Ontario farm groups urge politicians to act now to change farm safety nets Monday, July 5, 2010 by SUSAN MANNFederal and provincial agriculture ministers must act now and implement changes to the national farm safety net program, AgriStability, an Ontario farmer leader says.That’s also the message the Ontario Agricultural Sustainability Coalition gave to Ontario Agriculture Minister Carol Mitchell before she headed off to attend the Federal, Provincial, Territorial Agriculture Ministers’ meeting in Saskatoon July 7 and 8.Ontario Cattlemen’s Association president Curtis Royal says “we just hope they don’t come out with basically what they’ve come out with the last two or three times.”After the agriculture ministers’ meeting last summer in Niagara-on-the-Lake and also the one Feb. 5 in Toronto, the politicians said they’d hold consultations with farmers. “To come back out with something similar like that and no action is basically unacceptable to us here in Ontario,” Royal says.In a written statement, the Coalition says it is recommending changes to AgriStability that will provide a much needed infusion of funds to Ontario’s cash-strapped farm businesses. It is also proposing a comprehensive business risk management program based on cost-of-production for non supply-managed commodities. The agricultural industry has already started working out some details on this with OMAFRA staff; the Coalition wants the federal government to help develop the details too.If there isn’t any progress at the meeting, Ontario should be prepared to announce the province will fund at least 40 per cent of the proposed changes to AgriStability retroactive to 2008, the Coalition says.Mitchell says the business risk management program, including proposed changes to AgriStability, is one of her top issues “and for my stakeholders that’s an issue they want to see dealt with.”But Ontario is just one province at the meeting table. “What I take forward are the concerns from my ag community and what we see our ag community needs to move into the future.”As for the Coalition’s request for the province to fund at least 40 per cent of the proposed changes to AgriStability if there isn’t any progress at the meeting, Mitchell says she didn’t want to predict the outcome of discussions at the table. “We’ll see where we land at the end of (the meeting).”In its written statement, the Coalition says farmers have been patient but if there isn’t any progress at the meeting “farmers will be very vocal in expressing their discontent.”Ontario Federation of Agriculture president Bette Jean Crews says their response will depend on the outcome of the meeting. But “the only thing that we don’t want to do is one huge demonstration and then nothing else.”Crews says AgriStability “wasn’t designed to meet all of the multitude of crises that we’ve had in the last few years, even in the last decade.”A national survey shows a majority of Canadian farmers are dissatisfied with the current AgriStability program, it says in an Ontario Federation press release.Brian Gilroy, chair of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association, says AgriStability doesn’t do the job farmers need it to do. And he’s hoping federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz will acknowledge the program isn’t working. “For the minister to continue to say that things are fine is, in my opinion, inappropriate.”He also hopes negotiations can begin to provide safety net programs that address today’s needs.Crews says the Coalition’s proposed changes will cost an estimated $100 million a year in Ontario and $300 to $330 million annually across Canada. The Coalition is asking for the changes to be made retroactive to 2008 because that’s when AgriStability was introduced.Ontario Pork chair Wilma Jeffray says making improvements to AgriStability retroactive to 2008 can be done at the agriculture ministers’ meeting because “the people who make those decisions are all sitting together. We see that as something that can be done immediately to put some immediate relief into the farm community because the need is so great.”Implementing the changes can’t wait until the current agricultural policy framework expires in 2013, she adds. BF Lower solar incentive expected to hit industry hard Industry churns butter stock solutions
New board members for Ontario Pork Friday, April 25, 2025 Ontario Pork, an association representing the 1,898 pork farms that market 5.9 million hogs in the province, has announced its new board lineup for 2025. As a Guelph, Ontario-headquartered organization, Ontario Pork is engaged in the areas of research, government representation,... Read this article online
A Chicken’s Dream: The Perfect Home for Our Feathery Friends! Friday, April 25, 2025 BY: Zahra Sadiq Do you raise chickens on your farm for personal, friends and family use? Don’t you think your feathery friends deserve to live in style? If so, look no further, Roost & Root have plenty of chicken coop models to choose from that you and your chickens will... Read this article online
Sheep farmers win Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers Thursday, April 24, 2025 Sheep farmers and wool producers from Wallenstein, Ont. are Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2025. “It’s great to be recognized by your peers in the industry with an award like that,” Ryan Schill told Farms.com. “When we started the sheep farm, there were people questioning us... Read this article online
Ontario ag connections in the NHL playoffs Tuesday, April 22, 2025 The 2025 NHL playoffs are underway, and some of hockey’s biggest names got their start on an Ontario farm or have invested in agriculture since becoming professional athletes. Farms.com went through each of the 16 playoff team rosters to uncover which players have a connection to... Read this article online
New Alcohol Trade Freedom in Ontario Thursday, April 17, 2025 The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has welcomed Ontario’s bold step in eliminating trade barriers and allowing direct alcohol sales to consumers. This new legislation aims to ease internal trade across provinces and support small businesses. One of the key changes... Read this article online