A new $2-million soil health research project aims to figure out the impact of different cropping systems on the environment. Research will also be conducted on crop productivity relating to soil health. The result should be new knowledge on productivity of traditional cropping systems versus those with cover crops. The project, at the new Soil […] Read more
Soil health sensor project largest in North America
Cellulosic sugar co-op looking for farmer investors
The Ontario-based Cellulosic Sugar Producers Co-operative is now ready to sign up farmers to supply 55,000 acres of wheat straw and corn stover to a new plant the co-op will partly own in Sarnia, Ont. The co-op will be supplying the biomass to a proposed $70 million Comet Biorefining plant to be built in Sarnia. […] Read more
PED outbreaks slow, but still top of mind in Ontario
Swine Health Ontario dedicated its recent annual Big Bug Day to continuing toward the goal of eradicating porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) from Ontario. Martin Misener, a vet and chair of the Ontario Swine Health Advisory Board, challenged the hog industry to not get complacent about stopping PED. Misener noted he had heard from people who […] Read more
Cull sows no longer stopped at U.S. border
Canada’s swine industry appears to have dodged what could have been an economic catastrophe with quick action on senecavirus A. In August this year, 13 Ontario animals were identified with lesions on their snouts or hooves at a processing plant in the U.S., triggering a memo from the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service to […] Read more
Corn trait’s action on western bean cutworm seen ineffective
Ontario entomologists have similar concerns to U.S. counterparts who have taken an unusual step by sending an open letter to seed companies about failures in control of western bean cutworm (WBC) by the Cry1F trait. Seven leading U.S. agriculture entomologists posted the letter this week, after a high-WBC-pressure year in the U.S. Midwest caused them […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
