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

Author: Erin Calhoun

Soil microbiomes

TRACKING CHANGES BELOWGROUND

February 2019 - CROP ROTATION IS an excellent way to create opportunities for improved soil health within a three-crop rotation. It can help promote the “right” biological community for subsequent cash crops to boost beneficial organisms and decrease…
Fighting phytophthora

NEW GENE DISCOVERY BY AAFC SCIENTIST

February 2019 - PHYTOPHTHORA SOJAE (P. SOJAE) isn’t a new nemesis to soybean farmers. Every year, the root and stem rot disease results in significant damage around the world, forcing farmers to replant or face costly crop losses.…
Artificial intelligence

USING TECHNOLOGY TO HELP WITH SCOUTING

December 2018 - EDUCATION IN AGRICULTURE from an early age and stressing the importance and need for careers in agriculture has been a theme within the industry for years. Both ring true — educating young people in agriculture…
Seasonal stress

NEW INITIATIVES TO HELP FARMERS COPE

September 2018 - IT’S NOVEMBER. IT’S been a wet fall, resulting in wet, muddy fields. It’s sunny today, drying the ground up just enough to maybe get a combine in the fields. The weather forecast calls for rain…
Extreme weather

THUNDERSTORM SAFETY IN THE FIELD

August 2018 - FARMING IS ALMOST synonymous with the weather. Good or bad weather can make or break a growing season for a farmer — so it’s important to be very in-tune with current and forecasted weather to…
Damage control

MANAGING THE IMPACT OF WILDLIFE ON YOUR CROPS

April 2018 - FARMERS GO TO great lengths to ensure their crop has a good start to the growing season. Not only is the best hybrid or variety selected, the appropriate herbicide and fungicide is chosen to protect…
Paying for power

INCREASE EFFICIENCY FOR DECREASED COSTS

March 2018 - ALTHOUGH ON-FARM energy efficiency has improved in many areas, we’re also using more energy than ever before — larger operations call for more power to run more equipment. And despite farmers continuously implementing energy-efficient technology,…
Continuing the conversation

ONTARIO FARMERS OPEN UP ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

February 2018 - 2017 WAS A difficult production year for farmers across Canada. Unpredictable weather was an enormous source of stress for growers; this, paired with ongoing concerns about insect, disease, and weed pressures and government regulations — many farmers…
Feeding the aquaculture industry

AN EXPANDING SOYBEAN MARKET

December 2017 - SOYBEANS ARE A common feedstock for a wide range of agriculture — livestock ranging from dairy cattle to laying hens typically have soy or a soybean derivative incorporated in their feed, due largely in part…
More than stress

FARMERS STRUGGLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH

August 2017 - FOR MANY FARMERS, recent crop years haven’t been easy ones — and while many will first worry about the impact weather, markets, and regulations may have on their crops and how they can be managed…