Ontario Agriculture Minister Jeff Leal (Photo courtesy OMAFRA)

Greig: A year of farm policy decisions ahead for Ontario

Reading Time: 4 minutes Ontario’s agriculture minister stands by his decision to halt a process that was expected to open up how processing tomatoes are priced in the province. Jeff Leal’s decision, announced in August, resulted in a Dec. 21 threat from Ontario’s largest tomato processors to significantly cut back their tomato purchases from Ontario farmers in 2017. Processing […] Read more

The beef industry has been shown to be reducing its carbon footprint, but Tim McAllister says more needs to be done.

Beef industry challenged to do better

Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s no secret the beef industry is under attack from environmentalists and activists — or that they frequently distort the truth. “They have an agenda that they are trying to gain information to support — they’re looking for things that have gone awry in the industry, and there have been problems,” renowned Alberta cattle researcher […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Study finds Canadian beef’s GHG footprint shrunk over 30 years

Reading Time: 3 minutes Efficiencies in cattle production and feeding have allowed Canada’s beef industry to produce the same weight in beef as 30 years ago with smaller breeding herds, less land — and smaller greenhouse gas (GHG) output, a new study finds. The study, led by research scientist Tim McAllister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge, with […] Read more

A new nutrient for crops?

A new nutrient for crops?

We’ve always known carbon is important. Now, a new project is looking how to apply carbon like fertilizer to boost yields

Reading Time: 6 minutes The importance of carbon in agriculture has never been in scientific doubt. Whether it’s a component of photosynthesis — in the form of CO2 — or as part of the bigger picture carbon-nitrogen (C:N) ratio or the even more complicated carbon cycle, there’s no getting around the element’s value for farming. That doesn’t mean we […] Read more