Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Research”
by Mikala Parr, Research Assistant RAIN has been doing a weekly pasture walk starting on May 24th, 2016, and finishing on September 27th, 2016. During the walks, the grass was measured using a falling plate meter. The falling plate meter is a device used to estimate pasture forage yield. It measures bulk height, a combined measurement of grass height and …
by Mikala Parr, Research Assistant Click on graph to enlarge in 2015: sheep clearly preferred willows over poplars sheep seemed to prefer trees with higher calcium content, and avoid trees with higher copper contents in 2016: a mineral supplement was provided to balance the ewes’ diet while there were some minor differences in preference ranking between years, the change was …
by Mikala Parr, Research Assistant METHOD Sheep were rotated through three paddocks planted with biomass-producing varieties of willow and poplar. The flock was monitored daily to determine how early and completely they browsed the new leaves and stems. The order and extent to which they ate each variety was noted, and ranked from most to least preferred. The ewes were …
Author: Latasha Isaacs The purpose of this report was to gather information from various stakeholders on policies and initiatives that can be developed and implemented into the Algoma Food and Farming Strategy being led by the Algoma Food Network. About the Strategy The Algoma Food Strategy is being proposed as a community based approach to developing a healthy and sustainable …
A small group of farmers in Algoma have approached RAIN for support investigating whether hops production could be viable in Algoma District. RAIN surveyed breweries based in northern Ontario to determine if there would be a market for local hops, and if growers could supply the growing micro- and craft beer industry. This survey was presented to craft and microbreweries …
Method Two farms were set up with five paddocks each: one paddock per farm was continuously grazed; the other four were managed under rotational grazing. Forage samples were taken for nutrient analysis from the cattle farm on June 18 and the mixed livestock farm on October 5. Yield measurements at the cattle farm were done on June 18 and August …
Boreal Agrominerals Inc. owns the Spanish River Carbonatite (SRC) deposit. SRC is marketed as a soil amendment. It contains 50% calcium carbonite, 25% biotite, 12% apatite, and 13% trace minerals. It is also used as a liming agent. SRC contains following amounts of trace elements: Manganese (Mn) 1 200 ppm Zinc (Zn) 60 ppm Copper (Cu) 10 ppm Cobalt (Co) …
Method Keyline plowing was developed in Australia in the 1940s and ’50s. The technique uses a chisel subsoiler plow to break up soil compaction with minimal surface disturbance. “Keyline” describes the drive pattern, which is mapped out to work with the topography of a field to help redistribute water more effectively. This project is examining the impact of keyline pattern …
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture is conducting a survey of wildlife damage to crops. The data collected will be presented to government to address this issue. The wildlife damage survey is available here and on www.farmnorth.com. The survey can be submitted online, via email to nofia.on@gmail.com or by regular mail to: Northern Ontario Farm Innovation Alliance (NOFIA) P.O. Box 2976, …
Monday, May 30, 2016 at 2:00pm Laird Township Board Room In attendance: Christine O’Reilly, Pedro Antunes, Edith Orr, Errol Caldwell, David Thompson, Alf Roberts, Kristen Taylor Regrets: Jason Koivisto CO’R opened the meeting with an overview of the steps involved to develop new research projects and the role of the Research Steering Committee. See the Research Project Process Flow Chart …
