www.OntarioGrainFarmer.ca CROP PRODUCTION MARCH 2025 Record winter Great Lakes YEN’s innovation and progress wheat yields
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Business side Conversations with business experts Crop side Agronomic information from crop specialists MARCH 2025volume 16, number 5 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: Mary Feldskov; Creative Specialist: Nicole Koopstra; Advertising Sales and Sponsorship Consultant: Joanne Tichborne ON THE COVER Stormy skies ahead Treena Hein WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2024 From the CEO’s desk FEEDING THE WORLD A year in review Laura Ferrier Market review 2022 - 2023 Blair Andrews Business side Conversations with business experts GrainTALK newsletter An update on Grain Farmers of Ontario news and events What do Canadians think about food? Mary Feldskov Crop side Agronomic information from crop specialists European trade policies Ontario Grain Farmer More winter barley acres Matt McIntosh Grain contracts guide Mary Feldskov Ontario Agricultural Conference 2024 Ontario Grain Farmer Stronger leadership Rachel Telford Good in Every Grain Updates on our campaign Farming for world hunger Rebecca Hannam 2024 ANNUAL DISTRICT MEETINGS CHECK HERE FOR DATES AND TIMES DECEMBER 2023 / JANUARY 2024 volume 15, number 3 ONTARIO GRAIN FARMERis 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: Mary Feldskov; Production Co-ordinator: Kim Ratz; Advertising Sales and Sponsorship Consultant: Joanne Tichborne BIODEGRADABLE POLY 15-03 OGF DecemberJanuary 2023-24_OnGrainFarmer 2023-11-09 11:04 AM Page 3 From the CEO’s desk GrainTALK newsletter An update on Grain Farmers of Ontario news and events Good in Every Grain Updates on our campaign Record winter wheat yields Alexandra Dacey On the cover AGRONOMY How water moves in soil Matt McIntosh Nutrient stratification in no-till Helen Lammers-Help Practical tips for spray application Treena Hein The word on clubroot in canola: concerning Ralph Pearce LOOKING BACK 15 years of agronomic advances INDUSTRY NEWS The used equipment marketplace Ralph Pearce
Ambassador bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit. ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER FROM THE CEO’S DESK From the CEO's desk A new U.S. administration in January brought cross-border tariff threats; Prime Minister Trudeau announced his resignation as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, launching a leadership race; prorogation of Parliament; and a provincial election call—that’s just a few of front-page news events that can have a significant impact on Ontario’s grain and oilseed industry as we prepare for the spring planting season. By the time this issue of Ontario Grain Farmer reaches you in March, it’s hard to say what will be in the headlines. While many of these issues are out of our control, Grain Farmers of Ontario continues its work to bring the voice of Ontario’s farmers to the forefront of the global geopolitical issues that can affect trade. As net exporters of agricultural products and with a reliance on imports for many inputs and agricultural equipment, tariffs are certainly a threat to the viability of the industry. Grain Farmers of Ontario continues to advocate for open trade and to reduce market barriers. As a source of high-quality and sustainably grown grains and oilseeds, Ontario’s farmers are well positioned to meet the growing worldwide demand, and we will continue efforts to expand and diversify markets in Asia, South America, and Europe. Here at home, the snap election call in Ontario, with an election on February 27, spurred the Grain Farmers of Ontario team into action to bring the industry’s priorities to the top of candidates’ agendas. We made the case for increased investment in the sector, addressing trucking issues, and building resiliency in business risk management programming. By the time you read this commentary, the election will have been decided; regardless of the outcome, Grain Farmers of Ontario is committed to working with the provincial government to advance the industry’s best interests. Federally, we are expecting an election in the spring at the earliest or the fall at the latest. Federal priorities, including carbon tax relief, tariffs, and taxation are on our radar, and as the forecast for an election date becomes clearer, we will be communicating more information about our federal asks. In the midst of all of this uncertainty, Grain Farmers of Ontario can celebrate a ‘win’—in late January, the provincial government announced a $100 million investment in the Business Risk Management Program (BRM)—a file that Grain Farmers of Ontario has been advocating for on your behalf. This announcement means more stability for farmers across the agriculture industry, including the beef, pork, and fruit and vegetable sectors, during periods of low commodity prices. The BRM program announcement was just one of the many successes that Grain Farmers of Ontario has had over its 15-year history. At this year’s March Classic, Leading the Way, we will be celebrating the organization’s history of leadership and making a difference for Ontario farmers, and looking ahead to the future. The March Classic is the premier agricultural event in Ontario, and this year is shaping up to be the best yet! I invite you to join us for this very special celebration. Crosby Devitt, CEO, Grain Farmers of Ontario There’s an old saying that ‘the only constant is change,’ and that has definitely been the reality in the first couple of months of 2025.
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Alexandra Dacey Record winter wheat yields Great Lakes YEN’s innovation and progress The fourth year of the Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) marked another successful chapter of this innovative program. The concept of the YEN, which began in the U.K. in 2012 by ADAS, encourages collaboration among farmers, researchers, industry supporters, and multiple agricultural organizations to share crop management approaches and ultimately improve yields. With almost 200 farmers completing the program, 2024 marked the biggest Great Lakes YEN year. Half of this year’s participants were in Ontario, with the rest spread across the Great Lakes region of the U.S. and beyond, including Missouri, Kentucky, and Washington state. The program has captured data from over 480 fields, creating a dataset that researchers can analyze and answering more questions about how farmers can grow higher-yielding winter wheat. SEASONAL OVERVIEW Winter wheat planting was delayed in 2023 due to a delay in soybean maturity. Persistent dry conditions through much of September also delayed planting for some farmers. Continual rainfall in mid to late October caused further delays. Winter conditions were favourable, resulting in excellent winter survival. Dormancy was broken early; however, cool temperatures and persistent rainfall throughout the spring delayed nitrogen applications. Herbicide applications were also delayed, leading to bluegrass and chickweed issues. Disease levels were low early in the growing season, but stripe rust spread rapidly as fields approached flag leaf, requiring growers to apply a fungicide. Warm, humid conditions through pollination also prompted fungicide applications for protection against Fusarium head blight. Other diseases and pests (such as powdery mildew, septoria, and cereal leaf beetle) were present but well-controlled with timely crop protection applications. Harvest started early in much of the region, but as harvest progressed, rainfall prolonged harvest for some. Overall, 2024 winter wheat yields across the province were average, with good quality and low DON levels.
continued on page 8 ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER COVER STORY LEARNING FROM THE DATA The Great Lakes YEN is not only a competition; it’s also an opportunity for farmers to learn more about how individual fields perform, how their crops develop over the season, and how their agronomy practices impact yield by diving deep into their collected data. At the 2025 Ontario wrap-up meeting, held in London, Ontario, on January 23, participants heard from Joanna Follings (cereals specialist, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness) and Dennis Pennington (wheat systems specialist, Michigan State University Extension), who completed several in-depth analyses with the now four years of collected data. This year, one focus of data analysis was comparing how different practices affect yield specifically based on the field's soil type. For instance, when comparing different tillage practices, fields with higher clay content tended to have higher yields when under conservation tillage (at least 30 per cent residue cover), while sandier soils showed higher yields under minimum (more than 15 per cent residue cover) or no-till. As with past wrap-up meetings, participants discussed the difference in the cost of production between the highest and lowest-yielding growers in the program. While the average spend per acre was higher for the top 20 per cent of yielders, the higher yields achieved by those growers translated to a significantly lower spend per bushel of grain. Additional analysis showed that top yielders generally spent more on purchasing nitrogen inputs but less on crop protection products such as herbicides and fungicides. The 70 attendees also heard from Dr. Josh Nasielski (assistant professor, University of Guelph) and Dr. Manni Singh (associate professor of cropping systems agronomy, Michigan State University). Nasielski was responsible for creating the crop model in 2021 that uses a few key pieces of collected data from each participant’s field to calculate a maximum yield potential estimate for each Great Lakes YEN field. He explained how different soil parameters, the date the crop reaches key growth development stages, environmental conditions, and the amount of water available to the crop drastically alter the field’s maximum yield potential. Later, Singh presented findings from his research into row width and seeding practices, which was of particular interest to attendees as the four years of YEN data have shown how different planting practices, such as earlier seeding dates, narrower row widths, and lower seeding rates positively affect yields. 2024 WINNERS The winners of the Great Lakes YEN competition’s highest yield are: • Nick Suwyn (Wayland, Michigan) – 171.99 bu/ac • Jeff Krohn (Elkton, Michigan) – 170.1 bu/ac • John Kilbourne (Mount Brydges, Ontario) – 160.2 bu/ac The winners for the highest potential yield achieved are: • Jeff Krohn (Elkton, Michigan) – 155 per cent • Tim Layton (Charleston, Missouri) – 105 per cent • Rich D’Arcy (Kingston, Michigan) – 105 per cent Participants collect multiple in-field samples, including leaf tissue samples, which are analyzed for quality and nutrient content. Photo: Adam Pfeffer
continued from page 7 ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER COVER STORY www.kws.com/ca KWS Hybrid Rye Why Hybrid Rye? Leading yields Best in class winter hardiness Lower pesticide use Early spring growth Lower cost of production vs winter wheat Locate a Retailer NEW FOR 2025 Additional resources are available to participating farmers and their agronomists in 2025, including access to several interactive dashboards. These dashboards allow participants to interact with the four years of collected data in easy-to-understand charts and graphs. Users can customize the data they see, narrowing it down based on geographic region and soil type, so they can focus on specific data relevant to their fields and identify relevant trends over time. The Great Lakes YEN leadership team is also gearing up for the 2025 summer networking tour, taking place in England. Tour participants will have the opportunity to meet several long-standing YEN participants, learn about their environmental conditions and management practices, and attend the U.K.’s largest arable farming event. Thank you to all the participating farmers and agronomists who worked together to make the 2024 season a tremendous success. Thank you also to the sponsors who support this innovative program, without which the Great Lakes YEN could not exist. The 2025 Great Lakes YEN program is now in progress, with 150 fields involved across the Great Lakes region of Ontario and the United States. As the program continues to grow, the collective efforts of the Great Lakes YEN community are paving the way for more resilient and productive cropping systems. Alexandra Dacey, MSc., is Grain Farmers of Ontario's agronomy projects coordinator. The Great Lakes YEN was created in partnership with Grain Farmers of Ontario, Michigan State University, Michigan Wheat Program, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, and the University of Guelph. • Participating farmers and their agronomists collect whole plant grab samples to better understand yield components. Photo: Hensall Co-op
(J.M.) WHAT IS AN EMERGENCY PLAN? (D.A.) I consider an emergency as anything that can negatively impact a farm operation, especially when it comes to the safety and care of workers, livestock, and farm property. That can be a lengthy list to prepare for, but the idea is to have a plan of action. An emergency plan can be as straightforward as a plan to handle a fire, chemical spill, or worker injury on your farm. It can also be as simple or as intricate as needed for each operation, but no matter the details, an emergency plan is important. Emergency planning is necessary to help manage the day-to-day risks associated with farming, and since every farm is different, a plan should be tailored to the types of emergencies that could arise. For example, grain farmers and farm workers often work alone, either in the field or around equipment. This working situation might suggest farmers should prioritize first aid training for everyone because the person they might save could be themselves. Grain farms could also face emergencies associated with fires and gases, especially with grain and chemical storage facilities. Then, there are grain entrapment and equipment operating risks. An emergency plan can even incorporate best practices for working alone, like guidelines to ensure effective communication between workers. HOW CAN FARMERS CREATE AN EMERGENCY PLAN? If you don’t have a plan, then start small. For example, does everyone have contact numbers for each other saved on their phone? Do you have a first aid kit and a trained user? Does everyone know where the fire extinguishers are located? There are plenty of online resources and contacts in your local community that can help farmers customize plans. Talk to your local fire department for advice on fire prevention and preparation. They can recommend the types of extinguishers and placements. Farmers can also work with their local fire department to determine the best access routes in the case of an emergency. Some farmers even provide maps of their farms so emergency responders will know the location of fuel and chemicals or where to turn off electricity or gas sources. Planning ahead like this is just as important for your farm and the safety of emergency responders. Taking a first aid course is another great place to start. Consider enrolling multiple family members and farm employees, not just assigning one person to the responsibility. A first aid course instructor can also recommend first aid kits and other details that may relate to the individual farm operation. In Ontario, farmers can contact Workplace Safety and Prevention Services for a consultation to get started. Creating an emergency plan is critical, but it is not a one-step process. A robust emergency plan should be a living document that farmers can continue to build on and update when they have time or when concerns arise. The plan should also be easily accessible and communicated to everyone who lives and works on the farm. WHAT TYPES OF EMERGENCIES SHOULD FARMERS NEED TO PLAN FOR? Given the nature of farming and that much of a farm’s operations are subjected to the environment and weather, planning for more extreme weather events is increasingly becoming important. Here in Ontario, farmers can be faced with windstorms and tornados, heavy rains and flash melts in the spring, snow and ice storms, and building, forest, and grass fires. Any of these events could cause a loss of power, making an emergency power generation source another consideration for on-farm emergency plans. The loss of power should be considered, especially if livestock requires water, heat, or ventilation. Or if regular business operations will be interrupted during a power loss, like running a grain dryer or elevator. The seasonality of farms should also be accounted for when planning for emergencies. For example, incidents of urgent personal injuries tend to increase during busy periods on the farm, like seeding and harvesting, when people may be rushed, sleep deprived and moving more equipment on the road. Taking time to reflect on what type of emergencies could impact your farm is the first step to creating an emergency plan. Your plan should be tailored to protect your family, workers and your farm. Sandy Miller was named CEO of CASA in mid-February. Thank you to Anderson for his interim leadership.• ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER BUSINESS SIDE On-farm emergency planning Jeanine Moyer Business side with... Dean Anderson, interim CEO, Canadian Agricultural Safety Association www.casa-acsa.ca
Knowing how water moves and how different conditions enable or hinder drainage can help remedy recurring problems in the field, according to Mel Luymes, executive director of Land Improvement Contractors of Ontario, and Danny Jefferies, agronomy lead with Honeyland Ag Services in Ailsa Craig. Speaking at the 2025 Southwest Agriculture Conference, the pair detailed the interaction between the physics of water, soil type, and drainage systems. The subject is particularly timely, says Jefferies, considering the previous year saw significantly higher than average rainfall across much of Ontario. Weather trends also highlight more highintensity rainfall events, delivering substantial volumes of moisture over short periods of time. Having effective drainage is, consequently, of growing importance. PORE SPACE Soil structure is a key factor in how water moves, says Jefferies, “but as with everything in the world, it happens for a reason—and that reason is usually physics.” The interaction between pore space and water changes in soil depending on pore size. Water in wet soils flows primarily through large pores, the same way water flows in a river. This is referred to as the gravitational flow of water. In unsaturated conditions, water moves horizontally and upwards due to what Jefferies calls “matric capillary forces,” a result of the adhesive properties of hydrogen ions in water molecules, which bind them to soil particles, and cohesive properties binding water molecules to each other. “This is what gives water tension,” says Jefferies. The smaller the radius of the soil pore, the higher the water will rise. However, smaller pores also mean more adhesion. Water will often move horizontally across soil with similar pore sizes before moving into layers with larger pores. “Capillary action is quite slow, especially in these loamy texture soils, so we do get capillary movement, but water moves much more slowly than in the sand.” INFILTRATION AND CONNECTIVITY Water has to first get into the soil, of course, and good infiltration can stave off ponding and runoff during periods of significant rainfall. Pores on the soil’s surface are critical for infiltration, and damaging surface pores— through compaction or the battering effect of rain on bare ground, for example—lead to silting and crusting. Compaction also creates smaller pores and compresses the connective pathways between soil pores, meaning water has to take a slower, more meandering path to reach depth. Infiltration can take time, even in noncompacted soil. In sandy loam, for example, gravitational flow water moves at eight feet per day. In clay loam, it’s 1.5 metres per day. Jefferies says this significant difference in movement has direct implications on the number of field work days available and should be accounted for when considering drainage systems. From low spots to damaged tile, nearly everyone has some sort of drainage dilemma. But do you know how your drainage system actually works? Matt McIntosh How water moves in soil Considerations for better drainage ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER AGRONOMY
TILE CONSIDERATIONS Luymes reiterates tile drainage does not remove needed moisture from soil; it just removes excess gravitational water. “We’re just lowering the water table faster than it would naturally,” says Luymes. She adds tile also pays in dry years, as removing excess water early in the growing season drives the development of larger crop root systems—a benefit when hot, dry weather arrives later in summer. Jefferies says water can enter tile from above through “macropores,” or large spaces formed by worms, roots, cracks, and so on. While this is a good thing, he cautions farmers need to be mindful when it comes to nutrient applications, as macropores offer a “direct conduit” to field tile. On the whole, though, water enters tile from below as saturation raises the water table. “We often say water runs downhill, but agriculture depends on water going up a lot…Water still has to go down, but then there’s that pressure difference, which is why it would be going down to go up again,” says Luymes. Differences in pressure within the soil also create humps of moisture between tile drains. The larger that hump is, the less ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER AGRONOMY “Tile also pays in dry years, as removing excess water early in the growing season drives the development of larger crop root systems—a benefit when hot, dry weather arrives later in summer. evenly a field will drain. This can be remedied with the right tile spacing and depth. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness Publication 29, Drainage Guide for Ontario, lists different spacing and depths for different soil types. “Soil has its own way of draining,” says Luymes, reiterating farmers need to understand both natural drainage and how much water tile systems can drain—the latter being called the “drainage coefficient.” Regardless of tile spacing and depth, the size of the tile outlet is critical to a system’s ability to handle water. Trying to save money by opting for an outlet smaller than what’s recommended by the contractor is not a good idea. “Imagine a bottleneck. If you want to have good drainage, you have to pay for a massive outlet…There is math involved. You can’t skimp on the outlet. Ever,” says Luymes in a later interview. “That system will need to be designed, or potentially overdesigned, for the future.” Should a grower want the ability to retain more water, controlled drainage systems are an option. Luymes describes them as underground dams, where water is retained until it reaches above the intercepting panel housed within a tile main. Different types of tile, too, can move water more quickly or slowly, and terraced tile systems can provide good drainage in fields with topographical differences. Jefferies and Luymes add good soil health practices—avoiding compaction, keeping soil covered, adding organic amendments, responsible tillage, crop rotation—and improving drainage. Some fields, though, have waterlogged areas that won’t go away. For Luymes, such cases “just could be a wetland. Let’s just admit that.” • Free Mental Health Training for the Agricultural Community InTheKnowOntario.ca In theKnowis a training tailored to the agricultural community that increases understanding of mental health and wellness, normalizes conversations about mental health, and reduces stigma. REGISTER FOR A SESSION OR BOOK A PRIVATE SESSION FOR YOUR GROUP
This happens for two reasons, says Dr. John Lauzon, an associate professor at the University of Guelph. Lauzon spoke as part of a panel at the 2025 Southwest Agricultural Conference. The first reason is the more obvious one: surface application of fertilizers leads to a build-up of nutrients in the uppermost layer of the soil. However, Lauzon says that nutrient stratification also occurs naturally due to plants' uptake of nutrients from the entire root zone. Some of these nutrients are removed from the harvested grain, but whatever is left in the crop residue on the soil surface is eventually released. For phosphorus, about 20 per cent of what the crop takes up remains in the residue, but for potassium, that number is 65 per cent. Nutrient stratification primarily affects phosphorus and potassium. While nitrate and sulphate may be temporarily stratified, Lauzon says these ions are mobile in the soil water and will not remain stratified long-term. On the other hand, he says potassium occurs as an exchangeable cation in the soil and moves only slowly in the soil water. As a result, it will stay stratified in the soil. Phosphorus forms a precipitate with iron, aluminum, and calcium in the soil and moves even less than potassium, so it also becomes stratified. WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS OF NUTRIENT STRATIFICATION? When the soil dries out at the surface due to a lack of rainfall, nutrients stratified near the soil surface may be positionally unavailable to the roots which cannot access them in dry soil, says Lauzon. Higher levels of phosphorus in the topmost layer of soil can also lead to downstream water quality problems. Sheet erosion is the loss of a thin layer of soil from the surface of a field. While not as obvious as rill or gully erosion, Lauzon says it can result in a significant amount of soil erosion. Erosion of soils with high potassium levels is a concern because it causes algae growth in lakes. While water-soluble potassium causes an immediate burst of algae growth, the potassium attached to soil particles, known as ‘legacy potassium,’ can continue to contribute to algae growth for a long time. WHAT DOES NUTRIENT STRATIFICATION LOOK LIKE IN THE FIELD? Dale Cowan, an agronomist with AGRIS Co-op in Chatham, compared soil samples taken at two-inch increments to a depth of six inches with six-inch cores. The samples were taken on both a clay loam and a sand in a no-till system. He found there was stratification in both soils, but that stratification of phosphorus and potassium was more significant in the clay loam soil compared to the sandy soil. WHAT IS THE IMPACT ON SOIL SAMPLING? Cowan concluded that it was important to maintain a consistent six-inch depth when taking soil samples. Taking samples at a shallower depth could overestimate phosphorus and potassium soil test levels when nutrient stratification is present. In a field where fertilizer was applied in a band during strip tillage, Cowan compared random sampling across the rows with sampling between the rows, sampling in the Helen Lammers-Help Nutrient stratification in no-till What’s the reality? Nutrient stratification can occur when farmers repeatedly apply fertilizer to the soil surface in a no-till system without doing any tillage. ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER AGRONOMY Photo: OMAFA
ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER AGRONOMY CropBooster® Oligo Prime® and RR SoyBooster® Oligo Prime® in corn, soybean and wheat crops Over the past five years, across more than 100 trials, Oligo Prime® technology has delivered an average yield increase of over 7.5 bushels per acre for corn growers. Talk to your Agro-100 representative or Ag retailer. 1 866 770.8887 • www.agro-100.com download the Agro100 application for free today! “Oligo Prime® biostimulant products improve young plants resistance to stress, contributing in growing my farm sustainability.” agro_CropB_OntGrainFarmer_half_jan2025_05.indd 1 2025-01-22 11:32 band, and using a standardized template to guide sampling. Using a limited data set showed that a good randomized sampling regime but with attention to avoiding sampling right in the band, gave satisfactory results. He noted that “after several years of strip-till and moving the location of the strip, it may remove any concerns with soil sampling patterns.” The traditional tried-and-true method for applying fertilizer with the planter is to band it two inches to the side and two inches below the corn seed. “The closer you get to the seed, the greater the chance of injury, so the application rate would need to decrease to avoid fertilizer injury,” says Lauzon. He emphasizes the importance of ensuring that the planter is set up properly so the band placement is actually where you want it. He says you shouldn’t assume that the manufacturer has set it up properly. Applying fertilizer with a strip-till unit opens up new possibilities for fertilizer placement. In an ongoing study, with funding from the Grain Farmers of Ontario, Lauzon, along with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness corn specialist Ben Rosser, aims to determine the safe rates of fertilizer application in various placements with a strip tillage unit. “The optimal rate meets the needs of the plant but does not cause injury,” says Lauzon, who is comparing fertilizer toxicity to the seed when fertilizer is placed in one of four locations: in a band four inches below the soil surface, a double band (which had the advantage of having only half the concentration in each band), a deeper sixinch band, and dribbling it in front of a wavy coulter. Early results showed that the placement four inches below the soil surface sometimes placed the fertilizer too close to the seed. However, the deeper six-inch band may be too far from the seed to see the benefit of early potassium in corn. In the treatment where fertilizer was dribbled in front of the coulter, the fertilizer did not get mixed in very well and resulted in toxicity to the corn seed. IS IT A GOOD IDEA TO PERFORM TILLAGE TO REDUCE STRATIFICATION IN NO-TILL? While anecdotally, there are reports of farmers experiencing a yield boost after performing a tillage operation in a previously undisturbed system, Cowan says it is not known if this yield increase is due to remixing phosphorus and potassium that’s near the surface, the release of nitrogen from decomposing organic matter, or getting more air into the soil. “I’m a big fan of multiple methods of fertilizer placement,” says Cowan. “I think the whole top six inches needs a good distribution of phosphorus and potassium. So broadcast, strip-till, some incorporation…I see nothing wrong with managing nutrients in that manner.” •
ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER INDUSTRY NEWS He had a book titled “Auction Price Book,” written three years earlier by a banker from Morris, Minnesota, featuring auction prices on farm machinery. At that time, banks needed cash valuations for loans, and as a dealer, Peterson’s father valued the book not just for the prices it provided but to know more about what was on the market. Peterson’s life was about to change—dramatically. As he glanced through the book, he realized that as an accountant, he could transform his love and skill with numbers into a business opportunity. “I knew I liked numbers, and my Dad said, ‘This is good info, and I think there’s something here,’” says Peterson, better known now as ‘Machinery Pete.’ “Whenever I talk to young people, I tell them, ‘Listen to your folks, listen to your grandparents, because they’ve been through things.’” Peterson was the keynote speaker at day two of the 2025 Southwest Agricultural Conference and offered a retrospective of his career and his outlook on used equipment sales and the factors affecting their rise and fall. He credited his father with giving him the Auction Price Book Ralph Pearce The used equipment marketplace Machinery Pete’s perspective on auction prices In 1989, Greg Peterson was trying to determine a direction in life. A recent college graduate and newlywed, he was looking for a job in Rochester, Minnesota, when he received a call from his father, a third-generation John Deere dealer across the state in Benson. “At the 2024 Commodity Classic, the newest Deere tractor went for $1.2 million. Equipment has increased in size and price.
and starting him on what’s now a 35-year odyssey, tracking prices and monitoring the factors affecting used equipment sales. On that list are world influences, such as the increased Chinese construction in 2004 and the effect on the price of steel. In 2007, it was the rise in ethanol production, with an almost instantaneous increase in auction prices. LESSONS FROM HISTORY From 2007 to early 2013, commodity prices were strong, yet the period from the end of 2013 through 2015 saw the biggest drop in used farm equipment values he’s ever seen on late-model farm equipment. “On my one to 10 scale, just for perspective, six is what I believe to be stable or normal, but you guys know there’s no normal in agriculture,” said Peterson. “From 2007 to 2013, we were up over high eights to nine, and then we started down. At the end of 2015, it was a key point when late-model used values for two-and-a-half years fell like a rock—15 to 25 per cent year-over-year, and then they started to level out to a more normal pace.” He believes 2024 to be year one of a correction. He showed how prices fell in 2024, yet in the fourth quarter of every year— eight of the previous 22—Q4 used values have increased. In 2003, then-president George W. Bush instituted tax cuts that allowed growers to write off new or used equipment purchases. “That became entrenched in the DNA of U.S. farmers,” said Peterson, referring to the practice of lowering taxable income through the purchase of equipment. “That’s why I always said that if I were having my retirement sale, I’d have it around December 8 because that’s when it tops out.” THE DRIVERS? There have been four factors causing a long-term trend in pricing. One is dealer consolidation; 10, 15, or 20 years ago, there were more dealers. Now, there are fewer, and they don’t have five stores; they have 35. “These huge dealer groups want to do things differently than they did a decade ago,” said Peterson. “They don’t want this huge excess, and now they’re paying eight per cent interest on the 80 combines they have at their 30 stores. They couldn’t take that hit and had to move them, so they took them to auction, with big losses.” The second factor is the increased price of new machinery. Larger-scale manufacturers are facing layoffs and plant closures in an effort to hold to a set price point to help dealers ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER INDUSTRY NEWS continued on page 16 De Dell Seeds The Leaders in Non-GMO Corn When you are dealt a poor hand you rely on your partner. Let De Dell Seeds be your partner for the future. Mention this ad when placing your order to receive a free deck of De Dell Playing Cards. De Dell Seeds • 7095 Century Drive • Melbourne, ON • N0L 1T0 P: 519-264-CORN (2676) • F: 519-264-2672 info@dedellseeds.com • www.dedellseeds.com What’s Trump? CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY From the week before the 2024 U.S. Thanksgiving to a week before Christmas, Greg Peterson, known as “Machinery Pete,” attended eight auctions from Minnesota to Kentucky. Among the “gifts” he witnessed (all prices in U.S. dollars) were: • a 2013 Case IH Skid-Steer, SV250, very low hours, sold for $41,000, the third-highest auction price for a Skid-Steer; • at a farm retirement auction, Peterson saw a 2022 Brent 2596 grain cart that sold for $170,000, the highest ever for a grain cart; • a BushHog 1865e side-boom mower sold for $20,000, yet the owner told Peterson he’d bought it four years earlier for $16,000, and • a 2014 Challenger MT8645C, with 1,450 hours, sold for $341,000, a record price four years after the farmer paid $250,000.
continued from page 15 ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER INDUSTRY NEWS move excess used inventory. Third on the list is the shift resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, when on-line bidding, which had been around for the previous 10 years, intensified and turned to on-line only auctions. “You have to remember where commodity prices were in March 2020—they hadn’t gone up yet,” says Peterson. “The auction prices started to go up in mid-March 2020, and I thought there was no reason, yet they were going up. The only thing I could think of was the world we live in has us (on our phones) all the time, which is great—we built our company around that.” Yet when it comes to buying equipment and everyone is online only, it dissolved peoples’ hesitation about clicking that bid button one more time. It also meant more interested buyers from across North America, not just the U.S. THERE’S AN EASIER WAY TO MAXIMIZE YOUR FIELD'S POTENTIAL SOYA IP SIMPLIFIÉE 1.888.427.7692 CERESCO.CA SIMPLIFIED IP SOYBEANS OFFERING YOU MORE, YIELDS BETTER RESULTS! Guaranteed Varietal Premium More Delivery Points In Quebec And Ontario Year-Round Agronomic Support Storage Premium Weed Management Program 100% Buyback Program With Ceresco’s Premium Buy Back IP Program and a full team dedicated to help you achieve your goals, we make it easier than ever to get every dollars worth for your fields. The other driver is the price of new equipment. Before 2020 and 2023, Peterson reasoned the price of new would increase by about four per cent, year-over-year. But coming through the pandemic, the effects of supply chain contraction, labour costs, and not being able to procure equipment, everything went out the window. At the 2024 Commodity Classic, the newest John Deere tractor went for $1.2 million. Equipment has increased in size and price. In response to viewing a video that Peterson shot and posted on Machinery Pete, the most frequently asked question has been, “How much does it cost?” It begs another question he posed recently: “Will we ever get to the point where pricing is too high?” “Unfortunately, what I think we’re setting up for is a little bit of this continual ‘boom-bust,’ where manufacturers shut production when commodity prices are low, to help dealers move excess used,” said Peterson. “Then, for whatever reason, corn and soybeans go up, and you’re four or five years into the cycle, you need to replace your combine and planter, but so does everyone else. Then it takes a while to ramp up production, so you have to pay and have the planter or combine you need, and the price pressure tells you to pay it, and I think, unfortunately, that’s what we’re setting up for.” •
ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Bayer, Bayer Cross, Corvus® and Laudis® are registered trademarks of Bayer Group. Used under license. Bayer CropScience Inc. is a member of CropLife Canada. ©2025 Bayer Group. All rights reserved. cropscience.bayer.ca | 1 888-283-6847 | @Bayer4CropsCA BLADES SWAPPED. YOU’RE READY. WEED PRESSURE IN YOUR CORN. WE’RE READY. Whatever weeds your corn crop is up against, Bayer has the solutions. Corvus® herbicide provides outstanding control of a broad spectrum of broadleaf and grass weeds in eld and seed corn. Laudis® herbicide delivers fast acting broadleaf weed control with short term residual activity and excellent crop safety. Ask about our full lineup of crop protection products and make sure you’re ready for whatever comes your way. Scan to learn more
LEADING THE WAY 2025 March Classic March 18, 2025 Tuesday March 18, 2025 7 a.m. Attendee breakfast Sponsored by John Deere Canada 8 a.m. Registration and exhibit hall opens 9 a.m. Opening remarks from Grain Farmers of Ontario 9:30 a.m. The U.S. Farm Report with host Tyne Morgan The U.S. Farm Report returns to the 2025 March Classic to host and record a panel discussion on prices, markets, and hot-button issues for agriculture. 10:30 a.m. Break Sponsored by Syngenta 11 a.m. Vance Crowe, Communications Strategist My Grandfather’s Axe: The Art of Passing Down Something You Have Built. Your most important work in succession starts long before hiring lawyers and accountants. Vance lays out often overlooked strategies farm families need to pass on the family farm they have built in their lifetime. Noon Lunch Sponsored by Syngenta 1:30 p.m. Linda Nazareth, Economist, Futurist and Author Sponsored by Desjardins Economorphics: The Economic Trends Changing Today Into Tomorrow. The world we know is morphing into a different planet with different economic opportunities and challenges. What are the trends taking today into tomorrow, and what are the trends that are resulting from the shift? 2:30 p.m. Break Sponsored by Syngenta 3 p.m. Innovation in Agriculture panel with moderator Joe Dales Sponsored by Farm Credit Canada Join us for an engaging panel discussion on the future of innovation in agriculture, where industry leaders and visionaries will explore cutting-edge advancements shaping how we grow, produce, and sustain the world’s food supply, with moderator Joe Dales, from RHA Ventures. 4 p.m. Pre-banquet reception Sponsored by Bayer CropScience 6 p.m. Banquet ($75, tickets required) Entertainment from Canadian singer-songwriter Owen Riegling Sponsored by SeCan 9 p.m. Conference end March 17, 2025 Opening reception 7 p.m., DoubleTree by Hilton, London
Platinum Sponsors Gold Sponsors Silver Sponsors Exhibitors A&L Canada Laboratories ACC Ag Business & Crop Inc. Agricorp Agriculture Wellness Ontario Agro-100 Alco Energy Canada Alpine ALUS Middlesex BASF Agriculture Solutions Canada Inc. Bayer CropScience Inc. Belchim Canada Broadgrain C&M Seeds Canadian Foodgrains Bank Canadian Grain Commission CanGrow Crop Solutions Cargill Sarnia CASA/WSPS CASE IH Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) Corteva Agriscience Canada De Dell Seeds Desjardins DG Global Farm Credit Canada (FCC) Fieldwalker Agronomy FMC FS Co-operatives G3 Canada Limited Ganaraska Systems Inc. Gowan Canada Grain Farmers of Ontario Hensall Co-op Horst Systems Ingredion Canada Corporation John Deere Canada Josslin Insurance Koch Agronomic Services LAC Libro Credit Union Maizex Seeds Meridian Manufacturing Inc. Montag Nexeed Inc. Nicola Wealth Nutri -Pel OMAFA Ontario Federation of Agriculture Ontario Plowmen's Association OSCIA Parrish & Heimbecker Pride Seeds Prograin RBC Roberts Farm Equipment Scotiabank SeCan SGS Canada TD Agriculture Services The Andersons The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group UAP Canada
ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER GRAIN TALK Your Grain Farmers of Ontario Team Here is our next installment of profiles of your Grain Farmers of Ontario staff to help introduce you to the team. Emma Weizenbluth Grains educator Emma Weizenbluth joined Grain Farmers of Ontario in September 2024 as the grains educator. Her role supports the communications team on projects such as developing a French version of the STEMterprise program for schools. Her primary focus is visiting schools and educating elementary students about the importance of understanding where their food comes from via curriculum-compliant, hands-on, science- and grains-based lessons. Weizenbluth graduated from Carleton University in 2013 and completed a Bachelor of Education at Brock University’s Hamilton campus in 2014. After eight years of being a Core French teacher and a year of soul-searching, she decided to make a career change. Wiezenbluth is excited to bring her creativity and experience in education to Grain Farmers of Ontario to further develop Grain Farmers of Ontario’s educational programs and foster connections with urban communities and advancing the interests of the grain farming industry. Annual District meetings Grain Farmers of Ontario hosted its annual District meetings January 7-17, 2025. Staff and directors travelled across the province to all 15 Districts to share updates from the association with farmer-members. The meetings also served to elect delegates and in odd-numbered Districts, directors to serve a two-year term. Attendees also heard from guest speakers including representatives from Agricorp and Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association, and industry representatives from the Agriculture Credit Corporation, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, Alco Group, and Farm and Food Care Ontario. Special guest speaker, MP John Barlow, Conservative Party of Canada agriculture critic, spoke at the District 12 (Durham, Northumberland, Kawartha, Peterborough, Hastings) meeting. Grain
Join the conversation! Visit www.gfo.ca/GrainTALK for news, updates, and information for Grain Farmers of Ontario farmer-members. elected directors Throughout January, elections were held in each district, and all farmer-members were invited to vote for their representatives. Each district voted in their delegates, and from the delegates, a director was elected in odd-numbered districts. These lists were accurate at the time of printing. Please visit www.gfo.ca for the most current listing. DISTRICT DIRECTOR CONTACT 1 GRACE PEARSON ESSEX GRACE.MULLEN0@GMAIL.COM 2 GUS TERNOEY TILBURY GUS@DASHWHEELFARMS.CA 3 JULIE MAW COURTRIGHT JULIE@MOOREMAWFARMS.CA 4 STEVE TWYNSTRA AILSA CRAIG STEVE@TWILIGHTACREFARMS.CA 5 ANN VERMEERSCH TILLSONBURG ANN@TILLVALLEYFARMS.COM 6 JEFF BARLOW HANNON JEFF@BARLOWFARMS.CA 7 ANGELA ZILKE EMBRO ANGZILKE@GMAIL.COM 8 KEITH BLACK BELGRAVE BKBLACK@HURONTEL.ON.CA 9 JOSH BOERSEN SEBRINGVILLE JBOERSEN@GMAIL.COM 10 STEVE LAKE ELORA LAKE.STEVE@GMAIL.COM 11 LEO BLYDORP AMARANTH LEO.BLYDORP@GMAIL.COM 12 JEFF HARRISON QUINTE WEST JEFFH.GFO@GMAIL.COM 13 LLOYD CROWE PICTON GFOLLOYD@GMAIL.COM 14 SCOTT FIFE FINCH SCOTT.FIFE@OUTLOOK.COM 15 JASON SEED EARLTON JASONSEED13@GMAIL.COM ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER GRAIN TALK
ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER XXXXXX ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER GRAIN TALK DISTRICT 6 (Brant, Haldimand, Hamilton, Niagara) Matt Beischlag, Jarvis Susan Gowan, Jarvis Jay McLellan, Brantford Brad Nimijohn, Millgrove Ian Turnbull, Canfield Kevin Vander Spek, Cayuga Gerry Veldhuizen, Lowbanks Aaron McQueen, Fisherville DISTRICT 7 (Oxford, Waterloo) Ed Crawford, Woodstock Wes Hart, Woodstock Jeff Hunsberger, Baden Julia Kimber, Elmira Derek Vanderspek, Tavistock Kayla Veldman, Embro Mark Zilke , Embro DISTRICT 8 (Huron) Mike Colclough, Clinton Adam Garniss, Wingham Dan Hayden, Dungannon Chris Hundt, Brucefield Jeff Klomps, Bayfield Rebecca Miller, Wingham Brad Pryce, Walton Matt Underwood, Wingham Margaret Vincent, Belgrave Robin Vermue, Bayfield DISTRICT 9 (Perth) Brian Barker, St. Marys Phil Dow, Staffa Matt Drummond, Shakespeare Maggie McDonnell, Gadshill Kaye McLagan, St Marys Ron Van Der Burgt, Mitchell Tony Deblock, Bornholm DISTRICT 10 (Bruce, Grey, Wellington) Ian Dickison, Mildmay Neil Driscoll, Moorefield Ian Furlong, Proton Station Shawn Helmuth, Moorefield Bailey Holborn, Moorefield Matt Jacobs, Ayton Will Kell, Paisley Aaron Legge, Chesley Brock Lowry, Ripley Rob Lowry, Kincardine Rob Luymes, Palmerston Pete Schill, Palmerston Ed Seifried, Harriston Ken Thompson, Kincardine Darcy Trinier, Palmerston Henry Van Ankum, Alma Don Walter, Palmerston Daniel Chiappetta, Guelph Ben Claussen, Moorefield DISTRICT 11 (Dufferin, Halton, Peel, Simcoe, York) Alf Budweth, Nobleton Aaron Curtis, East Garafraxa Tom Dobson, King City Charlie Tilt, Moffat Paul Maurice, Tiny Steve Kell, Churchill Ross Langman, Elmvale David Ritchie, Midland Rob Wright, Midhurst DISTRICT 12 (Durham, Hastings, Kawartha, Northumberland, Peterborough) Kristen Carberry, Campbellford Reuben De Jong, Roseneath Travis Greydanus, Grafton Joe Hickson, Lindsay Dale Mountjoy, Uxbridge Craig Rickard, Bowmanville Marie Shea, Bethany DISTRICT 13 (Prince Edward, Lennox, Addington, Frontenac, Lanark, Leeds, Grenville, Renfrew, Ottawa) Kelsey Banks, Kemptville Andrew Dawson, Lanark Jennifer Doelman, Douglas Lance Gibson, Yarker Ross Hawkins, Elgin Ian McGregor, Braeside Eleanor Renaud, Jasper DISTRICT 14 (Prescott, Russell, Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry) Andy Corput, Chesterville Michel Dignard, Embrun Duncan Ferguson, Williamstown Chris Ferguson, North Lancaster Mark Fraser, Maxville Andrew Harbers, Newington Alan Kruszel, Newington Kyle O'Donohue, Berwick Brent Vanden Bosch, Chesterville Kevin Winters, Finch DISTRICT 15 (Northern Ontario) Matt Bowman, Thornloe Timo Brielmann, Pinewood Sam Cloutier, Earlton Simon Cloutier, Earlton Gerry Dinnissen, Kapuskasing Terry Phillips, New Liskeard Loren Runnalls, New Liskeard Elected Delegates DISTRICT 1 (Essex) Clayton Armstrong, Belle River Maurice Chauvin, Point aux-Roches Charles McLean, Maidstone Kurt Makey, Belle River Bonnie Popov, Essex Brian Hyland, Essex Alex Epp, Leamington DISTRICT 2 (Kent) Stan Brien, Ridgetown Matt Chapple, Chatham Emily Charbonneau-Howe, Blenheim Jay Cunningham, Thamesville Greg Glasier, Tilbury Ryan Handsor, Wallaceburg Mark Huston, Thamesville Derrick Leclair, Dover Centre Brent McFadden, Dresden Chris Renwick, Wheatley Tyler Robertson, Kent Bridge Mike Vannieuwenhuyze, Thamesville Dave Harwood, Chatham Ken Dawson, Wheatley DISTRICT 3 (Lambton) Sarah Butler, Croton Maaike Campbell, Warwick Township Brian Eves, Wallaceburg Emery Huszka, Florence Brad Langstaff, Wilkesport Matt Lennan, Petrolia Jonathan McRae, Alvinston Brad Podolinsky, Alvinston DISTRICT 4 (Middlesex) Evan Aerts, Ailsa Craig Eric Dietrich, Granton Paul Dietrich, Lucan Hilmar Kaumanns, Lucan Luke McClary, Ilderton Adam Robson, Ilderton Matt Vanhie, Ailsa Craig Ian Dann, Thorndale DISTRICT 5 (Elgin, Norfolk) Scott Persall, Waterford Bruce Court, Courtland Brock Gignac, Langton Michael Pasztor, Langton Taylor deRyk , Dorchester Jamie McCaffery, Wallacetown Allen Taylor, St. Thomas
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