THAMESVILLE, Ont. — Field crop management is expected to be much easier in southwestern Ontario with the launch of the AGGrower Daily Dashboard program, according to the agronomist leading the project. It uses an advanced system to collect and analyze weather data so that enrolled farmers can respond quickly and efficiently to what Mother Nature […] Read more
Stories by Jeffrey Carter
Ont. farmers see profits swallowed by taxes
RODNEY, Ont. — Farmers will soon shoulder far more of the municipal tax load in Ontario, which doesn’t sit well with the agricultural community. “What we’re asking the province is give the municipalities more options of what we can do for our local economies,” said Ron Holman, president of the Rural Ontario Municipalities Association. Holman […] Read more
Bigger farms, fewer people, mean fewer taxpayers
OIL SPRINGS, Ont. — It’s hard not to be impressed by the scene. Two large tractors work a large field with cultivators and packers just east of this village of 702 in Lambton County, small clouds of dust following. “It’s one heck of a lot different than it was,” elderly Walt Robinson says from his […] Read more
Raccoon strain returns after decade’s absence as rabies outbreak confirmed in Ont.
DRESDEN, Ont. — After a decade’s absence, the raccoon strain of rabies is back in Ontario. The province’s natural resources and forestry ministry has confirmed 91 cases, all within 12 kilometers of each other, in an area near Hamilton. “We will likely never know for sure the origin of these new cases, but it is […] Read more
Farm raid outrages farmed fur industry
The industry offers a $100,000 reward following the release of as many as 500 mink from a farm in Ontario
DRESDEN, Ont. — Canada’s farmed fur industry has offered $100,000 for capture and prosecution of the people who released as many as 500 mink near Brantford, Ont. Kirk Rankin is concerned about the release and similar actions in the past. “I’m a fur farmer myself. I was already visited a year ago last July,” Rankin […] Read moreIntegrated pest management system gets thumbs up
Proposed strategy would provide growers with risk insurance for reducing environmental impact from seed treatments
TORONTO — A co-operative approach to managing soil-borne insect risks should enable corn growers to eliminate neonicotinoid seed treatments with virtually no financial risk. Dr. Lozenzo Furlan, the manager of a government agricultural research department in Italy, recommends a combination of risk insurance and integrated pest management (IPM) protocols to make it work. “The described […] Read moreAlternatives to pest control urged
TORONTO — Systemic insecticides threaten far more than honey-bees, according a symposium here at York University on April 19. Speakers at the event linked neonicotinoids and other systemic chemicals to risks for earthworms and other soil invertebrates, butterflies, wild pollinators and people. David Kreutzweiser, with Natural Resources Canada, said he evaluated peer-reviewed scientific papers in […] Read more
Technology targets dairy sanitation
STRATFORD, Ont. — Dairy farmers visiting the ADF booth at the annual Canadian Dairy XPO April 7 quickly recognized advantages of a new technology from the United Kingdom. “It’s really interesting. It’s new technology. I’ve never seen it before,” said Ben Vos, who milks cows in Prince Edward Island. “It makes a lot of sense. […] Read more
Stray current solution could cost billions
DRESDEN, Ont. — Rural Ontario is paying the costs for a deteriorating electricity distribution system, says a Conservative MPP. It’s why Rick Nicholls, who represents the Chatham-Kent-Essex riding, is calling on farm leaders to back his private member’s bill that would set deadlines for electricity distributors to investigate and resolve issues related to stray current, […] Read more
Countering climate change
GUELPH, Ont. — Farmers need to play a central role if the world is to address climate change, says a senior lecturer in geography from University College Cork in Ireland. Colin Sage, who has also written Environment and Food, which connects food production to environmental issues, recommended placing greater emphasis on soil biology to deliver […] Read more
