On the Farm with Ottawa Valley Grain Products
With #YourFarmer Ava from HamFam Farms, and plant scientist Paul!
Ava is a grain farmer in Ottawa Valley, that farms alongside her family growing corn and soybeans. Ava is a young person in agriculture who is part of the next generation of farming, and her family have now added barley to their rotation this year through their work with Ottawa Valley Grain Products.
Paul works closely with HamFam Farms, and Ottawa Valley Grain Products as an agronomist – a scientist who specializes in the study and application of agronomy, the science of crop production. They are experts in soil management, plant growth, and agricultural practices, working to improve crop yields and sustainability while addressing environmental concerns. Working together, they produce top-quality barley that will be milled into a variety of food products.
Barley is an ideal crop to grow because it has an earlier harvest time, which helps distribute the harvest workload. Barley is harvested in late July/early August whereas other grain crops like soybeans or corn are harvested in the fall. It’s considered to be a hardy, adaptable crop, which means it can respond well to challenging weather or growing conditions. In addition, it helps drive the local food economy and promotes good soil health and protects against erosion when used as a cover crop.
Once mature, the barley that HamFam Farms harvests goes to the Ottawa Valley Grain Products mill in Carp, Ontario. At the mill, it gets processed, packaged, and shipped to customers across Canada, into the US, and exported to Central and South America.
