Consider This (https://consider-this.ca/tag/agriculture/)
Farming and related issues
The show:
The full interview with bonus material:
The Ontario government recently released a plan aimed at helping farmers. There are a host of issues challenging all those who put food on our table. The changes are aimed at the food supply chain. That is the path from farm to fork. It looks at what can be done to deal with everything from labour shortages to the use of advanced technology. Continue Reading →
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The full interview with bonus material:
A dairy farm run by robots. It is not some futuristic dream but a reality in Northumberland County. Matt McComb has transformed his operation in Cramahe Township into a fully automated business. And he got to show it off at the recent Twilight Meeting of the Northumberland Holstein Club. Reporter Marc Cowin talked to McComb and others about his dairy farm, plus a few others about the Twilight Meeting. Continue Reading →
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If you have ever spoken with a farmer, some don’t waste words. But what they do say is often on point. This is the case with former Northumberland Federation of Agriculture Sid Atkinson. Here is his response to agricultural mapping in the county after attending a public meeting in Campbellford earlier this week. Originally broadcast: July 1, 2022 Continue Reading →
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Ontario is losing 319 acres of farmland per day to urban sprawl. In 2021, the total amount saw a five per cent plunge. Northumberland County is trying to do something about this. County planner Dwayne Campbell will talk about efforts to preserve prime agricultural land. Plus, he will describe what can be done with some of the other lands that are not so great for farming. Continue Reading →
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Most people will pay nearly $1,000 more for their groceries in 2022. That is according to a recent study from Guelph University. That means an extra $20 per week. While it may not sound like much for some, many people feel it. It can be huge for those on a fixed income or low wages. Continue Reading →
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For those who may not realize, farmers face a great deal of uncertainty every day. The changing weather, commodity prices, pests, and diseases are only a few of the pressures. They also rarely get a day off: livestock must be tended, crops planted or harvested or monitored, equipment to fix. The list is long. It can be a very stressful life. Continue Reading →
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The show:
Take a drive out into rural Northumberland. You will see all kinds of farms. It is easy to assume most of those are family farms. Yet, the family farm is on the decline in Canada. Well over 90 percent of farms are family-owned and operated. Barely half the farms are sole proprietorships. The rest are either partnerships or corporations, according to Statistics Canada in 2016. Continue Reading →
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Farmers are busy preparing to put crops into the grounds. This time around, they have a year of the pandemic under their belts. A lot has changed. Then again, not a lot has changed. The supply chain issues have settled. Continue Reading →
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Full interview with bonus material below:
Six months ago, I spoke with this same group of farmers from the Northumberland Federation of Agriculture. The lockdown had just started. Some grocery store shelves were empty. Everyone was buying toilet paper. You could not find yeast to save your soul because people started bake bread at home. Continue Reading →
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It is one thing to slow down to go around a tractor on a backroad. But it is certainly another when you get 70 tractors, trucks, sprayers and other vehicles lined up. That is what happened recently. It was a tractor parade to pay tribute to frontline workers at Northumberland Hills Hospital and the Golden Plough Lodge. It was organized by the Northumberland Federation of Agriculture. Continue Reading →
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