Listowel farmer, milk board at odds over direct payment policy Wednesday, October 16, 2013 by SUSAN MANN Dairy Farmers of Ontario and a Listowel area dairy farmer have made little headway concerning a conflict over organization’s switch to direct deposit banking more than a year ago to pay farmers for their milk. Don Verner, 74, is the only Ontario dairy farmer who hasn’t signed up to have the twice-monthly milk payments deposited directly into his account. And the organization won’t provide the money to him by any other means. “All producers should be treated the same,” explains Graham Lloyd, general counsel and communications director for Dairy Farmers. Verner is now owed nearly $300,000 in milk payments. Lloyd says they want to pay Verner and haven’t refused to pay him. “I am in regular contact and have reached out on several occasions over the last two months.” Verner, a milk producer for nearly 60 years who milks about 30 cows and holds 22 kilograms of quota, says: “I don’t like to be blackmailed into having it (the milk payments) put into my account.” He’s critical of the supply-managed commodity organization. “It (the milk board) wasn’t brought in to help the farmer. It was brought in to take control.” Dairy Farmers switched to direct deposit in 2012. Before that farmers received their milk payments once a month by cheque mailed to them from the organization. Verner continues to milk his cows and the milk is still being picked up. Asked how he is getting by without his milk payment income, Verner says he was taught how get along “with what we have without having machinery. We were taught never to owe a man one cent, only for a mortgage.” BF Ontario Cattlemen's Association now Beef Farmers of Ontario Buchanan takes the reins
Pilot project supports Ontario and Quebec ag Friday, July 24, 2026 A new two-year pilot project is designed to help livestock farmers in Quebec by giving them access to an Ontario abattoir. The project, a collaboration between the Quebec and Ontario governments, with additional support from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), would see a limited... Read this article online
Canada Opens Interprovincial Alcohol Sales Thursday, July 23, 2026 A major change to Canada's internal marketplace is set to create new opportunities for wineries, breweries and distilleries after nine provinces signed a landmark agreement allowing direct-to-consumer sales of alcoholic beverages across participating jurisdictions. The deal is being hailed... Read this article online
Heat and Rain have led to a challenging growing season for Cauliflower Growers in Ontario. Thursday, July 23, 2026 There are only 1,225 acres dedicated to growing cauliflower in Ontario, but they produce 14,545,000 lbs of the vegetable. Growers across key vegetable-producing regions are preparing for increased shipments of locally grown cauliflower to grocery stores, restaurants, wholesalers and... Read this article online
Who Knew so Much Canadian Watermelon is Grown in Ontario Thursday, July 23, 2026 Many consumers may think of watermelon as an exotic fruit, but Ontario grows about2,000 acresof watermelons each year, more than 35,084tonnesof watermelon.Watermelonharvest now is underway. Watermelon originated in northeastern Africa, particularly in the region that today includes Sudan... Read this article online
Ontario Farmers Harvest One of Canada’s Top Carrot Crops Wednesday, July 22, 2026 Carrots are among Ontario's most important vegetable crops, contributing significantly to local food production and year-round fresh produce availability. Ontario grows the most carrots of any Canadian province – 45% of the country’s carrots. According to Statistics Canada, Ontario... Read this article online