For many farmers, seeing corn production top 200 or 250 bushels an acre simply leaves them wondering, "Why can't wheat get over 100, 150 bushels an acre?" Winter wheat can, and certainly spring wheat does now and again, but not consistently enough to pull the averages up even into the high 90s for many farms.... Read More
Category: Eastern Canada
After watching the throne speech yesterday I quickly remembered back to a conversation that I had with Gerry Ritz back in January at Farmtech regarding Canada implementing UPOV 91. (Canada's plant breeder's rights system is currently based on the 1978 convention). On several occasions Minister Ritz was very confident Canada would conform to the UPOV... Read More
Who can complain about $1,000 calves, lower feed prices and actual positive feeding margins? Well maybe cash croppers..... It is starting to look like it is the beef producers turn to make some money in this economic tug-of-war. But wait, there are some issues standing in the way of profits and smooth sailing. As Anne... Read More
Research is often seen as an investment in new technology development, in whirring instruments or the roar of equipment. That might make it easy to forget that new technology results from new knowledge. And knowledge is key to preserving and advancing modern family farms. That reminder comes courtesy of Mildmay, ON dairy farmer Ralph Dietrich.... Read More
Feedback from last year's Advanced Farm Management Program was overwhelmingly positive. So much so in fact, that the program has expanded to three different locations in Ontario. This year, Guelph, North Gower and Chatham, Ontario will host the program, giving participants in each location a chance to bring their farm management skills to the next... Read More
If you have cows, you're no stranger to traditional weaning tactics and you've also likely heard of both fence-line and nose-flap weaning. Calves weaned in both manners have been shown to walk less, eat more and call less than their traditionally-weaned counterparts. Reducing stress doesn't end with one magical weaning strategy, however. It's best to... Read More
The National Post is reporting that the comprehensive economic and trade agreement (CETA) negotiations with the European Union have moved forward following Canada's commitment to double cheese imports to 30,000 tonnes per year in exchange for added access to Europe's beef and pork markets. The deal is not done of course, but, if the quoted... Read More
The Beef Farmers of Ontario, formerly the Ontario Cattlemen's Association, has launched its new name, look and website, a change decided on this past February at the annual general meeting. "Given the changing dynamics and expectations of our industry, we see the change in name as an opportunity to not only build on, but to... Read More
Earlier this month, the Washington State Academy of Science published a white paper on Initiative 522 (I-522), a Washington State initiative aimed to institute mandatory labeling of food containing Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). On November 5th, the initiative will be taken to the public, and the state will vote on the proposal. The debate continues... Read More
Every action on or in the soil profile has an impact on moisture moving up or down. Some passes and implement choices can have a positive impact on water infiltration, but not all do. Understanding how tillage implements impact water movement is one topic that Salford Machinery is exploring at their research site in the... Read More