Close-to-seasonal temperatures and good planting conditions across parts of southwestern Ontario have growers in the Leamington region planting potatoes. According to Eugenia Banks, a special consultant for the Ontario Potato Board, potato planting began Wednesday morning, ahead of a weather system that’s forecast to dump up to 40 mm of rain by Friday. According to […] Read more
Southwestern Ontario potato planting underway
Pearce: Initiative aims to bridge rural-urban gap
In agriculture today, some see only the negative and the naysayers when it comes to “ag awareness.” Dave Baute and Stephen Denys see opportunity, and they’re building a partnership they hope can break down barriers and create new information channels between those in the country and those in cities and towns. “Be Rooted. Be Involved” […] Read more
Quebec farmer wins ‘Seed for Life’
Farming continues to grow more complex, as costs vary for land, fuel, fertilizer, equipment, chemicals and seed, many of which can challenge a grower every year. But what if seed costs were greatly reduced — not just for one year, but for 25? The question of “What if?” no longer applies to Marc-Andre Pilon, who […] Read more
Pearce: Precipitation maps have Ontario farmers seeing red
It’s official: Spring 2016 will go down as an excessively dry season for Ontario growers — and most hope the summer will be considerably wetter. Last week, we cited reports of stressed-but-surviving corn and soybean crops in midwestern Ontario, which had received spotty showers early in the week. The crops were showing signs of drought-stress […] Read more
Pearce: Ontario corn, soy look good despite dryness
One part of Ontario is wilting under the absence of moisture, another part is… managing. As farmers in eastern Ontario look to the skies and the long-term forecasts for rainfall and relief, their colleagues in some parts of southern Ontario are doing a little better — concerned, but making do. Regions north of Toronto and […] Read more
Pearce: Eastern Ontario weather challenges corn, soybeans
Times are tough for corn and soybean growers across parts of Ontario, with reports of wrapped leaves and low moisture levels. Hardest hit are the areas north of Toronto, through parts of Niagara and across eastern Ontario, where moisture levels in some locations are less than half of normal levels for May through to late […] Read more
Pearce: Stripe rust in winter wheat is Ontario’s biggest threat
Normally, stripe rust in winter wheat isn’t a huge problem for growers in Eastern Canada, and particularly in Ontario — at least, not at this stage of the growing season — but the 2016 growing season isn’t shaping up to be “normal” either. For now, the immediate challenge before growers is to get out and […] Read more
Pearce: Ontario crop conditions a tale of two scenarios
When it comes to getting a handle on current crop conditions in Ontario, it really depends on who you ask. Conditions and progress in the southern portion of the province vary — some considerably — compared to those in eastern Ontario, particularly where it comes to planting corn and soybeans. If there’s one common theme […] Read more
Pearce: Winter wheat’s challenges go beyond just the seeding
For the past five growing seasons, winter wheat has taken it on the chin in terms of its status as one of the Big Three crops in Eastern Canada. Compared to soybeans, which have seen a steady climb to the three million-acre mark in those five seasons, wheat has suffered from poor seeding conditions with […] Read more
Pearce: Ontario’s EFP program takes next step
Next year it will have been 25 years since Ontario introduced the Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) for farms, and leading up to that anniversary, it’s worth noting more than 38,000 farm families have participated. In spite of some growing pains in the late 1990s, the EFP has grown to provide the Ontario agri-food industry with […] Read more
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