Ontario Federation of Agriculture Commentary By Jackie Kelly-Pemberton, OFA Director On any given day, farmers are talking about the weather. It dictates what we do across all seasons and dominates our thoughts and conversations as we try to work with or around whatever nature dishes out. And this season has provided plenty of fodder for commenting, comparing and complaining about … Read More

Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario Commentary By Paul Bootsma, CFFO Field Services Manager It’s hard to believe that two neighbouring nations with the world’s longest unprotected border are in a trade war. When the US announced in March that it would impose tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, Canada had no choice but to retaliate. Who wins these standoffs? Somehow, … Read More

Sources: United States Department of Agriculture and American Farm Bureau The Trump administration is taking several actions to assist U.S. farmers in response to what it says is trade damage from unjustified retaliation. Announced on July 24, the United States Department of Agriculture will authorize up to $12 billion in programs, which is in line with the estimated $11 billion … Read More

From a news release The Grain Farmers of Ontario continues to urge the federal government that Canada be more active in helping farmers maintain their businesses in the event of financial loss from trade disputes with the U.S. GFO has asked the federal government to establish contingency plans to reduce the impact of global trade tensions with the Ministers of … Read More

From a news release The federal government is giving a boost to the Agricultural Youth Green Jobs Initiative. During an event in the Wellington area on Saturday, Member of Parliament Lloyd Longfield (Guelph), on behalf of Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay, highlighted an investment of $48,000 to Ontario Farmland Trust to hire student interns under the Green Jobs Initiative. … Read More

Swine herd nutrient requirements and manure nutrient excretions reduced through management practice By Kate Ayers Staff Writer Farms.com Individually formulated diets can reduce swine’s nutritional needs and the nutrient content of manure, a recent Swine Innovation Porc study showed. Scientists are developing the technology to create swine diets that are custom-made for the nutritional needs of each pig in the herd, … Read More

By Kaitlynn Anderson Staff Writer Farms.com Farmers may often drive their tractors on roads that hold varying speed limits, such as in 70 km/h or 90 km/h zones. However, operators of farm equipment must abide by different rules of the road than regular traffic. The Highway Traffic Act requires slow-moving vehicle (SMV) signs on all vehicles that cannot reach speeds above … Read More

P.E.I. potato farmers are incorporating more mustard into crop rotations By Diego Flammini Staff Writer Farms.com Mustard on some Prince Edward Island farms is helping give future potato crops a head start. Farmers are increasingly adding mustard to their crop rotations. Local farmers planted about 15,000 acres of mustard in 2016, and it appears they will seed a similar acreage this … Read More

Ontario Federation of Agriculture Commentary By Peggy Brekveld, OFA Vice President As the new PC government sits at Queen’s Park for the first time, the Premier is expected to provide direction to each new cabinet member about the priorities for their ministry. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) has crafted its own priority recommendations to key cabinet ministers as its … Read More

From a news release The Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) welcomed the announcement of $14 million in funding for the Sustainable Beef and Forage Science Cluster under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership AgriScience Program. Announced by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Minister Lawrence MacAulay while attending the Calgary Stampede, the Science Cluster funding will support the sustainable advancement of Canadian beef … Read More