Bunkhouse relief Tuesday, December 14, 2010 by SUSAN MANNOntario farmers with bunkhouses assessed as residential will pay lower property taxes on those buildings starting next year because the province is changing their classification to farm.After years of lobbying, farm groups have finally convinced the finance ministry to change the farm bunkhouse property tax classification to farm from residential. The change is effective Jan. 1, 2011 and it means farmers with residences that house temporary workers will pay the farm property tax rate on those buildings. The farm tax rate is 75 per cent lower than the residential rate. The finance ministry estimates there are 2,000 bunkhouses on farms across Ontario used to house workers on a temporary or seasonal basis. Not all of them were assessed as residential.Brian Gilroy, chair of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, says when somebody applied for a building permit to upgrade or rebuild a bunkhouse that’s when they were being assessed at the residential rate. But “a lot of existing bunkhouses were still at the farm rate.”He calls the change “a welcome Christmas present.”The change will save farmers a total of $1 million to $1.5 million annually in property taxes, Gilroy says. It isn’t clear yet if the change is retroactive and if a refund is in the works for farmers with bunkhouses currently assessed as residential.Adrian Huisman, manager of the Ontario Tender Fruit Producers’ Marketing Board, says he asked several local provincial members of parliament on Monday if the change is retroactive. “They said they never even thought of it.” Huisman says they told him they’d be going back to Duncan and asking “him for clarification on that.”Farmers want the change to be retroactive, he adds.Finance ministry officials couldn’t respond by the deadline for this posting. Bette Jean Crews, president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, says the federation has asked the government to make the change for a number of years. Last summer and this spring many farmers told federation leaders the residential classification on bunkhouses was affecting them, Crews says. “We renewed our lobby and the (finance) minister listened. We appreciate that.”Crews says the change isn’t a tax break for farmers but a “justifiable tax rate.” If municipalities lose income because of the change then the provincial government should increase funding to municipalities, she adds. BF Province quashes hopes for retroactive bunkhouse payments Storm stalls milk pickups
Stinger Spade Bits kit from Spyder Friday, September 20, 2024 By Braxteen Breen, Whether you are constructing/repairing fencing and other structures around the farm, you can get those tasks completed on the farm quickly with the Stinger Spade Bits kit from Spyder. The Spade Bits kit provides an economical solution for someone who wants to make... Read this article online
$18.4M Boost for Canadian Cereal Grain Innovation Thursday, September 19, 2024 Gate Project Receives Major Funding for Research Canada's position as a pioneer in cereal grain research is set to strengthen with the Gate Capital Campaign raising $18.4 million. This funding will support the Global Agriculture Technology Exchange (Gate) initiative, a project... Read this article online
BASF introduces Surtain herbicide for field corn growers Tuesday, September 17, 2024 Field corn growers in eastern Canada have a new crop protection product available to them. After about 10 years of research and trials, BASF has introduced Surtain, a residual herbicide for corn that combines PPO inhibitor saflufenacil (Group 14) and pyroxasulfone (Group 15) in a premix... Read this article online
We Didn’t Start the Fire! Impacts of Wildfire Smoke on Corn Monday, September 16, 2024 Assistant Professor of Corn Production at Purdue University’s College of Agriculture, Daniel Quinn, PhD. recently provided fascinating insights into the impacts of fire on major corn producing areas, many of which have been impacted by smoke from wildfires. Quinn was the keynote... Read this article online
New home for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario Saturday, September 14, 2024 The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) has announced it has moved into its new office building in Ingersoll. Located at 274620 27th Line in Ingersoll, the new office will serve as the hub for CFFO’s ongoing efforts to advocate for and support Ontario’s Christian farmers.... Read this article online