New federal program encourages private solutions to farm risk management Wednesday, June 19, 2013 by SUSAN MANN The federal government is resurrecting an old idea to encourage the farming industry and the private sector to develop new risk management tools for farmers. On Monday, Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Pierre Lemieux announced that up to $15 million is available for developing and adopting new private sector or producer-funded agricultural risk management tools. The money will be made available under Growing Forward 2’s AgriRisk Initiatives program. Al Mussell, George Morris Centre senior research associate, says before the initial Growing Forward program was introduced in 2008 there was a program called private sector risk management partnerships. It was designed to provide resources for developing insurance-type programs and other options for industries to mitigate risks that were complimentary to existing business risk management programs, such as crop insurance. Mussell says at the time of the private sector risk management partnerships program there were “quite a number of pretty innovative projects that came out.” He notes he can infer from the government introducing the AgriRisk Initiatives program that “there is renewed interest on behalf of governments in having programs like that again. I think it makes good sense.” The government press release says the AgriRisk Initiatives program is to facilitate industry-led research and development along with the implementation and administration of new insurance-based tools for the agriculture, agri-food and agri-products sectors. Applications are now being accepted. The government will allocate a total of up to $3 million a year over five years for the program to fund research and development projects on potential new industry-led risk management products and services. Approved projects can be eligible for up to $500,000 annually. The money under the program can be used for: Research and development costs. Data collection and analysis. Legal and actuarial costs. Consultations. BF Marsh flood ruins farmers' growing season Farm owners fear a long-running pipeline project will damage soil
Soybean Cyst Nematode Is in almost every soybean producing state and province Wednesday, April 29, 2026 Understanding Detection, Prevention, and Management of Soybeans’ Most Costly Pest Soybean cyst nematode (SCN), , remains the most damaging pathogen affecting soybeans in North America, costing U.S. farmers more than one billion dollars in lost yield annually. Updated national surveys... Read this article online
Farmland Rents Lag Land Values Wednesday, April 29, 2026 Farm Credit Canada (FCC) has released a new economic analysis highlighting a growing gap between farmland values and rental rates across the country, a trend that will likelyreshapeexpansion decisions for Canadian producers. According to the analysis, Canada’s average farmland... Read this article online
Ontario Funds for New Grain Innovation Projects Wednesday, April 29, 2026 Grain Farmers of Ontario has announced the successful applicants for its 2026 Grains Innovation Fund. The fund supports projects that increase the use, value, and demand for grains grown across Ontario. These efforts help build stronger domestic markets while encouraging innovation in... Read this article online
Drone Seeding Offers Hope for Ontario Wheat Farmers Wednesday, April 29, 2026 Farmers in parts of Ontario often struggle to plant winter wheat at the right time. The ideal planting period usually comes before soybeans are harvested, which can delay wheat seeding and reduce yields. This timing conflict makes it difficult for farmers tomaintainproper crop rotation and... Read this article online
Colouring a Safer Future for Farm Kids Tuesday, April 28, 2026 Teaching children about farm safety is an essential part of protecting the future of Canadian agriculture. With that goal in mind, the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) has launched the Kids FarmSafe Colouring Contest, a creative initiative designed to help young people learn... Read this article online