Ontario's general farm groups all accredited for another three years Friday, July 17, 2015 by SUSAN MANNOntario’s three general farm groups received word two weeks after their re-accreditation hearings in June they’ve all been accredited for another three years.The Ontario Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal released its written decisions July 10 informing all three groups that based on the evidence they filed and the submissions they made at hearings in June, they all met the “prescribed criteria for reaccreditation” as farm organizations. The groups are now accredited until December 2018. Karen Eatwell, National Farmers Union-Ontario president and Region 3 coordinator, says this year’s hearing process went very smoothly. “The three panel members that were on the tribunal panel did a great job. They asked questions but they were legitimate.”Eatwell says she sat through all three hearings and “it was a very smooth process.”Last time the three groups applied for reaccreditation in 2012, the tribunal denied them accreditation. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture and the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario both eventually regained accreditation through the tribunal process. But the NFU-O had to challenge the tribunal’s decision refusing it reaccreditation in Ontario Superior Court through a judicial review. In 2013, the court released its decision stating the NFU-O should be reaccredited.The tribunal’s July 10 written decision states NFU-O had 1,342 supporters in 2014 and 50 direct memberships.Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario had 4,165 supporters in 2014. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture had 36,654 supporters in 2014.Going into this year’s hearing, Eatwell says she wasn’t very worried about NFU-O’s submission and its chances of being reaccredited. “I felt like we met all the criteria. I felt very optimistic that when you look at the criteria in the (Farm Registration and Farm Organizations Funding) Act and when you look at what we submitted, we met all the criteria and that’s what they agreed upon.” BF National bee colony loss survey didn't include neonics CFIA to remove bird flu quarantine zones in Oxford County and Waterloo Region UPDATED
Chinese Tariffs Are Squeezing Canadian Grain and Oilseeds Friday, March 14, 2025 By Aleah Harle, Farms.com Risk Management Intern On March 8, 2025, China announced steep retaliatory tariffs on $2.6 billion worth of Canadian agricultural products in response to Canada’s October tariffs of 100% on Chinese EVs, and 25% on steel, and aluminum. These newly... Read this article online
Canada proactively purchases 500,000 doses of a human vaccine against bird flu Friday, March 14, 2025 By Liam Nolan Canada’s agricultural industry continues to monitor the spread of Avian Influenza (AI). The H5N1 HPAI was first reported in Canada in December 2021, below is an update on recent developments. Avian influenza, or bird flu, continues to impact poultry farms... Read this article online
Farmer Planting Decisions for 2025 Taking Shape Thursday, March 13, 2025 As farmers across Canada prepare for the 2025 crop year, Statistics Canada says their planting decisions reflect a complex mix of factors including moisture conditions, crop rotation considerations, and market prices. Nationally, farmers are expected to plant more wheat, corn for... Read this article online
Grain Growers of Sounding the Alarm Over U.S. Tariffs Monday, March 10, 2025 Not surprisingly, the Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) is raising concerns over the United States' decision to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian grain and grain products, a move that could jeopardize the livelihoods of family-run grain farms and lead to higher food prices for American... Read this article online
International Women’s Day – Angela Cammaert Wednesday, March 5, 2025 As International Women’s Day approaches on March 8, Farms.com is asking women in ag about what they’d tell their younger selves about being a farmer, to give a piece of advice to young women entering the ag sector, and to highlight a woman in agriculture they consider a mentor or... Read this article online