The Ontario government has announced the launch of a bee mortality insurance program to help beekeepers manage the risk of winter losses. The Bee Mortality Production Insurance Plan will begin this fall and will be administered by Agricorp. “To mitigate unforeseen risks experienced by Ontario beekeepers, our government responded to their request to add a… Read More

Farm & Food Care Canada will have its first CEO as of January 2016. Crystal Mackay will transition from her role as executive director of Farm & Food Care Ontario to fill the new national position. “Crystal has provided strong leadership and made significant contributions to both development and continued growth of Farm & Food Care Ontario… Read More

The ceiling on what’s possible with wheat yield has been pushed higher once again. A farmer in northeast England has just claimed a new world wheat yield record of 16.52 tonnes per hectare, or in North American terms, 246 bushels per acre. As was pointed out in this Wheat School episode, yields surpassing 120 bushels per acre… Read More

The developing El Nino weather system that’s been nicknamed “Bruce Lee” for its strength and “Godzilla” for the destruction it could cause has become the biggest weather story in North America. The U.S. National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration has said it could be the strongest El Nino since NOAA started tracking the Pacific weather phenomenon in the 1950s… Read More

DuPont Pioneer has rolled out a contest that will see an Eastern Canadian farmer win free Pioneer brand seed for up to 25 years. The “Seed for Life” contest was announced at the Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock on September 16, coinciding with the grand opening of the company’s new permanent building (seed shed) at the show site…. Read More

Ontario corn and soybean growers and agronomists are upset about comments made by the provincial agriculture minister in Question Period this week regarding the government’s new rules limiting the use of neonicotinoid seed treatments. Two seed company agronomists say Agriculture Minister Jeff Leal misconstrued their words after Leal was asked by Tory agriculture critic Toby Barrett to explain… Read More

It’s an interesting market for beef producers. While fed cattle are still struggling to find their market low, feeder animals are well above last year’s prices. And cow/calf producers may be feeling relieved, but will good margins be enough to persuade herd expansion? We hand Shaun Haney a bar of soap for this mid-September edition of the Beef… Read More