Ontario Farmers Receive Much Needed Rain

Jul 26, 2012

Ontario Farmer’s Sing ‘Rain is a Good Thing’

Many farmers woke up Thursday morning to the sweet sound of much needed rain. Ontario crops have been under a lot of stress from the drought, leaving many crops in ruins. The rain coverage was reported as spotty with some farmers receiving on average 8/10 of an inch.

“It won’t be enough rain for things to survive but it’s a good start,” says Martin Brodhagen, farmer from Stratford Ontario.

While some farmers are hoping for the best and that their crops will turn around with some rain, other farmer’s seem to be out of luck with their crops. Most of the corn that was planted early seems to be holding up, compared to crops that were planted a little later.

“The corn sure loved the rain but pasture fields haven’t come back yet,” Brodhagen said.

Brodhagen runs a cow-calf operation and says that it’s been hard having no pasture to work with. The majority of livestock farmers are already having to feed hay to get by. Purchasing hay is hard to come by with the cost going as high as $100-110 per round bail, a steep cost for farmers.

Let’s hope that the rain in the forecast stays so that farmers can try to take off a decent crop this year.

Video: Exploring Precision Data in Swine Production - Dr. Janice Siegford

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show, Dr. Janice Siegford from Michigan State University discusses how precision livestock farming data can support pig health, welfare, transparency, and decision making. She explains why data ownership, privacy, consumer perception, and cost sharing must be addressed as technology becomes more common on farms. Listen now on all major platforms.

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