As of November 27 at 4 p.m., Western Ontario had at least 23,416 cases of COVID-19 and there had been at least 672 deaths associated with it. By November 23 at 4 p.m., Western Ontario... Read more
As of November 27 at 4 p.m., Eastern Ontario had at least 14,864 cases of COVID-19 and at least 685 deaths. By November 23 at 4 p.m., Eastern Ontario had at least 14,490 cases of COVID... Read more
Funding for farmers under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership opens up soon and farmers need to get in early as the money is doled out first-come, first-served. The five-year federal provi... Read more
PERTH — There were 16 vehicle collisions with deer in one week in Lanark County but that’s par for the course at this time of year. Oddly, there were also two collisions with bears. A black... Read more
Discussions about gun violence call to mind botched burglaries or gang conflicts, but the vast majority of gun deaths in Ontario are suicides. More than two-thirds of Ontario’s firearm fatal... Read more
LONDON — Farms in the agri-tourism business feared a shockwave this year due to COVID-19 restrictions but many adapted and stayed open, despite taking a revenue hit. Revenues dropped for Ste... Read more
Discussions about gun violence call to mind botched burglaries or gang conflicts, but the vast majority of gun deaths in Ontario are suicides. More than two-thirds of Ontario’s firearm fatal... Read more
Recently, I mentioned a public opinion survey where people were asked their opinion of individual, paired or group housing of pre-weaned dairy calves. In the survey, the majority of people w... Read more
OWEN SOUND — When COVID-19 hit, followed by a societal lockdown, there was a lot of uncertainty for farmers markets and the farms that rely on them. Not designated essential businesses at fi... Read more
ELMIRA — If April is the cruelest month then September might’ve been the kindest, at least to apple orchards. With fine weather and a captive audience deprived of other attractions by COVID-... Read more
I live in a haunted house. It’s been haunted for at least a century now by all accounts . . . I mean by all the neighbours’ accounts. As a writer I rely heavily on the neighbours for inspira... Read more
What does a Food Basics kind of guy do when standing in line at a grocery store checkout counter and the shopper in front has an unbelievable amount of packaged food to be scanned? Many peop... Read more
GUELPH — The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is by far the province’s largest general farm organization with more than 38,000 member families out of 57,211 census-recorded Ontario fa... Read more
Like most rural families, we dislike mosquitoes and black flies. They make summer work miserable. Therefore, we have always appreciated having bats on the farm and try not to disturb them. T... Read more
In 2018, Brazil passed the United States and became the world’s largest producer of soybeans. That makes it extremely important for Ontario soybean growers to pay attention to crop progress... Read more
EMBRUN — Just east of Ottawa and south of Hwy 417 on the road to Embrun, a herd of shaggy-headed, horned cattle hang out on pasture at a four-way intersection shared by two gas stations and... Read more
Fibre optic internet access is slowly expanding in rural southwestern Ontario, but there’s consensus that the need is more urgent as agriculture technology advances and COVID-19 pushes more... Read more
BORNHOLM — 2020 is a year for the history books in countless awful ways, but at least one good one. After a bone-dry summer for many growers, they hauled in some good-quality corn and great... Read more
RUSSELL — The ever-popular toy tractor auction and collector toy tractor sale, a mainstay of the Ottawa Valley Farm Show, has gone its own way this year. Vintage Irons and Traditions of East... Read more
KITCHENER — A Southwestern Ontario ag-tech company just got a major boost from a big industry player. BinSentry, a Kitchener company that offers grain and feed bin monitoring services, just... Read more
MOIRA — Soybean harvest was mostly finished last month with yields better than expected and some bogged down by repeated rains. Farmer Dale Ketcheson at Moira in Hastings County was one of t... Read more
QUEEN’S PARK— The Ontario government is making moves in the right direction but not going far enough when it comes to heritage building designations that lock owners into maintaining them, p... Read more
WOODSTOCK — Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, the biggest outdoor farm show in the country, has changed shape in more ways than one this year.On the first day of the three-day show, Sept. 15, the... Read more
DUNNVILLE — When it comes to turkey, most picture the bird taking pride of place at Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas. But Ontario’s turkey farmers actually make most of their bread supplyin... Read more
WINCHESTER — Five weeks without rain starting at the end of June “don’t make” a good corn crop. But Eastern Ontario’s crop is coming through a stiff drought stronger than it had any right to... Read more
GUELPH — An Ontario Federation of Agriculture survey of almost 700 members found that one-third of respondents experienced positive benefits under COVID restrictions. Benefits included “new... Read more
NEWTONVILLE — Bringing the city to the country has always been the name of the game for farms in the agri-tourism business. With lockdowns and anxiety in urban areas, many flocked to the fre... Read more
CRYSLER — Local boy and longtime employee of Cannamore Orchard at Crysler, a popular agri-tourism spot and apple orchard, is looking to take over the business. Started in 1982 by Dennis and... Read more
While Canada’s agriculture sector is alarmed by the known details in Environment Canada’s proposed Clean Fuel Standard (CFS), Canada’s energy sector and taxpayer groups have already denounce... Read more
Ottawa’s proposed environmental regulation called the Clean Fuel Standard is unnerving a lot of people. It has been called a second tax on carbon dioxide that will drive up household costs a... Read more
Canadians say they prefer locally-grown food. They say they’re willing to pay more for it. But they are not so willing to open their wallets to buy it.An October survey of 10,266 Canadians f... Read more
The new Canadian Clean Fuel Standard could have significant implications with regards to how corn is marketed in Ontario. Considering that corn is the largest volume grain crop produced in t... Read more
BERWICK — The long and difficult saga of Homestead Organics has taken another unfortunate turn. A new business was to open in the former Berwick feed mill, east of Chesterville, until owner... Read more
CARP — If April is the cruelest month then September might’ve been the kindest, at least to apple orchards. With fine weather and a captive audience deprived of other attractions by COVID-19... Read more
Note 1: This is not about the U.S. election. Note 2: For every 100 scary headlines about positive COVID tests there should be at least one appeal for calm. Recent computer models predicted t... Read more
GUELPH — International agri-food trade is increasingly dominated by politics and Canada risks getting squashed by bigger, more powerful players. Aggressive action is necessary, argues the Ag... Read more
KEMPTVILLE — Ag education is coming back to Kemptville Campus. The province announced funding for 20 seats in three new programs for high school students: agricultural technician; truck and... Read more
OTTAWA — The Ontario Federation of Agriculture has thrown its weight behind a bill making it easier to transfer the farm to a child than to a stranger. The private member’s bill, introduced... Read more
OTTAWA — Cumberland beef farmer Justin Birch, a volunteer firefighter and military veteran, returned home Oct. 12 after nine surgeries at Ottawa Civic Hospital following a horrific accident... Read more
CHESTERVILLE — Corn and soybean producers who go just by elevator prices might be paying more drying charges than they should. Last year was a good lesson in the importance of asking about d... Read more
Most farmers have heard the good word about cover crops. Their benefits, from boosting organic matter to reducing runoff have been documented, cited, explained, presented and dissected in pr... Read more
Farmers hoping for an in-person conference season this winter will be disappointed. The SouthWest Agricultural Conference and the February Eastern Ontario Crop Conference have decided to com... Read more
Canadian livestock producers have been riding a rollercoaster this year but Farm Credit Canada has good news. The ride should be almost over as FCC forecast on Oct. 6 that over the next six... Read more
Canadian farmers are getting through the pandemic relatively unscathed as the vast majority are operating at full speed and in a strong position to pay back loans. According to the Canadian... Read more
Ontario had some of the lowest bee colony winterloss numbers in the country, according to the latest data. The annual winterloss report from the Canadian Association of Professional Apicultu... Read more
COBDEN — An outsider’s perspective can make all the difference in the world. In the case of first-generation dairy farmer Donald Russell, it gave him perspective enough to invent a new type... Read more
The Ontario Ag Hall of Fame is still taking nominations for next year, but time is running out. The hall annually welcomes leaders who have made a significant and lasting contribution to Ont... Read more
WINCHESTER — When bigger is seen as better, going against the grain to focus on locally-grown ancient grains might seem at best misguided. But Against the Grains at Winchester has done just... Read more
