Ontario Grain Farmer Magazine is the flagship publication of Grain Farmers of Ontario and a source of information for our province’s grain farmers.

Grain Farmers of Ontario

February 2017

In this issue:

Market side: Futures trading basics

LESSON 25: TECHNICAL ANALYSIS

February 2017 - This monthly educational series features the basic workings of the futures and options markets and how they can be utilized to help farmers with risk management. FLAGS AND PENNANTS Flags and pennants are among the…
The utilization of Ontario grain

UNDERSTANDING DOMESTIC AND GLOBAL MARKETS

February 2017 - THE MAIN OBJECTIVES of Grain Farmers of Ontario’s Market Development department are to create new markets and expand existing markets for Ontario grains. To better achieve these goals, a market utilization study was conducted in…
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Soyagen

RESEARCH IMPROVING YIELD AND DISEASE RESISTANCE

February 2017 - SOYBEANS ARE A rapidly growing, multipurpose crop whose seeds are an extremely valuable source of both protein and oil. From an environmental point of view, the soybean is highly attractive to some growers because it…
Mitigating mycotoxins

EARLY DETECTION

February 2017 - MYCOTOXINS are toxic chemicals produced by fungi that infect crops. Some of the mycotoxins most commonly found in grain include Aflatoxin, Deoxynivalenol (DON), and Ochratoxin. They have a significant negative economic impact on the Ontario…
Understanding precision agriculture

A PERFECT PRESCRIPTION FOR EVERY ACRE

February 2017 - DOES THAT ONE “perfect” seed and nutrient prescription exist for every acre on a grower’s field? And could it be just a matter of dialing in that formula and letting the equipment do the legwork? …
A regional approach

RESEARCH TO UNDERSTAND ONTARIO SOYBEAN DISEASES

February 2017 - ONTARIO SOYBEAN GROWERS have a pretty good handle on soybean diseases — the biggest threats, diseases to watch for and field management practices. New research, assessing the distribution and pressure of soybean diseases in the…
Business side: On-farm fire prevention

CONVERSATIONS WITH BUSINESS EXPERTS

February 2017 - (J.M.) WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE ONTARIO FARMERS TO MANAGE THE RISK OF FIRE? (J.Z.) There are four main contributors or (causes) to on-farm fires — faulty electrical/mechanical equipment, heating equipment, misuse of ignition sources,…
Developing local barley

NEW HIGH QUALITY, HIGH YIELDING BREEDING PROGRAM

February 2017 - MOST PEOPLE DRIVEN to buy local food and beverages have clear expectations. They figure the ingredients in the products they’re purchasing will be grown or raised within a certain distance of their homes — say,…
GFO Newsletter for February 2017

February 2017 - GET THE LATEST NEWS FROM GRAIN FARMERS OF ONTARIO MEETINGS WITH CROP COMMITTEES In January, the Ontario Cereal Crop Committee (OCCC) and the Ontario Soybean and Canola Committees (OSACC) held their main annual meetings. Members…
Bacteria control of disease

CANADIAN SCIENTISTS AT THE FOREFRONT

February 2017 - SEVERAL TYPES OF bacteria are the focus of ground-breaking new Fusarium research here in Ontario. Professor Manish Raizada of the Department of Plant Agriculture at the University of Guelph, with colleagues Dr. Victor Limay-Rios and…
Hybrid wheat

NEW SYNGENTA RESEARCH

February 2017 - “CREATING VALUE FOR the wheat industry” — this is the goal Syngenta plans to achieve with hybrid wheat. The integrated crop solutions company identified a need in the market to take wheat to the next…
Winter wheat growth

DOES INTENSIVE MANAGEMENT PAY?

February 2017 - WHILE WINTER WHEAT harvested acres are declining in Michigan, yields per acre have increased in recent years, and producer interest in intensive management to further boost yields has grown. In response, researchers at Michigan State…
Cropside: Sustaining SOM

AGRONOMIC INFORMATION FROM ONTARIO'S CROP SPECIALISTS

February 2017 - SOIL ORGANIC MATTER (SOM) levels are decreasing in Ontario; something we all intuitively know, but since the decline occurs so slowly, it is easy to ignore. The decline is in part due to less complex…
Productivity, profitability and resilience

DETERMINING HOW MANAGEMENT AFFECTS SOIL HEALTH

February 2017 - NEW HIGH TECH monitors will help take the guesswork out of best management practices for grain crops as they relate to soil health in a groundbreaking study funded by Grain Farmers of Ontario. While there…
What is soil health?

OBSERVATIONS FROM A RESEARCHERS AND AN AGRONOMIST

February 2017 - WHAT MAKES GOOD dirt has been a hot topic of conversation within the agriculture industry. The terms ‘soil health’ and ‘soil quality’ are widely accepted to mean the same thing, although Cornell University suggests ‘soil…
Cap and Trade

FROM THE CEO'S DESK

February 2017 - ON JANUARY 1, the Ontario government’s Cap and Trade program came into effect and it created yet another new operating environment for grain farmers. Cap and Trade is a system which limits how many tonnes…