Ontario introduces proposal system for wind energy Wednesday, December 4, 2013 by SUSAN MANN The Ontario government plans to introduce a new type of procurement for wind energy next year, says Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli. The new procurement will start in the first quarter of 2014 and be based on a request or proposal system. The procurement for wind will be more targeted and controlled than it was under the Feed in Tariff (FIT) program. “We’ve taken wind out of the FIT program,” he told southwestern Ontario reporters during a telephone press conference Wednesday afternoon held to discuss the government’s recently released long term energy plan. To win a contract, successful companies will need to have a “significant engagement with the municipality where it’s going to be sited,” he says. Municipalities won’t have an absolute veto on wind energy projects going into their area, but it will be very difficult for a “proponent to win a contact.” Chiarelli says municipalities aren’t given an absolute veto because there are times when generation capacity or transmission lines must be planned regionally whether the energy is renewable or not. If two or three connected municipalities had a veto over energy infrastructure, “you wouldn’t be able to move a transmission line across a county or even across two counties. There has to be some fail safe way for us to say, ‘Everybody’s got to do their share.’” In the current energy mix used and distributed in Ontario, renewable energy including wind represents less than four per cent, Chiarelli says. Another initiative in the government’s long-term energy plan is financial help for municipalities to generate energy plans. Municipalities must realize that if they’re going to expand subdivisions and build new commercial/industrial property, that will need more electricity and they can’t simply say they’ll let the generation happen in someone else’s backyard, he explains. “There has to be a certain merging of energy planning between the municipal sector and the provincial sector. This new long term plan creates that marriage of planning,” he says. BF Guilty: jury convicts Pigeon King of fraud Ontario's revamped energy plan has an ag focus
$18.4M Boost for Canadian Cereal Grain Innovation Thursday, September 19, 2024 Gate Project Receives Major Funding for Research Canada's position as a pioneer in cereal grain research is set to strengthen with the Gate Capital Campaign raising $18.4 million. This funding will support the Global Agriculture Technology Exchange (Gate) initiative, a project... Read this article online
BASF introduces Surtain herbicide for field corn growers Tuesday, September 17, 2024 Field corn growers in eastern Canada have a new crop protection product available to them. After about 10 years of research and trials, BASF has introduced Surtain, a residual herbicide for corn that combines PPO inhibitor saflufenacil (Group 14) and pyroxasulfone (Group 15) in a premix... Read this article online
We Didn’t Start the Fire! Impacts of Wildfire Smoke on Corn Monday, September 16, 2024 Assistant Professor of Corn Production at Purdue University’s College of Agriculture, Daniel Quinn, PhD. recently provided fascinating insights into the impacts of fire on major corn producing areas, many of which have been impacted by smoke from wildfires. Quinn was the keynote... Read this article online
New home for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario Saturday, September 14, 2024 The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) has announced it has moved into its new office building in Ingersoll. Located at 274620 27th Line in Ingersoll, the new office will serve as the hub for CFFO’s ongoing efforts to advocate for and support Ontario’s Christian farmers.... Read this article online
Canadian Ag Youth Council Welcomes new Members Saturday, September 14, 2024 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has announced the latest members to join the Canadian Agricultural Youth Council (CAYC). This update introduces nine fresh members alongside thirteen returning youths, marking a significant step towards involving young voices in agricultural... Read this article online