It's time for a new approach to farm property assessment says OFA Wednesday, December 18, 2013 by SUSAN MANN The Ontario Federation of Agriculture recommends the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation use a different model to determine farm property values. Currently there aren’t enough farm sales in many areas “to get a real value on land,” says president Mark Wales, who met with MPAC board chair Dan Mathieson earlier this week. The federation also made the same presentation to the parliamentary assistant for Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa. Farmland in Ontario is assessed based on farmer-to-farmer sales and according to the farmland’s productive value. MPAC is the organization in Ontario that does property assessments across the province. The assessments are used by municipalities to calculate property taxes. “We’re proposing some different models on how they can get more of an average value rather than values that are all over the map,” says Wales, noting the presentations to various officials is in preparation for the pre-provincial budget submission both the federation and MPAC will be making. Wales says many of the changes the federation is suggesting are “operational changes.” Wales says he can’t get into more details about what they’re suggesting because it first has to be presented as part of the pre-budget process. BF Bee expert joins University of Guelph Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission releases long awaited egg industry report
Inflatable Wedges Make Lifting Large Objects a Breeze Friday, October 18, 2024 Byline: Zahra Sadiq The hardest part about moving farming equipment, tools, and other items on the farm is the initial lift off from the ground. The traditional wedge has been the go-to solution to solving problems like this; however, there is a new alternative that might just take... Read this article online
Calhoun super structure ranks among top growing Canadian companies Friday, October 18, 2024 Calhoun Super Structure Ltd. is proud to announce its ranking of No. 342 on The Globe and Mail’s 2024 Report on Business magazine's list of Canada’s Top Growing Companies. This achievement marks the third consecutive year that Calhoun has made this prestigious ranking, which... Read this article online
5.5% values rise in Canadian farmland - FCC Report Friday, October 11, 2024 FCC reports strong increase in Canadian farmland values According to Farm Credit Canada (FCC), Canadian cultivated farmland values experienced an average increase of 5.5% in the first half of 2024. Over the 12 months from July 2023 to June 2024, farmland values rose by 9.6%, although... Read this article online
OP-ED: Happy Agriculture Week from Minister Flack Thursday, October 10, 2024 Rob Flack, Ontario's minister of farming, agriculture and agribusiness, provided the following message to celebrate Ontario Agriculture Week: Happy Ontario Agriculture Week! Every year during the week before Thanksgiving Monday, we celebrate the 871,000 people across the food supply... Read this article online
Helping farmers become more resilient to extreme weather and climate change Thursday, October 10, 2024 Funding supports 213 projects for resilient agricultural landscapes The governments of Canada and Ontario have announced over $12.2 million in funding to support 213 agricultural projects across Ontario. These projects aim to make farmland more resilient to extreme weather and... Read this article online