnight, Canada's export market evaporated and prices for cattle, especially older animals, tanked. As we look back on the decades that have followed, the longer-lasting impacts have been monumental, but not necessarily as clear. To dive in to what... Read More
Chilly to downright cold nights have some Ontario farmers worried about alfalfa, wheat, and beans. Of course, if you look west, the heat is on and so are the wildfires, obscuring the sun for much of Alberta. For this week's around-the-horn on agronomy updates, host of Wheat Pete's Word Peter Johnson tackles the frost question,... Read More