With the cold winter behind us and the long hot summer days on the horizon, the month of May is the ideal time for planting. Planting season is a busy time for farmers across the province as it requires many hours of hard work in order to make the most of the ideal weather conditions. Long days are spent planting acres upon acres – hundreds even thousands, which could involve working late hours into the evening.

The mid spring weather that is not to hot or too cold, but brings a little rain and some warm weather makes the ground just right and the most ideal time for planting in Ontario. Depending on the weather conditions, planting can be accomplished earlier in the year, but the first half of May is a typical time to plant and commonly produces higher yields than planting later. The crop is able to use the full planting season when planted at this time. With earlier planting comes an earlier maturity and this allows the farmer to reduce the risk of crops being damaged due to poor weather, such as an early fall frost come harvest time.

In order for a plant to grow, the soil must be warm enough and carry the moisture required for the seeds to germinate. With this being said, timing is a very important aspect. Weather forecasts must be observed far in advance to make sure a drastic drop in temperature is not in the near future as this could damage the seedlings even before any signs of growth.

Post written by Armen Poladian, BES candidate at University of Waterloo

Mother Nature has taken April showers very seriously this year with what seems like daily periods of rain in some regions of the province! In fact, this April, Ontario has already accumulated more rainfall than average.  For example, Woodstock averages 300mm of rainfall from April to August; April 2013 has already given Woodstock 100mm alone.

Other than the rain, cold temperatures have dragged on into the Spring Season as well. With mixes of freezing rain, heavy rain, and ice pellets, the soil has not been able to warm up and warm soil is crucial for germination of seeds.

The past few years, farmers have been able to plant in April and even March, so waiting until May is making some farmers anxious…  Historically, later planting has affected yields, particularly in corn.

Ontario farmers aren’t the only ones tapping their fingers and toes with impatience though. The US Corn Belt states are also lagging far behind normal planting pace – Iowa hasn’t planted anything yet! Knowing this isn’t very comforting for grain farmers in our province though with some regions facing yet another rain shower in the forecast this weekend.

Hopefully May flowers means May sunshine!

Post written by Armen Poladian, BES candidate at University of Waterloo

Grain Farmers of Ontario is showcasing their Grains in Your Life exhibit during the Green Living Show at the Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place this weekend (April 12-14, 2013).

The Green Living Show is North America’s largest consumer show dedicated to simple solutions for leading a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.  The show features influential speakers, innovative products, educational demonstrations, and fun activities for the entire family.

Grain Farmers of Ontario’s Grains in Your Life exhibit brings innovative environmentally sustainable products made with grain to the attention of consumers through an exhibit made up of three rooms in a house – a living room, kitchen, and garage. At its entrance, it displays replica corn, soybean, and wheat fields.

These rooms are constructed with everything from kitchen cabinets, countertop, carpet, sofas, and fabrics made with corn, soy and wheat components.  Grain is a sustainable and healthy option that doesn’t sacrifice style or durability.

We hope to see you this weekend!

soybean seeds in a bin

With spring among us, farmers are planning what seeds to plant for the upcoming growing season.  A crucial part of farming is the selection of the very best seeds.

Famers make general decisions about the type of corn, soybeans, and wheat they want to grow based on market demand, prices, and local growing capabilities (ex. soil, moisture, past performance on the land).

Determining the best seed to plant, however, requires a lot of research. Farmers attend seminars about new seed varieties, talk to expert agronomists, and use resources like variety performance trials. The performance trials, and other helpful information, can be found online at www.gocorn.net, www.gosoy.ca, and www.gocereals.ca.

Just like other consumers, farmers will then shop around to find the best prices on the seed that they desire. When purchasing seed, they may be required to sign a single-use contract, which means they will have to buy new seed next year; they set up a time to pick-up the seed or have it delivered when they are ready to plant.  If they had success with the particular variety, some farmers save seed from their previous crop to replant, if their seed contract allows.

Since spring is taking some time to show itself, with snow still in the forecast, farmers are patiently waiting to plant what they have determined are “the perfect seeds” and commence their operations for the 2013 growing season.

This week marks the second annual Canadian Agriculture Literacy Week (CALW). This week, students will be participating in activities to both learn and celebrate agriculture in Canada. Students will participate in a number of activities which include reading, watching videos, and speaking with farmers and other agricultural professionals.

The idea of this agriculture literacy week has aided students by gaining an increase in awareness, knowledge, and interest about agriculture in Canada. The goal of agriculture literacy week is to enhance students’ understanding of agriculture while giving them the chance to ask questions and satisfy their ideas and thoughts.

This reserved week also gives students the awareness of learning about where our food comes from. It is very possible that people are unaware about the process of how food gets onto their dining tables. By teaching students, this week becomes a time of spreading news by word-of-mouth; students could explain what they learned and interested them to their parents, guardians, friends, and relatives.

All in all, this week has become a time to recognize our agriculture works, and to inspire younger generations about the field of agriculture.

Post written by Armen Poladian, BES candidate at University of Waterloo

Modern farm operations require a lot of energy, and farmers around the world are adapting innovative energy production systems that use on-farm renewable resources.

Solar Energy
Solar energy is typically well-suited for life on the farm.  Solar energy is energy produced by using the sun’s radiant light and heat.  The technology used to capture this energy is solar panels.  Solar panels can be attached to roofs, land, and even water sources.  This is ideal for farmers, because solar panels can be placed on land that can’t (or isn’t) used for food production, or on large barn roofs, maximizing the productivity of operations.

Wind Power
Wind power is also ideal for farming operations.  Crop farms typically have big, open fields that experience a lot of cross-winds. Wind turbines tend to be highly efficient allowing the farmer to have enough energy for their farm operations and excess energy that can be sold back into the grid.

Energy from Waste
A farm’s agricultural waste can also be used as energy.  Energy from agricultural waste, like livestock manure, can be used to produce electricity, heat, or biogas (i.e. from the incineration of the waste).  Stanton Farms in Ilderton, Ontario is an example where they have adopted these methods and technologies within their operations.

Utilizing the natural resources that are found on the farm to help produce the energy needed for farm operations is an ideal cycle for many Ontario farmers. When you are going for a drive in rural Ontario, you will likely see some of these energy production systems on farms.

During the winter, many farmers take part in courses (such as Grains in Action) and conferences (such as the March Classic) to keep themselves updated and to prepare for the workload ahead of them.
This is also the time when farmers check up on their farming equipment. They might upgrade their equipment or purchase new technologies.

Tractors
A tractor is defined as: “A powerful motor vehicle with large rear wheels, used chiefly on farms for hauling equipment and trailers.” Farmers use tractors to plow their fields and to plant their crops.

Global Positioning System (GPS)
We may use GPS’s in our cars to help us with directions, but farmers use them on the field. Famers use GPS technology to help dictate where seeds have been planted so they know where to plant next, where irrigation systems are, and where obstacles are in the field so they navigate appropriately.

Combines
A combine is defined as: “An agricultural machine that cuts, threshes, and cleans a grain crop in one operation.” In other words, a combine is the farm implement that is used to harvest their crop when it is ready to do so.

Autonomous Grain Carts
Autonomous grain carts are an example of new technologies, as they are vehicles that have commercialized guidance systems that allow a tractor and grain cart unit be driven without operator input. In other words, these grain carts are new technology vehicles that drive themselves.

There are risks that farmers understand are part of the job, and accept.  Weather is depended upon by farmers, and it is very hard to predict beforehand.

During the winter, wheat crops could run into issues by being severely damaged or killed (i.e. winterkill).  Problems that can occur during the winter season are frost heaving, ice, and extremely low temperatures.

Freeze and thaw cycles, of early spring, are one of the main reasons for winterkill in Ontario.  As the frost goes into the ground, it lifts the plant closer to the surface.  If this is repeated enough times, the plant could be pushed out of the soil and its roots could break, causing the death of the plant.

Ice cover could also provide impairment for wheat, such as cutting off oxygen supply to the crop.  Wheat can survive for about 2 weeks covered in a sheet of ice.  Farmers do their best to break the ice surface to allow gas exchange and keep the wheat alive.

Extreme cold temperatures could also harm a wheat crop.  Winter wheat is possible because in its process, snow covers the wheat which provides a protective blanket from the cold weather (i.e. warms the wheat from the cold).  Wheat can survive temperatures as low as -24˚C.

Many of us might think of farming as a job where warm weather is required; planting the seeds in springtime, and harvesting in autumn.  Well, winter wheat might change that opinion.

Winter wheat, as its name might hint, is a type of wheat planted, not in the springtime, but, in autumn.  It emerges as small green sprouts that look like blades of grass, before winter.  As the snow falls during winter, it actually acts as a protective blanket to the small green sprouts of wheat.

After the spring thaw (i.e. when the ice and snow melts), the wheat begins to grow again, and by midsummer the stalks are tall and flowering.  Harvesting of winter wheat is usually done during summer, usually around the month of July.

Every year in Ontario, nearly 2 million acres of wheat are grown, much of which is winter wheat. Wheat is used a great deal in our everyday lives and accounts for approximately 21% of the world’s wheat exports (Canada averages about 20 million tonnes of wheat exports a year). Wheat is used in many of the things we enjoy every day like breakfast cereals, pancakes, charcoal, and beer.

Farmers are facing a drought and all they can hope for is rain, rain, rain. Corn is really suffering right now and you can tell that it needs rain when its leaves look like a pineapple, sticking straight up in the air.

Twitter picture on July 23/12 via @ERusenstrom corn shouldn’t look like this

Many parts of Ontario are seeing the driest summer they have seen in 40 years. At this time of year corn needs about two inches of rain per week, but most parts of Ontario have seen very little or no rain in the past few months. Rain is especially important this time of year for corn because this is when pollination is supposed to happen. Those two inches of rain per week are critical in the pollination process to keep the silks (that receive the pollen) healthy and for the kernels to develop. If the pollination process isn’t successful and the weather continues to be dry, corn will not mature properly.

It’s up to Mother Nature as to whether or not it will be a good year for farmers, and this year she’s being tough on them. So before you go to bed each night do a little rain dance for the famers and when you see a storm cloud instead of saying “rain, rain, go away” say “rain, rain, come our way” instead!