Ont. producers look ahead to 2019

Dec 28, 2018

New Year’s resolutions include better crop yields and more family time

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

As 2018 ends, Farms.com reached out to members of Ontario’s ag community to find out if they’ve made any resolutions for 2019.

For Joseph Timmermans, a poultry producer from Brant County, more time loved ones is on the agenda.

“I’d like to spend more time with the family and go on some more family outings,” he told Farms.com. “Things can get pretty busy on the farm, so it would be nice to make some time to get away, even if only for a few hours.”

Some farmers are hoping to make changes in 2019 that will result in better yields.

The 2018 growing and harvest season proved challenging, so making some adjustments should help with the 2019 crop, said Cameron Limebeer, a beef and cash crop producer from Peel County.

“Some crops did better than others, so I’d like to see how I can improve the ones that need some help,” he told Farms.com.

Limebeer may also make time for some fun.

“I might take a few days to go snowmobiling, but other than that I think 2019 will look pretty similar to 2018.”

Other producers are hoping recent investments will allow them to generate more farm revenue in 2019.

A new packing plant could allow for more exports and product offerings, said Robert Jakeman, president and CEO of Jakeman’s Maple Farm in Oxford County.

“We’re hoping to enter in the granulated sugar market,” he told Farms.com. “And I think, until we get the building up and running, we’re committed to staying close to home. Once we know it’s working well, maybe we can talk about a possible vacation.”

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.