MISSISSAUGA — Oxford County is still the dairy capital of Ontario, according to the latest numbers from Dairy Farmers of Ontario. By July of this year, the county’s 306 producers had cranked... Read more

By Connor LynchHEARST — Going north to farm can be a daunting proposition but a promising one, given Northern Ontario’s comparatively inexpensive and plentiful land. But finding a farm or so... Read more

By Connor LynchGUELPH — Most farmers would probably not assume that their personal information is subject to freedom of information requests. They got a rude awakening in July, when an anony... Read more

By Connor LynchTORONTO — Hot and dry has been the story of Ontario’s growing season, and will be the harvest story as well, said Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips. Summe... Read more

Canadian agriculture has come through COVID-19 and the associated lockdowns pretty well, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.Despite “images of dumped milk and shuttered restaura... Read more

KEMPTVILLE — The former Kemptville agricultural college will be home to a 235-bed prison. The prison is to be built on about 182 acres owned by the province and on the site of what was the f... Read more

By Connor LynchBROOKE TOWNSHIP — Former mixed-operation farmer and federal Minister of Agriculture Ralph Ferguson died last month at 91. By turns a cash crop, egg and beef farmer, Ferguson w... Read more

GUELPH — Southwestern Ontario once again claimed the bulk of Agricorp payouts this year, but overall payouts are way down from last year’s record-breakers. Of the $13.7 million that Ontario’... Read more

By Patrick Meagher A grassroots drive to end the carbon tax on farm use propane and natural gas is gathering steam across Western Ontario. An exemption resolution was passed unanimously last... Read more

By Connor LynchCOBDEN — Demand for local food got a major steroid boost from COVID-19. Many consumers, leery of crowded grocery stores and nervous about empty shelves, turned to buying direc... Read more

By Connor LynchQUEEN’S PARK — Protests continued outside the Burlington hog plant last month where a protestor was killed. On August 20, however, a small group supporting truckers and farmer... Read more

By Patrick Meagher and Connor LynchThe new leader of the Conservative Party of Canada is from an East-Central Ontario riding with a significant number of farmers who know little about him bu... Read more

By Connor LynchWINCHESTER — The eternal optimism of a farmer, particularly a self-made one, can carry them through much. But not everything. After too many years of red ink, Winchester’s Dan... Read more

By Connor LynchBEACHBURG —Renfrew County’s Russell Mackay is legally blind. He can see like looking through a windshield veiled by heavy morning fog. That’s only in one eye. The other is com... Read more

By Connor Lynch Like everything else in farming, the breeding of dairy animals has been radically transformed by technology. But transformation can have unintended consequences. Dave McDiarm... Read more

By Connor Lynch MOIRA — Back in 2013 Dale Ketcheson, a crop farmer north of Belleville, planned to end his life. He went out into a soybean field with the plan to walk in front of the tracto... Read more

By Elizabeth Gay Jennifer Larocque’s self-guided tour of Prescott-Russell’s seven farm silos, transformed into painted masterpieces, has continued to grow and attract visitors, despite COVID... Read more

By Connor Lynch DUNVEGAN — Interest in rural homes in the last two months has been unprecedented in real estate agent Sylvain Lalonde’s 32-year career. The Dunvegan-based Sutton Group realto... Read more

By Connor Lynch PETROLIA — Four years after the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ruled that download speeds of 50 MBps and upload speeds of 10 MBps were a prerequi... Read more

By Connor Lynch CAMBRIDGE — Much like Christmas shopping, going to the dentist and going skydiving, farm succession planning is one of things that gets talked about a lot more than it gets d... Read more

By Connor Lynch COLLINGWOOD — COVID-19 restrictions started to lift significantly in Ontario last month. Much of the province moved into Phase 3 of the re-opening schedule on July 17, meanin... Read more

By Elizabeth Gay When another stressor is added to an already heavy load, it could just be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Wellspring Counselling Services Counsellor Lauren Van Ewyk... Read more

The Controversy: When interests collide, OFA defends farming over individual farmers By Connor Lynch GUELPH — The Ontario Federation of Agriculture is the largest farm organization in Ontari... Read more

By Connor Lynch WINCHESTER — Most of us can only hope we’ll still be upright at 95 years old. But Allison Fawcett, who turned 95 last month, was not only plenty upright but, up until his acc... Read more

By Connor Lynch PEMBROKE — Practically every farm in Canada has at least some source of off-farm income, whether it’s a pension payment or a spouse working full-time in town. But how much so... Read more

By Elizabeth Gay MILTON — Dagoberto Cruz would have died of undiagnosed pancreatic cancer in Mexico had he not come to Canada in 2009. The then 35-year-old migrant worker got suddenly ill wh... Read more

OTTAWA — Almost three-quarters of 100,000 AgriInvest accounts have less than $10,000 in them, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada data. Almost 11,000 accounts have nothing in them.... Read more

VANKLEEK HILL — A man is dead after an accident at a livestock exchange east of Ottawa last month. According to Hawkesbury OPP, an accident occurred at Vankleek Hill Livestock Exchange on Ju... Read more

By Elizabeth Gay NOTRE-DAME-DE-STANBRIDGE, Que – A 38-year old Quebec man was charged with negligence causing death and bodily harm on July 2 after a tractor accident, south of Montreal, on... Read more

By Connor Lynch FINCH — An already rough season for beef farmers was shaping up to get worse. Hay yields in Eastern Ontario have been average at best and often significantly worse. Prices in... Read more

By Connor Lynch BLOOMFIELD — “He was a man of faith, family and fun.” So said dairy farmer Phil Prinzen in remembrance of his father William Prinzen, a Dutch immigrant who helped lay the fou... Read more

By Connor Lynch BURLINGTON — The truck driver involved in a fatal collision with an animal rights protestor outside a slaughterhouse in Burlington has been charged, sparking a conflict betwe... Read more

By Connor Lynch STONE MILLS — A proposed hog farm at Stone Mills Township, northwest of Kingston, was approved by local council and five local and provincial public agencies but the project... Read more

Ontario’s rabies numbers continue to trend downward. For the first six months of 2020 there were 450 samples submitted for testing, resulting in 10 positive cases. There were nine cases in b... Read more

By Connor Lynch METCALFE — One of the greatest rewards of volunteering with 4-H is what the kids learn and keep with them through their lives. Like the 10-year old in a life-skill club who l... Read more

By Steve KellSPECIAL TO FARMERS FORUM Back in high school biology class, we all learned about photosynthesis. Plants are built out of simple sugars which are made from water absorbed by the... Read more

By Elizabeth Gay At-risk areas for ticks have increased west of Toronto and now reach into Middlesex County. The Ontario 2020 Health Unit report observed that at-risk areas for encountering... Read more

By Connor Lynch WINCHESTER — The vast majority of Ontario farmers talk about succession planning but few do anything more about it. Cash crop farmer Lloyd Crowe, 62, is one of the proactive... Read more

By Connor Lynch SHELBURNE — Sharpe Farm Supplies normally has laying hens available to buy until September. Not this year. By mid-June, ready-to-lay hens were completely sold out at the Shel... Read more

By Connor Lynch BRAESIDE — You’d be forgiven for thinking that farms that rely on drive-in business at roadside stands or farmers’ markets are struggling. COVID-19 and physical proximity get... Read more

By Connor Lynch IROQUOIS — “Good land always sells for a good price, because it will always produce.” Of course, sometimes you still have to wait for it to sell. The first six months of 2020... Read more

By Patrick Meagher METCALFE — Ottawa agricultural lawyer Kurtis Andrews grew up working the family fruit and vegetable farm in Halton Hills in Western Ontario. “It was all I did until I was... Read more

By Connor Lynch Every farmer knows how much can grow from a small seed. So too is it with the Farm 911 Project. Also known as the Emily Project, it was born out of tragedy. In 2014, seven-ye... Read more

By Patrick Meagher and Connor Lynch ANALYSIS Ontario farmers who hire foreign workers are frustrated and angry with recent attacks against them. Troubles began for farmers after three foreig... Read more

By Connor Lynch Before farmers can get help from the federal government, the government wants them to use the estimated $2.3 billion sitting in AgriInvest accounts. Averaged out across farms... Read more

By Connor Lynch QUEEN’S PARK — Ontario’s farm trespass bill, which boosts penalties for trespassing on farms and makes it easier to prosecute those who do, became law last month. Bill 156, o... Read more

By Connor Lynch ST. ISIDORE — How much has the carbon tax cost farmers, particularly corn farmers who had whopping drying costs last fall? Well, it depends who you ask. Federal Agriculture M... Read more

By Connor Lynch ST. EUGENE — Skotidakis Goat Farm and milk processor in Eastern Ontario has been battling it out with Dairy Farmers of Ontario at the Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appe... Read more

By Connor Lynch BELLEVILLE — Most farmers are used to spending long hours in the cab but it can backfire when machinery overheats. One farmer was lucky to escape with his life. Belleville-ar... Read more

By Connor Lynch PAKENHAM — Farmers wear more than one hat. Increasingly farmers have been taking on an unusual one: Slaughterhouse operator. It is no secret that Ontario has been bleeding pr... Read more