Farms needed to keep rural Ontario’s social fabric alive

Jan 23, 2024

By Brian Crews, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture

At first glance, most people might find it hard to believe that a City of Toronto firefighter can also be an Ontario dairy farmer. After all, the demands of serving as a first responder in Canada’s largest city are pretty far removed from life in rural Ontario and working with livestock as part of a multi-generational family business.

And yet, that’s me. I’ve been a Toronto firefighter for more than 30 years – working 24-hour shifts – while also farming in Northumberland County east of Toronto together with my parents, Carl and Helena, my wife Cyndi Down, and our son Andrew, who is the ninth generation on our family’s farm.

It was during the pandemic that a fellow farmer in our area approached me about becoming involved with our local Northumberland Federation of Agriculture. There are many issues facing farmers in Ontario today, from urban encroachment and land use planning challenges to business transition and ensuring agriculture can offer the next generation of farmers a sustainable future

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Video: predictive weed Management saves on herbicide costs and increases yield potential

Gowan Canada is partnering with Geco Strategic Weed Management to help Canadian growers take a strategic approach to weed control through data-driven prediction and planning.

Geco’s technology uses data and AI to map where weeds have been over the past five years and predict where patches are likely to emerge next season. These insights allow farms and retailers to plan ahead and target actions in the most challenging areas.

“Our technology enables the question: if you could know where your most problematic patches are and where they are spreading to, what could you do differently? That’s what our technology makes possible,” said Greg Stewart, CEO of Geco. “Many of our farms are already using our prescriptions along with Gowan products, so this collaboration is a natural next step.”