Fire damages barn in Haldimand County

Dec 09, 2016

No animals inside the barn were harmed

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

All livestock kept in a Haldimand County barn on Indiana Road West in Oneida Township made it out safely after the barn went up in flames on Thursday.

According to an OPP release, emergency crews were notified of the fire around 3:00 p.m.

Haldimand County Fire Chief Rob Grimwood told the Hamilton Spectator that before crews arrived, which totaled about 45 firefighters, the horses were led to safety.

Nobody was home when the fire started and there’s been no reported injuries.

Grimwood said the fire is still under investigation but a camper next to the barn appears to be what caused it.

Damages are estimated between $400,000 and $500,000, and approximately one-third of the barn can be saved.

Barn fires in Ontario have unfortunately been common in 2016.

Since a barn fire in January at Classy Lane Stables in Puslinch claimed the lives of more than 40 horses, Farms.com has reported on approximately 20 more incidents in the province.

Farmers can find tips on preventing farm fires by reading OMAFRA’s Reducing the Risk of Fire on Your Farm.

Farms.com has reached out to Haldimand County Fire Services for updates on the situation.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.