Corn acres up, soybeans steady

 

Statistics Canada’s survey of planting intentions said Ontario corn acreage will increase by 5/4 per cent and soybean acreage will be about the same last last year.

But the survey was done before war close the Strait of Hormuz sending prices for nitrogen fertilizer and diesel fuel soaring.

That might prompt a shift from corn to soybeans.

It said soybean prices are on an import basis for crushers and corn prices are supported by strong demand for ethanol.

It said Ontario farmers seeded 1.12 million acres of winter wheat last fall, down 64,000 acres from the fall of 2024. We continue to project an Ontario winter wheat crop of 2.5 million tonnes, down from last year’s output of 2.9 million. 

Ontario farmers are only expected to seed 43,000 acres of spring wheat, down from 62,800 acres last year. This is a modern-day historical low.

Ontario land prices stalled

Farmland prices stalled across most farming areas in Ontario last year, reported Farm Credit Canada.

In the far south they were one per cent less than the year before, in South West Ontario and Central Ontario they held steady.

In Northern Ontario farmland prices increased by 10.6 per cent to an average of $5,400 per acre.

The overall Ontario average price rose by 2.2 per cent.

The most expensive average price was $32,200 per cent in South West Ontario.

The national average price rose by 9.3 per cent.

Minimum wage rising by 40 cents

 

The federal government announced on Tuesday that its minimum wage will increase from $17.75 to $18.15, starting on April 1.

This increase was based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which rose 2.1 per cent in 2025.

It applies to any business federally-regulated industry,

The Ontario minimum wage is $17.60 per hour.

Another PED outbreak in Oxford

There has been a second outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in Oxford County.

This second one is also at a farrow-t0-wean operation,

PED in Oxford County

There has been an outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus at a farrow-to-wean facility in Oxford County.

CFIA lifts quarantine in North Perth

 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has lifted the quarantine zone in put in place in North Perth Dec. 16 because of an outbreak of avian influenza in a poultry flock.

Kraft-Heinz to upgrade Montreal plant

 

Kraft-Heinz announced it is going to invest $250 million to refurbish its facility in Montreal.

It employs 1,000 people running 41 manufacturing lines making everything from peanut butter to salad dressings.

“Our business in Canada is doing very well,” Simon Laroche, who leads Kraft Heinz in Canada. “As we’re looking at our three to five year plans, what we have right now is not enough to meet Canadian demand and needs.”

Laroche said the company wants to make more Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Heinz ketchup and also wants to bring innovation to existing products to meet changing consumer preferences, including offering more packaging sizes to meet different shopper budgets.