Ontario Grain Farmer November 2021

6 ON THE COVER Bringing robots to field crops Jeanine Moyer EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL From the CEO’s desk TURNING IDEAS INTO ACTION 4 Soil health Treena Hein 10 Precision planter attachments Treena Hein 12 Business side Conversations with business experts 9 GrainTALK newsletter An update on Grain Farmers of Ontario news and events 18 What makes a good digital tool? Matt McIntosh 14 Crop side Agronomic information from crop specialists 22 Filling the gap Melanie Epp 16 Grain monitoring in a digital world Matt McIntosh 20 Seed development: corn Laura Ferrier 24 Improving government policy Lois Harris 26 Marketing to Mexico Rebecca Hannam 28 Good in Every Grain Updates on our campaign 34 Agricultural labour issues persist Lois Harris 30 NOVEMBER 2021 volume 13, number 02 ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER is published 9 times a year (December/January, February, March, April/May, June/July, August, September, October, and November) through Grain Farmers of Ontario. Distribution is to all Ontario barley, corn, oat, soybean, and wheat farmer-members. Associate Membership Subscription available upon request. Views and opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the policies of Grain Farmers of Ontario. Seek professional advice before undertaking any recommendations or suggestions presented in this magazine. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40065283. Return undeliverable items to Grain Farmers of Ontario, 679 Southgate Drive, Guelph, ON N1G 4S2. © Grain Farmers of Ontario all rights reserved. Publisher: Grain Farmers of Ontario, Phone: 1-800-265-0550, Website: www.gfo.ca; Managing Editor: Rachel Telford; Production Co-ordinator: Kim Ratz; Advertising Sales: Joanne Tichborne Look for these symbols for bonus content in our digital edition. Cover photo courtesy of Kristen Obeid. Growing a network Rachel Telford 32