(Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Ontario processing vegetable contract compromise reached

Reading Time: 2 minutes The Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers marketing board believes it has found a compromise to an imposed regulation that would have gutted grower contract protection. Why it matters: Farmers had contract security of two years previously, but new regulations would have taken that down to none — and processors could have dropped growers whenever they wished. […] Read more

Jim Clark, chair of the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission. (John Greig photo)

Ontario’s processing vegetable growers in new regulatory reality

Reading Time: 3 minutes The only way is forward. That’s what Ontario’s processing vegetable growers heard at their annual meeting from the chair of the group that regulates farm marketing in the province. That doesn’t mean some farmers didn’t still question the province’s move to fire the board of the Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers (OPVG) and its staff in […] Read more


Hot fall pulls Ontario corn yields above average

Hot fall pulls Ontario corn yields above average

Reading Time: 3 minutes Ontario’s corn crop yielded better than expected, at 184 bushels per acre average, while soybeans were closer to their 10-year average at 44 bushels per acre, according to Agricorp. Why it matters: The provincial crop insurance agency has some of the most solid crop production numbers in Ontario, as its members have to report their […] Read more

Dana McCauley has been working to launch Accelerator Guelph since she joined the Research Innovation office at the University of Guelph late last year. (John Greig photo)

Guelph to host new agri-food accelerator

Reading Time: 3 minutes The University of Guelph has created a new organization to help launch agri-food ideas and innovations. Accelerator Guelph aims to provide business training, help create networks and provide a process to innovators in agriculture and food at the university. Why does it matter? Getting research and great ideas from university researchers to the market has […] Read more


Dairy Farmers of Ontario CEO Graham Lloyd says dairy marketing activities need to show that they can build the market for milk. (John Greig photo)

Ontario’s dairy farmers ramp up own marketing

Reading Time: 2 minutes Dairy Farmers of Ontario is starting to build its own consumer marketing department, now that it’s retaining marketing funds collected from farmers and no longer sending tens of millions of dollars to Dairy Farmers of Canada. What does it mean? Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s withdrawal from national marketing of milk has meant upheaval at Dairy […] Read more

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada is overseeing the Innovation Superclusters Initiative, which pledges up to $950 million over five years to support business-led innovation super clusters. (Video screengrab from ISED Canada via YouTube)

Super cluster aims to break down industry silos with data

Reading Time: 2 minutes The Smart Agri-Food Super Cluster aims to use efficient and powerful data to create better collaboration within the agriculture sector. It is one of nine super clusters in the running for $950 million in federal funding for super clusters that make a broad economic impact. Another agriculture sector cluster, the Protein Industries Canada Supercluster, is […] Read more


Mike Wilson is working on profitability mapping solutions for farmers with Veritas. (John Greig photo)

Mapping profit can drive precision farming decisions

Reading Time: 2 minutes Precision farming can find the high-yield, low-yield, high-fertility and low-fertility areas of a farm, but the missing link has been how that ties to profitability. Why does it matter? The capacity to apply nutrients variably across a crop field isn’t new, but it’s been difficult for farmers to see the justification of the cost of […] Read more

Pierre Lampron, president of Valacta and Dairy Farmers of Canada. (John Greig photo)

Dairy organizations partner to manage risk

Reading Time: 3 minutes A partnership among Canadian dairy service provider organizations should help position Canadian producers to take advantage of rapidly changing technology and make the sector more efficient, the groups say. Why does it matter? The number of Canadian dairy farmers continues to drop and the need for more efficient services is growing as the price of […] Read more


Dennis Laycraft. (John Greig photo)

TPP seen critical for beef sales growth in Japan

Reading Time: 3 minutes Canadian beef producers could be out millions of dollars in new exports if Canada is shut out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Why is it important? Beef exports, especially from Ontario, have been growing significantly to Japan and elsewhere in Asia. Allowing other competitors such as Mexico and New Zealand better access to that market, […] Read more

Eastern Canada’s dairy producers are expecting another announcement this month from processing co-operative Agropur about new construction. (Canam-Construction.com)

More milk quota increases expected for Eastern Canada

Reading Time: 3 minutes Updated, Jan. 15, 2018 –– Dairy Farmers of Ontario expects it will need six per cent more milk from producers in the next year. DFO chair Ralph Dietrich told the organization’s annual meeting that new processing capacity coming online this year will help drive the continued increase in quota allocated to meet the demand. The […] Read more