New Dairy Farmers of Ontario committee will address organic milk supply issues Tuesday, September 22, 2015 by SUSAN MANNDairy Farmers of Ontario is looking for licensed organic dairy farmers to stand for election to its new organic advisory producer committee.The committee is being put in place to advise the Dairy Farmer’s board on matters affecting organic dairy production (such as quota policies, milk pricing, milk supply and demand) and give feedback on potential policies or programs to help existing producers increase production to align with demand. Elections will be held at three special meetings of organic producers later this fall.Ensuring there is enough organic milk supply to meet processors’ demand has been an ongoing challenge for Dairy Farmers, and lack of supply was the reason Organic Meadow Co-operative Inc. gave for being unable to pay its bills when it sought creditor protection in April. Dairy Farmers has denied responsibility for the company’s situation; the co-op emerged from creditor protection earlier this month after striking a deal with its creditors, of which Dairy Farmers was one.Graham Lloyd, Dairy Farmers general counsel and communications director, says the marketing board’s organic advisory committee will “provide insight for the board on any issues that may be specific to organic milk production but not processing,” including identifying what are the barriers to new producers joining organic milk production. Asked if the committee was being put in place in response to issues raised about not enough organic milk in the system to meet demand, he said, "It's exactly that.”The committee will be made up of: five elected Ontario licensed organic dairy farmers, three appointed members of the board and any staff deemed necessary by the Dairy Farmers’ board and senior management. The board members won’t be organic producers as there aren’t any organic farmers on the board.Nominations are due by Oct. 12 at the Dairy Farmers’ office in Mississauga. Election meetings all begin at 8 p.m. and will be held:Oct. 21 in Avonmore at North Stormont Place, 16299 Fairview Drive.Nov. 4 in Stratford at Best Western Plus, the Arden Park Hotel, 552 Ontario Street.Nov. 12 in Belleville at Holiday Inn Express & Suites, 291 N Front Street.The organic farmers at the meetings will elect the committee members from the pool of nominees. The five candidates getting the most votes after all three meetings will be declared elected, Lloyd says in a Sept. 15 letter to organic farmers.The committee will be up and running by January 2016 or maybe sooner. It will meet once to three times a year. The members will serve two-year terms except in the first term when two members will serve a three-year term to allow for staggered elections to be held in the future.Questions about the committee or the election process can be addressed to Lloyd at: graham.lloyd@milk.org. BF Food prices blamed for decline in restaurant profit margins Score one for eastern Ontario poultry processor
Better Farming Ontario January 2025 issue available online Tuesday, January 7, 2025 Regular letter delivery may be returning to normal at Canada Post, but magazine delivery is still lagging significantly behind. Based on these Canada Post delays, once again the Ontario Federation of Agriculture has agreed to share the digital version of the January 2025 issue of... Read this article online
John Deere revealing new autonomous machines & technology at CES 2025 Tuesday, January 7, 2025 John Deere (Deere & Company) has revealed several new autonomous machines during a press conference at the tradeshow in Las Vegas, Nevada. Technology it said will support customers in agriculture, construction, and commercial landscaping. The reveal builds on Deere’s autonomous... Read this article online
Ontario Apple Growers name new Chair Monday, January 6, 2025 Chris Hedges of Vanessa, Ontario, has been elected as the new Chair of the Ontario Apple Growers (OAG). After completing a year as the organization’s Vice Chair, Hedges () takes over from outgoing Chair Brian Rideout of Blenheim, Ontario, who has led the OAG since December 2023. Past OAG... Read this article online
A Whole Lotta Innovation Tuesday, December 31, 2024 A good holiday read is hard to find. Although admittedly not very festive, we’ve got something for you: the Winter 2024 Farms.com Precision Ag Digital Digest. Coming December 28, this issue wraps up 2024 with a whole lotta innovation and a whole lotta love from our team (do you... Read this article online
Tools and Equipment for Livestock Farmers Monday, December 30, 2024 The holidays have come and gone; did you get everything you wished for during the holidays? The Farms.com team thought we would share some tools and equipment that farmers wish they had to help them out on the farm. Whether you are tending to beef or dairy cows, sheep, goats, poultry... Read this article online