Ontario Agriculture Matters

I really must get a new profile picture

2011-12-13T06:01:00.000-08:00

I consider myself computer literate. After all I have grown up with computers. I filled out many a computer punch card growing up and can write a mean flow chart and program in FORTRAN and BASIC. I started using computers at work in 1985. I still miss the control i had over my computer back in the PC-DOS before Windows took over everything. I have Built and updated dozens of computers and seen the emergence of global positioning systems and auto steering in Agriculture. I was updating a computer recently and the only thing I was able to keep was the case and the DVD-ROM. The hard drive would have worked but my son convinced me to spend some bucks and at least double the capacity. He also convinced me to try the UBUNTU graphical user interface for LINUX rather than sending more money to Microsoft. (so far so good, my wife has been using it with out issue for over a year). Thank Goodness I bought a USB connected drive for all my old software on 3.5 inch floppy drives. I am finally throwing out out the boxes of 5.25 in floppies (that actually are floppy). I can't help worrying that some computer whiz will be able to look at my exciting correspondence from 1998 which was the last year I could read them. I worry that as a society we aren't archiving enough of this technology and old storage mediums as we did reel to reel and 35 mm film. But my kids are threatening to send my name in to appear on the reality show "the Hoarders" so I had to finally give those up. But my kids still consider me a Luddite. "No one emails anymore dad except old people"(would that be people over 18?)."Is that a real friend dad or a Facebook friend" . I have been known to text my teenage daughter to tell her supper is ready which she prefers to my yelling up the stairs. I was shocked to have my own kids not take my phone calls. They tell me it is too expensive. They ask that I send them a text instead. But do you think I can change my profile picture? I haven't sold DeKalb corn for a year and yet my blog photo still has me wearing a their hat. At least Croplan Corn and Monsanto have a good working relationship. Oh well the kids will be home from school for the holidays soon. Maybe I can get them to fix it. I guess I better send them a text or post it on their Facebook walls. Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous new year everyone.

John Cleeses take on terror threat levels

2011-07-30T13:23:00.000-07:00

ALERTS TO THREATS IN 2011 EUROPE: BY JOHN CLEESE

The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide." The only two higher levels in France are "Collaborate" and "Surrender." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country's military capability.

The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent events in Libya and have therefore raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved." Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross." The English have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from "Tiresome" to "A Bloody Nuisance." The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish Armada.

The Scots have raised their threat level from "Pissed Off" to "Let's get the Bastards." They don't have any other levels. This is the reason they have been used on the front line of the British army for the last 300 years.

Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing.." Two more levels remain: "Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides."

The Germans have increased their alert state from "Disdainful Arrogance" to "Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs." They also have two higher levels: "Invade a Neighbor" and "Lose."

Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual; the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels.

The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.

Australia, meanwhile, has raised its security level from "No worries" to "She'll be alright, Mate." Two more escalation levels remain: "Crikey! I think we'll need to cancel the barbie this weekend!" and "The barbie is canceled." So far no situation has ever warranted use of the final escalation level.

-- John Cleese - British writer, actor and tall person

Ontario Agriculture Matters: Answer Plots, Ontario's outdoor agriculture laboratories#links

2011-07-09T10:16:00.000-07:00

Ontario Agriculture Matters: Answer Plots, Ontario's outdoor agriculture laboratories#links

Answer Plots, Ontario's outdoor agriculture laboratories

2011-07-03T15:02:00.000-07:00

Got Questions? Get answers at Ontario Outdoor field laboratories

To say that it has been a challenging spring would be an understatement. How will crops respond to this adverse weather? Some companies are discounting the validity of any test plots that are planted late but most of us want to see how the crops will respond under actual conditions each year. WinFeild Solutions have this type research set up in outdoor field laboratories in over 170 sites around North America called Answer Plots.
Each year brings its own unique challenges. We learn something new each year. We can grow better crops and improve the bottom line by taking every opportunity to learn. The agriculture industry provides many opportunities to see what the cutting edge technologies are at field days during the growing season.
The Ontario Forage Expo is run by the Ontario forage council which this year is being held at the Elora research farm On June 13th 2011. The Forage focus has teamed up with the local soil and crop improvement association to ensure a high level of practicality in the presentation topics. The annual crop diagnostic days are held at Ridgetown College the first week in July at the campus in Ridgetown. Another event is the farm smart field days at the University of Guelph research station in Elora. The farm smart expo scheduled for July 14th is very similar to the Ridgetown crop diagnostic days but is featuring earlier day crops. They feature the popular herbicide injury demonstrations as well as other crop production issues.
When I worked for Huron Bay Co-op I was impressed by the plot day organized by Ken Schiestel. Ken and His Brother Don ensure the land beside the crop center near Walkerton gets rotated and planted each year. Later in August Huron Bay Co-op will host their annual plot days at this site. This event is quite an extensive yield plot for both corn and soys and the suppliers use this venue to talk about programs for the upcoming year. It is always held the third week of August on a Thursday.
Many chemical companies and equipment dealers have field days for dealers and producers.
All my experience made me appreciate the agronomic and research focus that Winfield Solutions puts into their Answer plots. Each site is a major expenditure for the company costing thousands of dollars. Winfield started out doing these sites for agronomic training for their own agronomists as part of their Crop Expert Seller program. The company’s product position technique recquires having highly trained and knowledgeable partners representing their Croplan Genetics seed and Agrisolutions spray products to farmers. The Answer plots have grown into larger events open to all growers.
This Year there are even sites in Mexico for the first time. There are 4 in Canada 2 in Ontario and 2 in Quebec. The Ontario sites are at Canada’s Outdoor Farm show and next to Setterington’s fertilizer near Leamington. People who have attended these events have given high praise for the quality and usefulness of the information presented. At these answer plots growers will have a chance to get right to the root of all cropping technologies. Some of the things being looked at are corn's response to nitrogen. Not all varieties are going to respond to increased Nitrogen so it is important to know which ones will profit from higher applications. There has been a lot of interest in increased populations especially after BASF had Dr. Fred Below at their field day in Bryanston last year. The same can be said for response to population increases. Some corn varieties will maintain a larger root system to support a larger cob while others suffer from the crowding. These are just 2 of the 30,000 data points that is generated at each answer plot.
This year there are some great videos explaining the event on YouTube. You can easily view these by going to the www.answerplot.com web site. The website is update with weather and agronomy concerns and observations weekly. It is a great way to check out what is happening in the field across North America at the various sites. The next Answer plot events will be July 6th in Woodstock just west of the outdoor farm show from 4-6 p.m followed by dinner and the next morning in Leamington right beside the Setterington's fertilizer plant near Blytheswood. the next events are august 3oth at Leamington and august 31st at Woodstock. The events run from 9 a.m. till lunchtime. If you can’t make these events you can always arrange for a personal tour with me or the staff from your Local Agromart.
Whether you come to the answer plots or not I hope you will scan the events page of theRrural Voice and make time to take in some of the field days I have talked about. Your farm is sure to benefit.

Is the Beef industry in Ontario only 15 years from extinction?

2010-11-07T10:46:00.000-08:00

Is the Beef industry in Ontario only 15 years from extinction?

November 2010 Rural voice magazine article
by John Beardsley

I continue to hear rumblings about the continuing lack of profitability in Ontario beef industry especially the feedlot sector. There is also a lack of fairness in how the industry is treated across the country. I thought the federal government would have been more farmer friendly, considering 70 percent of farmers voted for Harper (or against Martin????) last time out. I guess Harper figures he can take them for granted because they are his guys and gals. This is a dangerous political mistake as Ontario farmers are traditionally evenly split and I would think it could swing a lot of rural Ontario ridings like Larry Miller, Ben Lobb, Garry Schellenburger just to name a few in my neighbourhood.

Harper said he would scrap the CAIS (Canadian agricultural income stabilization) program when he was plugging for votes in southwestern Ontario last time out, but he just changed the name and added Agri-invest. Why he hasn't signed on to the risk management program I cannot fathom. When the over 55 year olds bail out of the industry there isn't a generation of new beef farmers waiting to take over. It is unfortunate because beef farming is actually very environmentally friendly, keeping fragile lands in grass and out of row crops. The beef and dairy industries continue to be the largest user of ddg's, the byproduct of ethanol plants which make ethanol profitable and greener. The carbon hoofprint of importing Alberta and U.S. (and the whole world's) beef is huge.

The standards used to raise beef in other parts of the world are not as high as they are in Ontario. Recent news stories have shown how little the Canadian food inspection agency of the federal government actually inspect imported food. Shouldn't all levels of government do much more in promoting Ontario beef as a safe secure protein source?

Hyland Seeds has been flying a large yellow balloon with the “Farmers Feed Cities” slogan emblazoned on it. Hyland has been actively lobbying both governments on the issue of properly supporting agriculture. It would be nice if Pioneer, Dekalb, Mycogen, Syngenta and Maisex would add their voices to this promotion. The seed corn companies should know how much corn seed the Ontario beef industry uses. At least this year's high corn yields will give the industry a bit of a boost in both farm feed costs and the cost of corn bought in.

The modern young farmers are much more business savvy than the generation they are replacing and, just like the traditional dairy industry, are rethinking the use of their equity. Why keep hitting your head against the wall of indifference and neglect thrown up by the provincial Liberals. Many have said "if you don't want us, then be honest and tell us; better still, buy us out like the hog industry and we can carry on with restructuring our businesses accordingly". Another huge inequity is that Ontario Beef has to compete against Alberta and Quebec beef. But the beef producers in those provinces have much better support from their provincial governments.

Unlike the dairy, goat, sheep, pork and poultry industry the beef industry has not had as great an influx of European farmers to take up the slack and keep the industry relatively younger. The few European beef farmers have largely gravitated to these other livestock sectors because of the ongoing low prices of beef and better future prospects. I say 10-15 years tops, and maybe sooner, and you may not be able to get Ontario beef in Ontario supermarkets. The local food movement cannot sustain the huge beef industry (yet??) and the economic spin-offs from the beef sector are huge. But Dithering Dalton is playing politics with the risk management program rather than embarrassing the federal conservatives by going it alone. I would love to hear from more beef farmers to let me know what you think. I think I am correct in my analysis though. “You don't know what you've got till it's gone” says Canadian singer Joni Mitchell in her classic song “Big Yellow Taxi”. I guess Dalton McGuinty and Harper would rather we pave paradise and put up a parking lot.

Former Ontario Cattleman's association president Ron Wooddisse passed away this week

2010-09-25T04:34:00.000-07:00

Former O-C-A President Passes
Thursday, September 23, 2010 2:21 pm

A past president of the Ontario Cattlemen's Association has died.
59 year old Ron Wooddisse passed away this week at his Palmerston-area home.
Wooddisse was president of the O-C-A for 2003 and 2004.
The Wellington County cattleman was also involved in delivering the Association's Verified Beef Production program and both it's Age Verification and RFID Reader Projects from 2007 to 2009.
Visitation is at the Moorefield Community Centre from 7-9 tonight then from 1-4 and 7-9 tomorrow.
The funeral for Ron Wooddisse is Saturday at the Drayton United Church.

The above obituary was from www.am920.ca farm news

Ron was president during the BSE crisis and helped keep the OCA and provincial politicians on an even keel. I can only imagine the extra stress the BSE crisis would have added to the position, a thankless one at the best of times. I always appreciated Ron's forthrightness . Often blunt often controversial but always what he strongly felt. He gave a great interview and good sound bite clips for radio. He helped advance the Ontario Beef industry in a difficult period.He will be greatly missed

That is a lot of green

2010-09-07T10:14:00.000-07:00

That is a lot of Green.

June 2010 rural voice article by John Beardsley

When it comes to crops grown in Ontario, corn remains the highest value crop, generating close to 900 million dollars a year. You might be surprised to find out what the 2nd highest value crop in Ontario is. A study conducted by Jim Fisher at the Kemptville campus of the University of Guelph shows the forage industry (grasses and legumes for hay) as providing the second largest field crop value to the agricultural industry, second only to corn. Forages are contributing $647.7 million per year to the agricultural economy. That is 2/3 the size of the corn industry and about 30% larger than the soybean industry. This includes values for forage sold and fed. The benefits to subsequent crops from improved crop rotation and nitrogen release as well as soil cover and soil improvement were not included in these figures.

These remarkable facts were just some of what I learned from the Ontario Forage Council Website www.ontarioforagecouncil.com. This group of volunteers that make up the forage council labour tirelessly for this important though often overlooked part of Ontario Agriculture.

When corn soybean and wheat prices were in the dumpster, hay was the one bright spot in the crop mix. Growing hay as a cash crop was looking very attractive. Recently the shine has come off exporting hay to the U.S. market. The rising Canadian dollar and the economic meltdown have put a crimp in the American horse industry; this plus the low milk prices being paid to the US dairy farmers have reduced the demand for Canadian hay. The Forage Council has been instrumental in trying to find new markets for Canadian forages such as the Middle Eastern oil-rich states. These arid countries haven’t got the water to grow hay, yet they love their horses and the governments in that area have a strong focus on food security. On a recent fact finding mission to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia by the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association (the Ontario forage council is a founding member of this national group) they also found a huge potential market for Canadian hay to supply. With the burgeoning urban populations and a rapidly dwindling water table these countries have greatly restricted irrigation. In return they have provided subsidies for farmers to be able to buy hay for their livestock. The Ontario Forage Council Manager Ray Robertson says there are some obstacles to be overcome; for example, freight rates, as costs from Canadian ports to the Middle East are 38 percent higher than from U.S. ports. Also the specification for hay is 12 percent moisture. It may be a challenge to get 12 percent hay under the Ontario field conditions. Robertson says research is required to determine if 14 percent hay will resist mould in sealed containers at sea during the ocean voyage.

Forages are still a valuable feed crop right here for the cattle industry and increasingly for sheep and goats. But because hay is a feed crop it doesn’t receive any check-off money like corn and soybeans. Its value to agriculture is often underestimated. The Forage council brings all the participants of the industry together to be a one stop shop for forage information. By getting the forage seed companies, input suppliers and researchers and end users together they can determine research priorities that will most benefit producers.

Another focus of the council is getting the latest information out to producers. Their next informational event is going to be the Ontario Forage Expo. So mark July 7th 2010 on your Calendar. This is the fifth year for the expo. This year it will be held at the large family dairy farm of Evert Veldhuizen Jr, in Oxford county just outside Woodstock. This will be an outdoor event so that haymaking and forage equipment can be displayed as well as a trade show. The expo runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is being run in co-operation with the Oxford Soil and Crop Improvement Association, so you know the live demonstrations of the latest and greatest in haymaking and forage harvesting equipment will be useful and informative.

With all the finger pointing about green house gases and potential pollution it is time to promote Ontario’s forage crops as a vital part of the green economy. The public needs to know that forages and grasslands promote positive environmental impacts on soil and water conservation, carbon sequestration, and wildlife habitat. Forages as a perennial crop remain growing and improving soil structure for 3 to 4 years for a hayfield and 5 to 30 years (or longer) as a pasture. Cash crop farmers can do themselves and their land a real favour by planting a cover crop following corn and soybeans. Whether you are growing forages for feed or for a cash crop, isn’t it time you got the most out of this green crop to add some green to your bottom line?

A Breakthrough in Soybean yields.

2009-11-10T12:24:00.000-08:00

Rural voice magazine column November 2009
By John Beardsley, Freelance Journalist
Crop Sales and Service specialist
For Brussels Agromart

Soybean yields in North America have been stalled over the past 20 years as pests like aphids and Soybean Cyst Nematodes take hold. When farmers plant certified seed it allows seed companies to put profits back into research and development. Companies like Syngenta, Monsanto and Dupont are spending millions of dollars a day in research and development. With these investments by the seed industry we may finally see the soybean yield trends going in the same positive direction as the corn yield trend has.

For many years breeders have used both northern and southern hemisphere growing seasons to get 2 crops a year. This has cut the ten year cycle from the first cross to the introduction of a new commercial variety down to 5 years. DNA mapping and other technological razzle dazzle has allowed breeders to insert traits into the best part of the soybeans genetics to improve yield.
This spring saw the commercial introduction of long season ”Roundup Ready 2 Yield” varieties that growers are hoping will give them more bushels in the bin. This new yield trait is being used by all soybean seed companies except DeDell and Pioneer. This innovation is supposed to deliver yield increases of 7-11 percent. The promoters use the illustration of this technology delivering 5 extra beans per plant which on two hundred thousand plants per acre would give producers an extra 500 bushels on a 100 acre field.

Pioneer is taking a different direction and is developing its own 2nd generation herbicide resistance soybeans. Their system is called “Optimum GAT”. They have also released a new “y” series lineup of superior yielding varieties. Pioneer developed the “y” series using traditional breeding and hi-tech selection methods. Whether this introduction will allow Pioneer breathing room until Optimum GAT soybeans are commercially available remains to be seen.

There are other advances for soybeans in the research pipeline. Some are quality traits such as soybeans which will have heart healthy Omega 3 fatty acids. Syngenta seeds (which many of you would know as NK) is working on Callisto herbicide tolerant beans to address the problem of glyphosate resistant weeds. Other companies are planning to use Liberty Link soybeans. Dicamba herbicide resistance is another option which will be soon be available.

So does this mean you should abandon a favourite Round up Ready variety and jump to “Roundup ready 2 yield” soybeans? There are many factors which influence yield. Last year’s launch of soybean inoculants with nodulation triggering technology yielded on average an extra 2 bushels per acre. Seed treatment advances such as Cruiser Maxx have also added bushels per acre. Other management factors such as seedbed preparation, planting date and depth add to yield as well. This year soils that were fed enough potash had higher yields and less aphid damage than those that were deficient. Natural factors such as rainfall and temperature can often have much more impact than genetics on final yield.

There are still compelling economic reasons to grow conventional varieties. Ironically,we can thank Biotech for creating a lucrative niche market for non genetically modified beans. Before the introduction of Biotechnology, food grade soybean premiums were only a few cents per bushel. This year popular Identity Preserved varieties such as S03W4’s commanded a premium of up to $3 per bushel. Growers will have to sharpen their pencils when considering which variety to grow. Soybean farmers will have lots to talk about when the seed sales reps start to call. Invite them in; you’ll both learn something.

Please pass the mayonaise

2009-09-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

Don't read this article on local food; go to http://www.eatrealeatlocal.ca/ and watch a short video. Seriously, watch the video, download it, send the link to all your friends and contact lists. It should be required reading for every politician and bureaucrat.
Pig farmers will have to examine these latest government handouts and determine if the glass is half empty or half full. I would like to thumb my nose at all government programs. They are all made up of half measures and ad hoc vote buying, All farmers should look instead to the only viable long-term solution to our perpetual farming crisis; local food.
So why will local food be better than waiting for Loblaws to buy Ontario Beef instead of American or, if you are really lucky, western Canadian beef? Well, let’s look at some success stories. West Grey Premium Beef has been featured in this magazine but suffice it to say they you can now buy beef that is purchased locally and featured at the best local restaurants; they proudly display it in signs in their menus or displayed in the windows. Green’s Meats in Wingham is another success story, as are The Beefway in Kincardine, Elora Road Meats, and Metzgers in Hensall. West Grey and Metzger’s are slightly different to many in the list, in that they are federally licensed, so they can sell their products more easily to the rest of Canada or even to Loblaw’s. Loblaw’s, who are back on the airwaves claiming that, in season, they use 40 percent local produce (as if this wasn't bad enough for being so low ... ) put an artificial barrier on Ontario meat by requiring federal inspection. But West Grey Meats don't lose any sleep waiting for Galen Weston to call, instead they out-sell him on quality and consistency and gradually educate the restaurant owner that quality has a price but it also has a reward...loyal customers that will tell their friends - the cheapest advertising.
Local food success story number two -Buddha Dog Restaurants. Buddha Dog will gladly "make you one with everything" at their stores in Picton, Toronto or now in Collingwood. Not only is the food heavenly, but it is also supporting a vast array of local food producers. The store in Picton (which I am more familiar with) has a huge map of the county with every producer that provides them with food ingredients. They range from the Caribbean-born woman who only makes jerk sauce to the local abattoir that makes these pepperette-sized hotdogs. They have many wineries on this huge map of the county not because they are licensed but because they use local wine in some of their sauces. Buddha dog employees directly or indirectly tell the local food story with every hotdog. They sell Pop Shoppe pop rather than national brands and make amazing fruit smoothies in season from local fruit and vegetables. You can get the full Buddha Dog story at www.buddhafoodha.com .
I have not been a big promoter of organic food but I have discovered that local food doesn't necessarily mean organic food. It is like the square versus rectangle, all squares are rectangles but not all rectangles are squares. What most people don't realize is that conventional locally produced food has a smaller environmental footprint than organic food grown in the states and trucked in. If you want to preserve the rural nature of Midwestern Ontario, buy local food. Demand it at your grocery store and walk past the American strawberries and only eat local. Buy Ontario-grown if not local, and Canadian above American, Mexican or anywhere else in the world. Shop at the farmgate whenever possible and also support your local farmers market. If you want to support local crop farmers use ethanol blend gasoline. Buy bio-diesels additives.
You also support Canadian crop growers when you buy soymilk or tofu and all of the meat products produced locally. Examine your dairy milk, cheese and ice creams -if it doesn't have the blue cow it could be made with butter oil from the States and New Zealand. Goat milk and goat milk cheese, yogurt and ice cream are usually made from Canadian goat milk but you might want to check with the Ontario Dairy Goat Co-operative in Teeswater to be sure. Gay Lea products not only are made from Ontario Milk, it is also a cooperative that pays the members a share of the profits, unlike Saputo Kraft or Parmalat where profits go out of the country. Finally, watch the video at www.hellmanns.ca, click on the real food logo or http://www.eatrealeatlocal.ca and eat Hellmann's mayonnaise guilt free.( I am not being paid to say this)
Hellman’s Mayonnaise contains 650mg ALA per serving, which is 50% Daily Value for Omega 3 ALA, and NO TRANS FAT which is the only fat you need to worry about. Hellmann's is made with 100% Canadian eggs, a dash of Canadian vinegar and a lot of pure Canadian canola oil…. much of which, this year, is grown in Bruce and Grey counties.

Please write me about your favorite abattoir or local food restaurant that isn't in this list so I can write about them here or on my blog at www.ontarioagriculturematters.blogspot.com Send me your emails to agriculturematters@scsinternet.com.

Where are the “I Love Ontario Pork “ bumper stickers?

2009-07-17T14:54:00.000-07:00

Where are the “I Love Ontario Pork “ bumper stickers?
An open letter to Dalton McGuinty on the plight of young farmers
Rural voice article August 2009 issue by John Beardsley
Dear Dalton McGuinty
There is an impending crisis in Ontario Agriculture. Beginning farmers in the hog industry are only months away from financial ruin. Sustained low prices initially brought about by oversupply combined with declining worldwide demand in the face of the economic crisis in Europe, and especially Asia, has brought the Canadian industry to its knees. Unfortunately many countries have closed their borders to Canadian pork with the excuse of Swine Flu (more properly known as H1N1 virus). American farm policy providing subsidized cheap feed and recent Country of Origin Labeling has further worked to help American hog producers unfairly, though legally, compete with Canadian Producers. Ironically the development of the circovirus vaccine has increased production of pork all around the world by decreasing death losses.
Established hog producers have a longer financial track record and many will be able to secure more operating loans to weather this crisis and hang on by their finger tips.
If pig prices don’t dramatically improve in the next 2 months about 90 of Ontario’s brightest and best hog farmers will go belly up. What puts salt in the wounds of beginning farmers is that dead farmers (well, their widows), bankrupt farmers and retired farmers got a nice little bonus from an emergency one time pork industry bailout. Beginning farmers, who need the money the most, didn’t qualify because flawed historical data from 2005-2006 was used to determine the payouts. But your agriculture Minister Leona Dombrowski will not admit she screwed up in getting the emergency pig farmer money out to pork farmers. The spokesperson for this group of affected producers, Wayne Bartels from Bartside farms, says he has won awards for his efficiency yet because he had little production history never received a cent. Many may only have 45-60 days left before banks and creditors pull the plug. It’s estimated that the average hog producer has lost an additional five per cent of their equity in the last 60 days. These are the next generation of food producers. Wayne says Swine flu was just the latest, perhaps final straw. American farm policy (cheap feed) and corn prices now pegged to oil prices not feed demand has created high feed costs. Soybean meal is two and a half times what it was during the last pork price downturn; good for Ontario soybean growers but disastrous for pork farmers. It is an extra long down cycle with no dramatic upturn in sight. Unlike cattle farmers who had their commodity organization supporting them, Ontario Pork has turned its back on this group because the young farmers are resorting to demonstrations complete with live hogs. They recently surrounded a Niagara hotel where agriculture ministers were meeting, to try and get attention. Leona Dombrowski has apparently told Ontario Pork that if they support this radical group they will endanger future money for the whole hog industry. They also still have an open border with the States so they haven’t received the public’s sympathy. I think all the municipal squabbles over the siting of large intensive hog barns and manure smells in the country side has left the industry vulnerable. Let’s face it, we see cute cows with their baby calves looking sadly over the fence when we drive in the country. Pig Barns are all neat and clean but big and industrial and set way back from the road. If you aren’t working in agriculture you probably don’t realize that they are pork production facilities.
Mr Premier, I know you and I haven’t seen eye to eye for the last 8 years, but there was a time when I actually believed you wanted to change how things were done. You wrapped yourself in the cloak of a kinder gentler way to do the business of Government. You toured farms and told them you were going to save the industry by requiring 10 percent ethanol in gasoline. Steve Peters, your agriculture critic, told the cattle industry he would have done a better job in getting money out to producers. He even hinted that he wouldn’t sign the agricultural policy framework which brought in the Canadian agricultural income stabilization (CAIS) program. Helen Johns, the conservative agriculture minister under Ernie Eves’ government, had already refused to sign because of farm groups’ concerns over how little would pay out. As soon as you got into power on all your promises, Steve Peters met with Lyle Vanclief , the then Liberal federal minister of agriculture, and Lyle showed how much money the ag policy framework would pay the province (not the farmers) and hey presto, the ag policy framework was signed while the honeymoon was still on. I am sure you said you would get more out of the federal Liberals for Ontario because you were the same party as the Chretien federal Liberals. Remind me how that worked out?
We need you, Mr. Premier, to do the right thing and provide at least loan guarantees to these farmers who fell through the cracks. At least institute an appeals procedure. I certainly will be urging these forgotten farmers to talk to the ombudsman’s office, and maybe even the human rights tribunal, because they have been royally screwed by your government’s bungling. But I guess if Health Minister Caplan didn’t lose his cabinet post for defending expense accounts for consultants to read newspapers and watch television, then what can we expect in defense of this small unloved minority.

Ontario Corn fed beef : Worth switching grocery stores for?

2009-07-09T17:56:00.000-07:00

Spring is a tremendously busy time of the year for farmers as the entire year's crop is dependent on timely land preparation and planting. It is a time when the events in the rest of the world take a back seat to the demands of this most important job. When I finally got a chance to read my April copy of the Ontario Cattle Feeders newsletter I was quite dismayed that Loblaws has decided to pull its support of the Ontario Corn Fed beef program in the heat of spring planting pressure.
This delivers a huge wooden spike right into the heart of the Ontario cattle industry. Loblaws has used the excuse of the downturn in the economy to boot out Ontario Corn fed beef from 140 of its "Your Independent Grocer" and Valu-mart stores across the province. The company is seeking to save costs by streamlining its brands into national ones. Loblaws will be offering a President’s Choice Canadian Triple-A Tenderized program that will be featured in all stores owned by the corporation. They made it clear that the Ontario Corn fed beef program has done very well for them. However the problem, apparently, is that the brand is a provincial program, making it more costly to handle and warehouse because it is only sold in one region. As well, they have added costs for print material and promotional fliers when they have to specify a brand in one region by itself.
This program, started eight years ago by the Ontario Cattle Feeders Association, has provided a branded beef program that has enabled consumers to identify a premium product with consistent quality. The www.ontariocornfedbeef.com website says:
"The Ontario Corn Fed Beef program provides consumers with an identifiably Ontario brand of beef – known to be consistent, premium and locally-raised. The feed of cattle plays a big role in the flavour of the beef. In this program, cattle consume a high percentage of corn in their diets. This diet gives beef superior marbling which makes it the most tender tasty beef anywhere. Corn-fed cattle have a desirable, distinct beef flavour recognized in the finest restaurants. To be eligible to participate in the program, beef farmers must follow stringent quality assurance protocols."
Since its introduction into the market place in 2001, Shoppers knew that they would be getting the same enjoyable dining experience every time when they bought beef that carried the Ontario Corn Fed label. They also knew that they were buying beef produced right here in Ontario. One of the strongest consumer trends is the desire to buy food that is produced locally. The popularity of books such as "The Hundred Mile Diet" and a desire to reduce or improve their environmental footprint have revitalized farmers' markets and encouraged consumers to look for food produced in our own province.
It is ironic that a grocery store chain which has been using their president Galen Weston in ads telling consumers that their practices provide "products worth switching supermarkets for" would be working to do exactly the opposite. The www.loblaws.ca website has a banner ad proudly proclaiming "Proudly Canadian and local". It was not long ago that they proclaimed that they bought more Canadian farm produce than any other grocery chain. Homespun tours of orchards and vegetable farms were a regular feature of their television ads. If consumers want Ontario-produced beef, they need to ask for it; send letters to Loblaw Companies Limited, 1 President's Choice Circle, Brampton, Ontario,ON, L6Y 5S5 Attention: LCL Customer Relations Centre 2nd Floor, North Tower. You can also call them at 1-800-296-2332.
Talk to your local store owner and make it clear that you want your hard-earned dollars to stay in rural Ontario by purchasing locally. Retailers want their customers to be happy. They carry the products that people want so they’ll continue to shop in their stores. Also, there are other retailers that strongly support the local initiative. Maybe people need to start shopping more at the stores that support locally produced food.

The Provincial cosmetic use pesticide ban will be bad news for farmers

2008-02-21T19:25:00.000-08:00

(Rural Voice column for March 2008 issue)
Premier Dalton McGuinty promised to institute a province wide ban on the use of cosmetic pesticides. The Law would limit the use of all lawn care products inside cities and towns. It is part of a wider program to reduce the exposure of the general public to environmental toxins. The theory is that there is no need to use chemicals just to have pristine green lawns. Who wouldn't be against mere cosmetic use? Just change your way of looking at Dandelions and Creeping Charlie and everyone will be healthier, Right?

Actually what happened in Hudson Quebec and Halifax, Nova Scotia is that pesticide sales went up not down after those town councils instituted a ban. People who want to have weed free lawns will find the chemicals either by buying them legally before the ban goes into effect or by going to a jurisdiction that doesn’t have a ban. Worse than this these bans also removed the trained professional Lawn care companies. So now instead of a few people who were trained to safely work with the products every day we have thousands of garages and garden sheds with opened partially used containers of lawn and garden chemicals.

Non scientific consumer paranoia whipped up by the environmental groups cannot be allowed to set public policy in this area. I have attended municipal meetings on the issue and can only describe a lot of what went on as bordering on mass hysteria. The Ontario College of Family Physicians did a pesticide literature review which they released in 2004 It is widely responsible for the call for the province wide ban on lawn herbicides because it was supposedly scientific proof that pesticides have harmed children. What has not been widely reported is the repudiation of that same report by British scientists. To quote from the British analysis by Dr. Michael Burr (http://www.rcep.org.uk)
"The review seems to over-interpret the findings, given the limitations of the relevant studies; strong conclusions are drawn from evidence of rather weak quality."

Yet this same report is being used as hard new evidence which proves the need for the pesticide ban. The report doesn't take into account all the other areas of toxicological studies done in the pesticide registration process. The Crop protection companies have to prove the safety of any new pesticide before it can be used in Canada. The Ontario Ministry of the Environment review this data and can even ask for more studies before they allow pesticides to be used in Ontario.
In my own case I use a 3 way mix of herbicides on my postage stamp front lawn but rely on mowing to control the natural back lawn. I have found that raising the lawn mower so that it cuts at 3- 6 inches height not only allows the grass to choke out the weeds. The grass also stays greener through dry periods because taller grass also has a deeper more vigorous root system. One of my friends has hand weeded every single dandelion out of his lawn because he doesn’t want to use Chemicals. I totally support such individual choices on this issue. However I resent anyone forcing their philosophy on me and then wrapping it in the cloak of health and safety. Especially when it is bogus science and false health issues. The main lawn chemical 2,4-D has recently received a clean bill of health from the federal government’s Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency. If you follow Label directions you will not cause environmental or health problem. (www.pmra-arla.gc.ca/english/highlights/QA/rev2,4-D-e.html)

The problem is that if this precedent is set it will not be long before a whole bunch of regulations will be foisted on us by a well meaning but scientifically and technologically illiterate public. The agricultural exemption just causes the largest group of knowledgeable trained users to remain silent. I don’t think farmers realize the huge public policy mistake this proposed legislation will cause.

Why not just force homeowners who want to apply pesticides to take the pesticide safety course that farmers have to take. This should also keep the lawn care businesses viable in the province. This profession is already doing a better job than homeowners in providing a high level of safe pesticide use not to mention the economic benefits of the hundreds of jobs they create are.
If you are going to pass this useless bill then the liberal government should be honest and say, "although there is no proven health risk or safety issue we are passing this bill for two reasons. First of all municipalities are not qualified to pass by laws in this area and consequently don't need to waste their time on this issue".

It appears Premier McGuinty would rather have his picture taken with children and pander to popular opinion than take real leadership on this issue. It would be easier, cheaper and more effective to change the classification of the lawn pesticides so that they can no longer be sold to unqualified homeowners. By agreeing to a pesticide ban the premier is inadvertently smearing the entire conventional agriculture industry as causing environmental and health problems.

Growing Heat

2008-01-16T10:04:00.000-08:00

Growing heat

February 2008 Rural voice column by John Beardsley

Ontario’s greatest energy need isn’t for gasoline for vehicles but for thermal energy to heat our homes and businesses and to power factories. Right now many Ontario greenhouses are heated with American coal . Our dependence on natural gas and fuel oil is massive. Switchgrass production offers the opportunity for Ontario farmers to grow an alternative crop and reduce greenhouse gases at the same time.

If you can grow hay, you can grow switchgrass; it is a tall grass native to Ontario and the prairies. It is a small seeded crop which is established in the same way as alfalfa. Roger Samson from REAP-Canada says switchgrass can be cropped on a field almost indefinitely once established (REAP is the acronym for Resource Efficient Agricultural Production, a nonprofit research organization which has been working on sustainable agriculture projects for over twenty years).

This alternative biofuel crop can be grown on marginal crop land with 2600 corn heat units or less; basically wherever corn is less productive. This would encompass a lot of land in Grey Bruce and Dufferin counties as well as parts of eastern and northern Ontario.

Switchgrass can grow on droughtier soils but also on less well drained soil where alfalfa doesn’t do well, so actually if you can’t grow alfalfa for some soil type and drainage reasons you may have more luck with switchgrass.

The crop is fertilized in the spring with 60 pounds of nitrogen, then allowed to grow all year, cut in November and left out until May when it is baled by a large square baler. The grass is left out to weather naturally so as to reduce the amount of plant by-products which interfere with clean combustion of the switchgrass. The crop yields 4-5 tonnes per acre.

Sampson says right now natural gas heats homes for about $11 a gigajoule. If farmers were paid $90 dollars a tonne for the switchgrass, and processing and transportation costs were added in, he figures pellets could be delivered for $8 a gigajoule. But to kickstart the industry he would like to see the provincial and federal governments providing subsidies equivalent to those provided to the ethanol industry.

One homeowner featured on a video on the REAP-Canada site said he heated his home for $400 per year, which was a huge savings from the $2,000 he paid previously for electric heat

Most corn stoves can burn switchgrass and the furnace marketers claim the stove/furnace pays for itself in a very short time frame, usually less than three years. Initially the stoves required more physical effort of carrying bags of fuel pellets to the furnace and loading them manually into the fuel hopper attached to the furnace. Many people will want the simplicity of traditional fossil fuels and so there are houses set up with feed tanks next to the furnace which automatically feed the furnace. These tanks are then filled by a delivery truck with an air blower system currently used on feed trucks to conveniently deliver the fuel as needed

Quebec is planning on growing almost five thousand acres this year due to a grass buffer strip cost share program and the promotion of switchgrass as an alternative fuel crop.

The big advantage of switchgrass versus cellulose ethanol is the cost to process the crop into useable fuel. A cellulose ethanol factory would cost $300 million to get built whereas a switchgrass pelleting plant could be built for as little as $3 million for a facility that would produce 30,000 tonnes of pellets per year.

Another advantage that switchgrass has over fuel oil is that the plants can be built near the crop production areas to lessen their transportation costs for the bulky raw switchgrass bales. This also provides local employment, and tax revenue for rural municipalities.

With a small shift in agricultural land we can replace the entire fuel oil sector, which is a limited resource, with a renewable sustainable fuel source. Information on the REAP-Canada site estimates a 4% shift in farmland would replace 39% of our energy needs. This is far superior to the amount of land needed for liquid biofuels which would replace far less gasoline and diesel. Plus it can provide farmers with a sustainable income to increase rural prosperity. REAP-Canada would like to see more discussion amongst farm groups and government policy makers to embrace this ecologically and economically sound heating fuel alternative for the province. For more information check out REAP-Canada’s website www.reap-canada.com

18 may 2006 for june 2006 issue of Rural Voice

2008-01-14T20:00:00.000-08:00

Making sense of the agricultural census

A column by John Beardsley

The planting season has been one of the best on record and this has been the most positive news in agriculture since the Paul Martin government was defeated. Getting a crop in and off to a good start is the most crucial operation on the farm. It has been said that a farmer’s time at planting is worth hundreds of dollars per hour because of how important it is to get crops planted in a timely manner. Which is why farmers are especially irritated these days by surveys and salesmen. Unfortunately this attitude has also rubbed off on the good men and women who are trying to get the Agricultural Census completed. The grassroots movement has been openly talking about actively boycotting the whole process. One Farmer from Middlesex County has said that information is worth 250 dollars and he doesn’t want to give away the information for free. I’m not holding my breath this would ever happen because of the precedent it would set. The census is not a new phenomenon foisted on us by an increasingly heavy-handed government keen on reducing the number of farmers in Canada. I read in the gospel of Luke back 2000 years ago in Bible times that “Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world”. 2000 years ago everyone had to travel back to their own town to register. We can fill out this census on the Internet.

I understand the frustration causing people to lash out at the census because of the lack of serious response from the government to a very real farm income crisis. But the data collected from this census will show some of the dramatic changes that have occurred in the last five years. I think this information will be more useful to us to confront the government than the short hit we might get on television or in the press by boycotting it. If you have already decided not to comply I would ask you to reconsider. Although census day was May 16^th Stats Canada will still accept forms filled out now. In fact if you haven’t sent yours in you can expect a visit from an enumerator. Some people are concerned that the information will be used to check the accuracy of your tax form and you may unwittingly get in trouble or cause an audit. It has always been the case that all information on census forms, including financial information, is protected under confidentiality provisions in the Statistics Act. All census representatives are sworn to secrecy and could be prosecuted if they were ever to reveal a respondent's personal information.

Here is some interesting information gleaned from stats canada’s press release. In 1931 the census — the first to specifically record the farm population — noted that 3.3 million of Canada’s 10.4 million people lived on farms, a whopping 31.7% of the population. Still more lived in rural areas closely tied to the agricultural sector. While the Canadian population had grown to over 30 million by the 2001 Census, the farm population had dwindled to only 2.4%. This fact is a big reason why we get ignored. Farmers, a minority even in many rural areas, still produce over 8 percent of the gross domestic product. Canada’s 247,000 farms have been producing more than ever before. In 2001, only 346,200 Canadians identified themselves as farm operators, a drop of nearly 40,000 since 1996. In Bruce, Grey and Huron Counties, the last census identified 11,170 people running 8059 farms. (Sorry Perth and Rainy River I forgot to ask for your numbers). While the numbers of farms and farmers in Canada has been shrinking, the area of land in crops has been growing. Between 1981 and 2001, a 17.5% increase of land in crops brought the national total to nearly 90 million acres. Farms in Ontario were part of this trend, working nearly 60 thousand acres more land in crops in 2001 than 20 years before. This is an impressive 9 million acres of cropland in Ontario. While no one likes filling in forms, failure to help collect accurate information may actually shoot farmers in the foot.

columns from the past - Is it time to get rid of the ministry of agriculture, food and rural affairs?

2008-01-12T14:07:00.000-08:00

Is it time to get rid of the ministry of agriculture, food and rural affairs?

Rural voice column October 2006 by John Beardsley originally written September 19, 2006

Agriculture is the only industry in Ontario which has a ministry set up in opposition to the primary producers. The Petrochemical industry represents far less than 2.5 percent of the population yet you don’t have ministry officials telling them how to run their industry. The Auto industry is the largest job creating and economic driver in the country yet they don’t have to worry that the government will throw a monkey wrench in their day to day business. We only have a Ministry of Agriculture because historically it represented the majority of the voters at the turn of the century. It is the same to day in that you have the Women’s directorate and the minister of multiculturism to grab votes. But Agriculture is no longer viewed as a segment of society to be respected and rewarded for the social stability it provides . Farm leaders have long fought tooth and nail to preserve the ministry for agriculture because at least we have a voice at the cabinet table. But do we really. If it is run by someone who doesn’t believe in agriculture if we constantly have to train and educate new ministers who aren’t farm raised or even have any experience in the industry we are losing ground. The Outdoor farm show is a great way to get a bird’s eye view of modern agriculture. There are hundred s of exhibitors showing off the latest and greatest. You can go to the seed companies and actually see the latest hybrids growing in the field plots right behind their tents. It reminded me once again that agriculture is doing really well , its just farming that isn’t fun anymore. There is an apocryphal saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Maybe the drastic change needed in Agriculture isn’t that we allow the government to do nothing and watch 2 thirds of the farmers go out of business. I’m sick and tired of the paternalistic attitude of the Ministry experts that helped get agriculture into this mess by getting rid of the market revenue program and replaced it with the CAIS program. I‘m tired of explaining to the public that the risk management program isn’t a handout but rather an insurance program to counteract the U-S farm bill and dumped corn and soybeans.

Probably one of the disconnects for the ministry bean counters is that conceivably the rmp could have cost the provincial government 60 percent of the existing OMAFRA budget. Well if we get rid of the ministry we can fund RMP Farming. This may seem an extreme position but not one I take lightly. Why not abolish the ministry and use money to fund rmp to be administered by Grain & Oilseed groups (in Quebec the mighty UPA administers the ASRA program thus getting funds to primary producers with less waste and hastle and no money being stolen oops I meant redirected to fund other parts of the Government . Any tribunals such as Farm Products marketing commission could be transferred to ministry of industry. Extension specialist could be transferred to U of Guelph as in the United States co-operative extension. Manure police can be transferred back to min of environment.

No other industry has a ministry which seems to have the sole purpose of opposing and hampering the industry at every turn

we certainly don't need a useless minister stopping a commodity organization of raising fees to make up the shortfall caused by the ministry’s own incompetence( if rmp had been instituted then more corn grown then more checkoff then no need for increase) also the total lack of help by OMAFRA when the corn producers were trying to get countervail imposed that would have had same effect as rmp raising revenues

Ministers salary could also go towards helping rmp

ag canada can administer cais program etc. the provinces that were thus administer never had bse aid clawed back and the inventory changes where figured out much quicker.

besides it will bring the cabinet back to a nice even number of thirty

I’m not sure what this would save but I’m sure out of an operating budget of 564 million we can find the three hundred million needed for the Risk Management program.

Never knew how to spell Blogger an now I are one

2008-01-12T14:00:00.000-08:00

I am sure that the first Blog is rarely ever anything worth writing home about and I know I will probably use this to archive my columns from the Rural Voice. They aren't currently online so that will be a good thing.