Preparing grain bins for harvest

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Preparing grain bins for harvest should be done to maintain the quality of grain and to make sure the areas around bins are ready for the busy season ahead. It is also a good time to inspect any mechanical components and clean up around the bin. Simple maintenance and safety rules will make sure we don’t experience any difficulties in the season ahead.

A key reason why people become entrapped in grain is because grain stored in bins is spoiled. Making sure that the bins are ready to be loaded with newly harvested grain reduces the risk of spoilage. If the grain is in good condition, people don’t have to enter the bin, reducing the risk of entrapment. Read more

Heat stress

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Heat stress can be a killer on the job site. Outside of the direct consequences such as heat stroke, heat stress can cause incidents due to loss of focus or excessive fatigue on the job.

Heat-related illnesses

Heat cramps

 

Heat cramps are painful, brief muscle cramps. Muscles may spasm or spasm involuntarily. Heat cramps can occur during exercise or work in a hot environment or begin a few hours later.

Heat exhaustion

There are two types of heat exhaustion. Read more

Photo

Naahii Ridge students learn about agriculture

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February 16 was Canada’s Agriculture Day and the students at Naahii Ridge Public School in Ridgetown, Ontario, had the chance to celebrate the day with many volunteers from the agricultural community.

“Canada’s Ag Day was a great opportunity for us to talk to the students about why the Canadian Ag industry is so important,” says Amy Caron, Communications Specialist for Dow Seeds. “Dow Seeds was very fortunate to work with some great community volunteers to bring that message to the students at Naahii.”

Travis Roodzant from Thompsons Limited – Blacks Lane branch.

Educating children in school

Students from grades 4, 5 and 6 listened to presentations on the importance of the Ag industry and the various career opportunities this sector offers. The students then participated in the “Canada’s Ag Day Trade Show” where they travelled around the gym to various stations to talk to the volunteers about what they do in the Ag industry.

Students had the opportunity to talk to: Cara McCready, a Greenhouse IPM Specialist with OMAFRA who talked about beneficial pests and pest management; Jane Lawton from Chatham-Kent 4H about the organization and how to become involved; Janice Anderson from Pioneer about the importance of Women in Ag; Rob Reid, Dairy Education Center Manager, University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus, who spoke on what happens in a dairy barn; Grace Jones, a Dow Seeds Territory Sales Rep, spoke on the importance of business and crop planning with farmers; Travis Roodzant from Thompsons Limited talked to the kids about agronomy and the use of drones in that process; Madison Trozzi, a high school senior who completed her co-op in the Dow Seeds Seed Lab showed the science behind ag industry and Eric Bastiaansen, an egg farmer from Thedford talked about how your eggs get from his farm to your grocery store.

Pictured are the Canada Agriculture Day volunteers, left to right: Cara McCready, Travis Roodzant, Grace Jones, Madison Trozzi, Rob Reid, Jane Sawton, Janice Anderson, and Eric Batiaansen. Absent from photo was Cassi Boersma.

Ag Day in Ridgetown, Ontario photo

Students from Grades 1 to 3 didn’t miss out on the festivities. Cassi Boersma, a part time teacher with Naahii and the Farm Safety Coordinator for Ridgetown, spoke to this group of students about the importance of ATV and farm safety.

Other organizations who helped support this event were FCC, Ag in the Classroom and Agriculture More Than Ever.

“We only had a couple of hours to share our stories with these students,” says Caron. “However, there were some great questions and hopefully some great conversations around their dinner table that night.”

Click for more information on Canada’s Agriculture Day.

Source: Ridgetown Independent News – 1 Main Street, Ridgetown, ON (519) 674-5205.

Organic Agronomy Services

Ontario crop retailer takes deeper jump into organics

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By John Greig OrganicBIZ.ca.

RobWallbridge

 

One of the biggest challenges for organic crop farmers is to find solid agronomic information and markets that are reliable.

Larger conventional farm retailers have only made cautious steps into the organic market.

Thompsons Limited, however, has been putting more resources and focus on organic crops since July. The Ontario-based crop supply and marketing company has seen potential in the organic market, which makes some sense as it has a long history in marketing specialty crops.

The company hired Rob Wallbridge, a well-known organic consultant and former certifier to lead its greater push into organics. He’s also a Certified Crop Advisor.

“Thompsons has been in the organic grain markets for a number of years,” he says, including sourcing organic soybeans as part of its identity preserved and non-GMO soybean purchasing. “They found a growing demand for other organic crops.”

Thompsons is now buying organic corn, wheat, soybeans and some rye.

In the past Thompsons would have bought organic soybeans from a farmer, but the farmer would have had to find markets for his or her other crops. A more diverse crop rotation is necessary for organic production, and finding reliable markets for all of their organic production has proved challenging and a barrier for some farmers.

He’s very very knowledgeable. He’s farmed, he’s done the whole gammit. – Steve Hartman, organic crops and milk seller

Steve Hartman sells crops and milk organically, including some soybeans in the past to Thompsons in Granton. He says the hiring of Wallbridge shows that Thompson is serious about organics. Read more

Organic Agronomy Services - Rob Wallbridge

Thompsons welcomes Rob Wallbridge as Organic Specialist

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Blenheim, Ontario, Canada –  July 14, 2016

Organic Agronomy Services - Rob Wallbridge

Thompsons Limited is pleased to announce that Rob Wallbridge has joined the company as Organic Specialist.

Rob grew up on conventional dairy and cash crop farms in Central and Eastern Ontario. He comes to Thompsons with more than 15 years of experience in organic crop certification, production and marketing.

Rob is a registered Certified Crop Advisor (CCA-ON) and is a board member with the Organic Council of Ontario. He is also a volunteer member of both the AAFC Organic Value Chain Roundtable and the Livestock Working Group of the Canadian General Standard Boards’ Organic Technical Committee.

This appointment will help solidify and build Thompsons profile as a major international player in the organics supply chain.

Follow Rob Wallbridge on Twitter.

About Thompsons Limited

Established in 1924, Thompsons was purchased by The Andersons, Inc., and Lansing Trade Group, LLC in 2013. Thompsons is an integrated supplier of value-added agricultural products and services to growers in Ontario, Minnesota and North Dakota and to food processing customers worldwide. Thompsons owns and operates 12 elevators, 11 retail farm centers, 2 seed processing plants, 5 bean processing plants, a wheat processing plant, and 9 certified organic facilities. For more information, visit Thompsons Limited online at andersonscanada.com.

Media Contact:

Dawn Betancourt, President, Thompsons Limited
Phone: (519) 676-5411

Soybean Storage and Conditioning

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Now that your crops are in the bin, it’s important to learn how to keep them conditioned and stored properly.
Throughout the winter months it’s important to monitor your soybean temperature, and to aerate your bins.
If you haven’t sold any beans then coring out your bin can be an option to remove some fines, and help stir the grain a bit.
It is important to make sure that soybeans are stored at a 14% moisture or lower. Don’t assume that because your beans went into the bin really dry, you don’t have to aerate. Those low moisture beans are still hot and need to have the field heat removed. Read more

Keep treated seed and contaminants out of our food chain

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With harvest upon us, we want to remind all Thompsons customers that we have a zero tolerance for treated seed or contaminants in ANY load of beans, grains, corn and edible beans coming into our facilities.

WARNING:

Zero tolerance for TREATED SEED occurring in grains, soybeans, corn and edible beans.

Make sure all equipment is thoroughly cleaned and inspected before using it for grain.

Under the Canada Grain Act:

A licensed grain handling facility, such as a licensed primary elevator, cannot:

TreatedSeedStickersReceive grain that is contaminated with treated seed or suspected to be contaminated or ship grain that is contaminated with treated seed or suspected to be contaminated.

A producer (or a person acting on a producer’s behalf) cannot deliver grain to a licensed facility that is contaminated with treated seed or suspected to be contaminated.

“It is unlawful to deliver grain that has been treated or infected with any poisonous substance or compound to this Elevator. Persons so charged will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and held liable for any expense or loss incurred in the removal and disposition of grains so contaminated.”

Environment Canada says more humidity to come for June and July

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Looking ahead to the coming months, Environment Canada meteorologists expect there will be more heat and humidity than normal.

“We’ve already had a taste this month of temperatures getting close to the 30-degree mark and humidity making it feel more like the mid 30s. That looks like the shape of things to come for June and July,” said Geoff Coulson, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada.

Last year the usual summer heat wave to hit southern Ontario was missing in action with a lack of flow of warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, Coulson said.

This season southern Ontario has already tapped into that flow from the Gulf a couple of times with Humidex readings in many parts of Southwestern Ontario reaching the mid 30s.

Branson wheat field photo

Important message about Manipulator on wheat

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Certified Branson on the premium program that is treated with “Manipulator” will no longer be eligible for the program. 

Thompsons will receive wheat treated with “Manipulator” that will only be shipped within Canada.

Thompsons Limited Announces Agreement With IGPC Ethanol Inc.

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BLENHEIM, ON (April 29, 2015)

Thompsons Limited announces an agreement with IGPC to partner for sourcing corn for 50MM gal/yr. ethanol facility for IGPC in Aylmer, Ontario effective October 1, 2015.

“Thompsons is excited to expand our originations footprint in Ontario by partnering with IGPC. We are looking forward to revolutionizing customer service with both current customers of IGPC as well as new customers. IGPC is an important piece of Ontario’s agricultural community, and we are proud to be working with them,” said Dawn Betancourt, President of Thompsons Limited.

IGPC Ethanol Inc., commenced operations in the fall of 2007. Since that time, it has used the services of Cargill Inc., to source local corn. “This change in no way reflects upon the performance of Cargill. They have been excellent partners. We are making the switch to Thompsons’ as we feel they will be able to support the strategic initiatives we will be undertaking in the future” said Jim Grey, CEO, IGPC Ethanol Inc.

Cargill will continue to serve IGPC for corn purchases and deliveries up to September 30th, 2015. Thompsons will begin purchasing corn today for October 1st, 2015 deliveries and beyond.

About Thompsons Limited

Established in 1924, Thompsons Limited is a regional leader in the agribusiness industry with 12 grain elevators, retail farm centers, seed, bean and wheat processing plants throughout Ontario.  Thompsons is active in the importing and exporting of grain, organic and specialty crops worldwide and currently conducts business in over 34 countries around the world.  For more information visit andersonscanada.com.

About IGPC Ethanol Inc.

Established in 2007, IGPC Ethanol Inc. contributes significantly to the Renewable Fuels Industry and Ontario’s Agricultural sector. By producing 170 million litres of denatured fuel grade ethanol and 170,000 tonnes of distillers’ grains, IGPC Ethanol Inc., has become a leader in Southwestern Ontario’s business community by creating environmentally sustainable economic growth. IGPC Ethanol Inc. is a division of Integrated Grain Processors Co-operative established in 2002, by a group of agribusiness individuals.  IGPC is a full service provider to local farmers offering a distribution solution for their corn crops while producing high protein feed supplement for their livestock. For more information, please visit www.igpc.ca

Media contact:

Dawn Betancourt, President, Thompsons Limited, 519-676-5411, extension 20405
or e-mail dbetancourt@thompsonslimited.com