Greenbelt timelines short says task team leader Thursday, March 20, 2008 by DON STONEMAN Pearse’s farm counts among the 1.8 million acres of “environmentally sensitive and agricultural land” encompassed when the Greenbelt Act was passed in early 2005. The designation prevents urban development within the area. The province is considering expanding the Greenbelt to areas adjacent to it. A licensed real estate agent as well as a farmer, Pearse says the Greenbelt designation, like any other “encumbrance” on a deed, devalues his property and there is no compensation. To add to injury, Pearse says the Greenbelt enactment stopped him mid-way through the process of severing a rural retirement lot for his father. Pearse says he was using a planner to obtain the severance and fees cost him $15,000, money he says he can’t get back. Haldimand farmer Wendy Omvlee can expect to hear from farmers in favour and against a Greenbelt expansion. She was named chair of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) “Greenbelt expansion task team” on Thursday. She says the team will be made up of farmers already inside and outside the Greenbelt. Terms of reference for the task team will be developed at a meeting this coming Wednesday, she told Better Farming. “Upper tier” municipalities can apply for inclusion if they are adjacent to the existing Greenbelt area. They include the Omvlee’s own county of Haldimand, as well as Brant, Wellington, Dufferin, Simcoe, Peterborough and Northumberland; the Region of Waterloo, areas of Niagara not already included, and the City of Kawartha Lakes. Omvlee says she “wouldn’t be surprised” if Brant County seeks the Greenbelt designation. “Because of the Greenbelt a lot of leapfrogging (of development) has been going on in Brant County.” The province will hear comments on the Greenbelt proposal until Apr. 30. The OFA task team plans to present its findings to an OFA board meeting in mid-April. Omvlee’s task team is holding three consultation meetings on expanding the green belt – Friday, Apr. 4 in Ancaster, Monday Apr. 7 in Orangeville, and Tuesday, Apr. 8 in Peterborough. All meetings are scheduled to start at 1 p.m. and conclude by 3 p.m. Might there be more meetings? “I don’t want to say no,” Omvlee says, but time is short. OFA policy researcher Peter Jeffery has already met with federations in counties where a Greenbelt designation might be imposed. The Greenbelt expansion proposal, number 010-2866, is posted on Ontario’s Environmental Registry BF First commercial season for biotech beets Largest general farm organization calls for a fee increase
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