LOCAL HEADLINES

After another tumultuous year in global geopolitics, leadership with the Grain Farmers of Ontario painted a picture of an industry still very much concerned about the near future, but one that has also experienced a few key wins in the past 12 months.

If failing seven out of 10 times is enough to punch a baseball player’s ticket to the hall of fame in Cooperstown, a mistaken weather forecast here or there can be forgiven.

The most important place for a horticultural farmer to spend their time is in the fields and orchards. But a close second might be the annual Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention.

The tables are adorned with green table cloths, the stage is lined with awards and trophies. The Community Hall of the West Niagara Agricultural Society is ready for the annual Niagara 4-H awards night. Members of the Lincoln Dairy Club are the hosts, while MCs Simon Heeringa and Janna Furry will welcome guests, sponsors and members to the podium.

The connection between California and Niagara that most people traditionally make is through their respective wine industries. But if a project being organized by a Niagara-on-the-Lake group gets the funding and support it needs, the two regions could share another similarity.

The holidays bring with it many traditions. Some remain constant over the years, others get tweaked and evolve, and still more sometimes crop up out of nowhere. But for Diana Tracey, while the traditions may be great, Christmas means one thing above all.

Keeping pace with the frenetic growth of new technology is hard enough on its own, but when paired with confusing agreements that are longer than Tolstoy’s War and Peace and using complicated legalese, it can make any business owner’s head spin.

When he started what would become one of West Lincoln’s most prominent farming operations, Daryl Haanstra had little more than his 1998 John Deere 6620 Titan II combine and a strong work ethic.

Aside from the colours of their respective tractors as Ontario’s political party leaders took part in the VIP plowing match, politicians kept things as non-partisan as possible for the kickoff of the International Plowing Match.

The story of how Keith Robinson got into competitive plowing is a common one. What made his story unique as plowmen came to Niagara for the International Plowing Match last month was not the how, but the when.

He could have been a grape grower, or he could have been a winemaker. Instead, Greg Yemen chose option three: Both.

Jeff Duc’s reign as Grape King won’t go out with a fizzle. Instead, it’ll be a busy few weeks as he prepares to hand the role over to whoever comes next.

When it’s a race to the bottom, it’s pretty difficult to move up. That’s the lesson Bill Redelmeier learned many years ago as he grew up on the family farm in Richmond Hill and branched out on his own.

To the naked eye, a clump of soil is little more than a dead pile of dirt. But to Jason Henry and Stephanie Vickers, it is - or at least should be - an entire ecosystem of life.

With an Xbox controller in their hands, visitors young and old tried to navigate the robot through the rows of corn.

It may not be a huge surprise that a farmer like Joe Whitty enjoys the spring. After all, that’s the time of year when the soil comes back to life and the crops start growing. The world regains colour and sound as the animals come out of their winter slumbers.

Last month’s Farm Day provided a window into agriculture.

Each spring Husky Alpaca Ranch welcomes visitors to share in a passion Taryn McArthur developed nearly 30 years ago.

It was a bittersweet moment for Father Antonio Illas as he said goodbye to the community he helped build over the past six years.

Everyone knows John Sikkens! He is a great committee member and a wonderful fundraiser.