Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Ontario-grown sustainability programs measure up: study

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

by SUSAN MANN

Ontario’s Environmental Farm Plan and Growing Your Farm Profits programs compare favourably to 10 other national and international sustainability programs, according to new research released Wednesday.

The study, done by Deloitte, was sponsored by a group of agricultural organizations developing a sustainability program for Ontario farmers. The Farm, Food & Beyond coalition’s mandate is to create a sustainability program that builds on the success of existing Ontario programs, says the group’s Feb. 3 press release.

The coalition members include: the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario, the Presidents’ Council, Ontario Agri-Food Technologies, the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA), Farm & Food Care Ontario, the Provision Coalition, and the Food Institute of the University of Guelph. Representatives from the provincial and federal agriculture departments participate as observers. The coalition released a report in the fall called ‘Our Commitment to Sustainability.’

The coalition’s Feb. 3 release says the content of the Environmental Farm Plan and Growing Your Farm Profits met or exceeded the other sustainability programs used in the comparison in 82 per cent of identified performance areas.

Harold Rudy, OSCIA executive officer for research and business development, says the analysis of the sustainability programs was divided into three areas: economic, social and environment. Under the environmental component, the Ontario program compared to the others was “probably deficient on the climate change discussion and there could have been some additional strengths in water efficiency.”

In some programs, there is a strong emphasis on the handling of solvents and cleaners  “and we need to strengthen that area” along with beefing up waste and air quality monitoring, he notes.

Soil health is also a big area, particularly “referring to the biological side of soil health,” he says. The OSCIA has soil health at the top of its research priority list; however, “it isn’t necessarily reflected in the current version of the Environmental Farm Plan.”

On the social side, the Growing Your Farm Profits program needs to be strengthened and enhanced in the areas of worker training and the monitoring of worker performance measures, Rudy says.

The economic and financial management side of Ontario’s program “excelled in just about every area” in the comparison with other sustainability programs, Rudy says.

About the study results, Rudy says “nothing is alarming. It can all be addressed in future revisions of those (Ontario) program documents.”

The next step in the project is for the coalition to hire a project manager who will begin discussions with all sectors in the supply chain (farmers, processors, retailers, food service companies, non-government agencies and consumer groups) to get their support and commitment.

Rudy says the person will be hired within the next two months.

The coalition’s long-term goal is to harmonize and consolidate sustainability program standards so farmers and manufacturers don’t have to deal with several manuals and programs “ to meet sustainability requirements,” he notes. The group is developing the sustainability program in response to retailers, manufacturers and food service companies wanting greater transparency and advanced recordkeeping of the environmental and social practices used by their suppliers. BF

Current Issue

November 2024

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Ontario Pork Congress Annual Meeting report

Friday, November 1, 2024

The Ontario Pork Congress was held on October 22, 2024, at the Arden Park Hotel in Stratford, Ontario, with over 35 people attending. At the event, the association revealed the winner of its —Tara Terpstra, a Huron County pork producer who is currently Chair of Ontario Pork. The... Read this article online

Massey Ferguson introduces six new tractors

Friday, November 1, 2024

Massey Ferguson has debuted its new of tractors, what the company calls a line-up of versatile and powerful machines designed to meet the needs of modern farmers. This series includes six new models, each tailored to different farming requirements and preferences. MF... Read this article online

Bills C-244 and C-294 have been adopted

Friday, November 1, 2024

On October 31, without much ado, and were adopted by the Canadian Parliament and are poised to become law. These bills amend the and represent a historic step forward in the right-to-repair movement, especially for Canadian farmers. allows consumers and businesses to... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2024 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top