Ontario's agriculture minister cites protocol for leaving Farm Products vegetable board proposal alone - for now Wednesday, July 20, 2016 by SUSAN MANNOntario’s agriculture minister has declined to wade into a debate on an Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission proposal removing the price negotiating powers of the province’s processing vegetable board.“Given that a decision of the OFPMC (Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission) to reconsider a proposal may be reviewed by me as minister, it would be inappropriate to comment on any specific regulation being proposed,” Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Jeff Leal said in a July 20 letter.The letter was addressed to Progressive Conservative agriculture critic Toby Barrett, MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk. It was in response to a request Barrett made to the minister in a July 15 letter asking for the 45-day comment period on the proposal to be extended beyond the initial Aug. 12 deadline and past harvest time and for public hearings to be held to get feedback.On June 28, the commission posted a proposal on the Ontario Regulatory Registry to rescind the negotiating authority of the Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers marketing board and add provisions to turn the board into an industry advisory committee.In his letter, Leal explained to Barrett that if the commission, after gathering and assessing feedback decides to go ahead with its proposal, “a party affected by the decision can file for re-consideration to the OFPMC.” Once the commission makes a re-consideration decision, the minister can review it.Leal urged interested parties, stakeholders and the general public to submit their feedback through the Ontario Regulatory Registry posting during the comment period.“I have also been informed that the OFPMC is reaching out to interested stakeholders about their proposal to gather feedback,” Leal said in the letter.The agriculture minister also assured Barrett that the Ontario government hasn’t “changed its policy of supporting regulated marketing and continues to maintain Ontario’s 21 marketing boards while respecting the delegated authority given to the OFPMC under the legislation (the Farm Products Marketing Act).”Leal’s letter was provided to Better Farming by email from his press secretary, Christina Crowley-Arklie.In the email, she said consultations could continue outside of the regulatory registry process and “outside of the original timeline at the discretion of the original party who put forward the proposal.”She added that questions about extending the consultation period could again be sent to the commission.Commission chair Geri Kamenz did not respond to requests for comment. BF Report shows improvement in Ontario honeybee colony winter survival rates Ducks euthanized at Niagara Region farm with avian flu outbreak
$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