Category: Eastern Canada

I'm no psychologist, psychiatrist or sociologist, but I understand from discussions with experts that as social creatures, humans are prone to experiencing "group mentality." Quite simply: we are easily influenced by the thoughts and actions of our associates. We also tend to associate with like-minded individuals, who reinforce our biases. It is my concern that... Read More

Each disease threat is unique. Some pathogens are carried on wind or insects, others live in the soil and some reside on crop residue. The expected pressure of a disease for next year is largely dependent on how a disease is spread — those that winter in the soil or on residue are the most... Read More

Change is constant. The year of 2013 has brought significant changes to the market conditions for feedyard operators and ranchers across Canada. Not only have prices for fats and feeders risen, but the Canadian Dollar and feed prices have dropped lower. When you add all this up it means that margins for producers are in... Read More

Let's face it, change is difficult. And change for the sake of avoiding a problem in the long-term can seem exceedingly cumbersome. If that sentence makes you think about managing for herbicide resistance, you're not alone. But no longer is this a "what if" for Canada — several types of weeds and several types of... Read More

Do you know the soybean cyst nematode levels in fields on your farm? If you're growing or plan on growing soybeans, you should be testing every field to determine the presence of this pest. After all, it's the number one pest of soybean in the world. Horst Bohner, soybean specialist with the Ontario Ministry of... Read More

Does bare, black earth harvest the sun? Nope. Unless there is a plant to intercept the sunlight, that beam of energy doesn't really do a thing for the soil and that needs to change, says Peter Johnson, cereal specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Johnson, and many others at OMAF, are on... Read More

Inspired by the Masters of Beef Advocacy program offered in the United States, Canada's Beef Advocacy Program will be available to the public in the new year, and will be comprised of two levels. The first level will be for anyone with interest in the beef industry, providing information "right from genetics and breeding all... Read More

This week started out very different from most weeks, as word came that the Minister of Agriculture would be making a "very large announcement" in the afternoon. I shuffled my schedule and packed my gear and braved the cold to be in the audience when ag minister Gerry Ritz announced Bill C-18, the Canadian Agricultural... Read More

Precision farming and variable rate application technology matures every year. Whether it's advances in mapping or data integration or the roll out of new iron up to the challenge, farmers have no shortage of new precision farming tools at their disposal. Kinze Manufacturing is adding to that stable of options with its latest corn concept... Read More

In this last episode of Rob Saik's epic Agri-Trek to Kenya, Rob takes us on a tour of a primary school's hodge-podge of a garden. We use the term only to mean the organization of the garden, because the diversity of plants is unlike anything you'd likely see in a North American garden. Corn, beans... Read More