Author: Barry Senft

March 2015 - I DON’T THINK it’s out of line to say farmers are naturally optimistic at the start of every growing season. No matter how difficult the previous year was, we have hope that this year the…

February 2015 - ON JANUARY 1, 2010, Grain Farmers of Ontario became an official marketing board in Ontario. It was the culmination of a grassroots movement led by corn, soybean, and wheat producers seeking a unified voice for…

January 2015 - BY NOW YOU will have heard of the intention of the provincial government to obtain an 80 per cent reduction in the use of neonicotinoid treated corn and soybean seeds by 2017. One way to…

December 2014 - A YEAR FROM now the federal election will be over and we will either have a brand new government or a Conservative government with a new mandate. All parties will be issuing platforms over the…

November 2014 - THE WEATHER HAS always been a popular topic of conversation for farmers, but this year, it was different. Talking about the weather was more than just idle chatter — with it was a sense of…

October 2014 - IT’S NO SECRET that Ontario is not the lowest cost producer of grain; however, we do produce consistent, high quality grain and we are in close proximity to a large market. There is value in that. Ontario…

September 2014 - I’M FED UP with the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association (OBA) continuously blaming every problem relating to bee health on neonicotinoids. This group has left behind its traditional role as a spokesperson for nature to become a…

August 2014 - AS YOU ARE aware, Ontario now has a new government with a full mandate. Kathleen Wynne and her Ontario Liberal Party won a majority in the June 12 election, with the vast majority of their 58…

June 2014 - OPPORTUNITIES IN KOREA ANY DEMAND FOR our commodities – large or small – is important; and we need to develop and foster as many market opportunities as we can. The Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement (CKFTA)…

April 2014 - PEOPLE WHO KNOW I am still active with our family farm in southeastern Saskatchewan often stop and ask me about our farming operation and what’s happening in western grain markets. Lately, those discussions have centered…