Growing momentum
THE 2019 MARCH CLASSIC was attended by a record number of Grain Farmers of Ontario farmer-members and grain industry representatives. More than 900 people filled the London Convention Centre for a full...
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GrainTALK for June/July 2019
FROM THE CHAIR A Q&A with Grain Farmers of Ontario chair, Markus Haerle. Markus Haerle, Chair, Grain Farmers of Ontario In continuation of last issue’s Ask The Chair, we focus on Trade, a federal...
View ArticleAssessing success
IN MARCH, I had the opportunity to travel to Warsaw, Poland to attend the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform Community of Practice meeting. The SAI Platform is a major food and drink...
View ArticleGene editing
GENE-EDITING TECHNOLOGY has the potential to revolutionize crop and animal development globally. For Canadian researchers, however, the federal government’s ambiguous and slow-moving regulatory system...
View ArticleBrazil’s case for sustainability
GLOBALLY, YOU CAN’T talk about soybeans and corn without talking about Brazil. Soybean exports from this vibrant South American country of 210 million people were virtually nothing 40 years ago. But...
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Mental health
Barry Senft, CEO, Grain Farmers of Ontario THERE’S NO QUESTION it was a stressful spring planting season. Pessimism amongst farmers hasn’t been this high in more than a decade. Some farmers didn’t have...
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GrainTALK for August 2019
FROM THE CHAIR A Q&A with Grain Farmers of Ontario chair, Markus Haerle. Markus Haerle, Chair, Grain Farmers of Ontario In continuation of the last two issues’ Ask The Chair, Grain Farmers of...
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Business side: WSIB premiums changing
Janine Dyck, Vice President of Employer Account Services, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) (J.M) WHAT DO FARMERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WSIB PROGRAM CHANGES? (J.D.) Insurance isn’t always top of...
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Survey results
Grain Farmers of Ontario conducted a farmer-member survey from September 2018 to January 2019. The 25-question survey included questions on demographics, member services, and the Ontario Grain Farmer...
View ArticleFlooded fields
AS 2019 TURNED to spring, U.S. farmers were poised to plant 92.8 million acres of corn, 84.6 million acres of soybeans, and 45.8 million acres of wheat, according to the U.S. Department of...
View ArticleDetoxifying DON
IN 2018, ONTARIO farmers battled one of the most severe DON outbreaks in corn. Crops with vomitoxin levels above the accepted threshold can’t be sold into feed markets, which means growers get stuck...
View ArticleSoil sampling
HAVE YOU EVER made a large financial decision without examining your bank balance? Have you ever looked at your soil like a bank account? Your soil acts as an account for your current nutrient levels....
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Controlling weeds before wheat
THERE IS NO universal method of weed control. This is particularly true when managing the growth and spread of problem weeds on fallow land, and in a compressed growing season. According to ministry...
View ArticleMaking fertilizer work in strip-till
AS MORE FARMERS investigate the potential of strip-tillage, and as nutrient runoff issues continue to be a major environmental concern, more effort is being invested in understanding nutrient...
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Under pressure
FINDING MENTAL HEALTH services when you’re feeling overwhelmed can be very difficult, especially if you’re a grain farmer in a rural part of the province. There are, however, strategies for getting...
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Lessons learned
Barry Senft, CEO, Grain Farmers of Ontario IT’S BEEN ALMOST a year since we entered one of the most challenging corn harvests in recent memory. As we prepare for harvest 2019, the issue of another DON...
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Go fast, go green
THE TINIEST TWEAK to an ethanol-burning Indy car, one of auto racing’s best examples of finely tuned technology, can have a huge impact on performance. Racing crews spend untold resources seeking an...
View ArticleA farm debt discussion
CANADIAN HOUSEHOLD DEBT is on the rise. It’s all over the news, as financial consultants speculate about rising interest rates, soaring housing prices, and consumers constantly turning to credit to...
View ArticleAvoiding tank mix errors
MIXING MULTIPLE PRODUCTS for a single-spray application has its benefits. Indeed, doing so can take advantage of multiple modes of action, apply fertilizer simultaneously, reduce the risk of drift,...
View ArticleThe rules of the road
WITH HARVEST SEASON getting into full swing, it’s important for farmers to understand what the rules of the road are, and how to keep themselves, their employees, and their children safe. During the...
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