Proposed AgriStability cuts alarm Ontario farm groups Thursday, June 21, 2012 by SUSAN MANNA coalition of Ontario farm groups is concerned the federal government may be considering slashing funds for AgriStability, a national business risk management program that supports farmers when they have a large margin decline.In a June 19 commentary posted on iPolitics, a Canadian political and news commentary website, Amy Cronin, the chair of the Ontario Agricultural Sustainability Coalition and Ontario Pork chair, writes that there are indications the federal government is seeking to reduce AgriStability funding by 50 per cent.AgriStability is one of the business risk management programs that are part of Growing Forward, the country’s agricultural policy framework. The cut is being discussed as part of proposals to develop Growing Forward 2, which will replace the current round of programs when they expire on March 31, 2013.Such a significant reduction would amount to a more than $425 million cut to Ontario farmers over the five years Growing Forward 2 is in place, Cronin writes. It would be detrimental to Ontario’s rural economy and affect all non-supply managed commodities. The cuts would also reduce farmers’ access to bank credit.Business risk management programs allow farmers to mitigate risk and fairly compete in the domestic and export markets. But any reduction in AgriStability under Growing Forward 2 has the potential to reduce overall output and eliminate farmers in Ontario, she says.Cronin could not be reached to discuss her comments.The coalition has set up a website to inform farmers about the potential cut.Patrick Girard, media relations supervisor for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, says by email a refocused suite of business risk management programs was part of this year’s federal budget. “With record high incomes and growth in the agricultural sector, the time is right to look at changes to enable Canadian farmers to make their money from the marketplace, not the mailbox,” he writes.Negotiations between federal and provincial officials are continuing on Growing Forward 2 programs and “governments continue to look at fiscally-responsible ways to ensure farm income programming is achieving desired outcomes” and programs funded by both the federal government and the provinces invest strategically to promote competitiveness across the sector, he adds. Ontario Agriculture Minister Ted McMeekin says he couldn’t participate in a telephone conference call Tuesday between federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and provincial agriculture ministers about Growing Forward 2 because he was flying home after being in Europe for his 40th wedding anniversary cruise with his wife.But his deputy agriculture minster and chief of staff, who did participate, told him “there was universal concern expressed that the feds need to be consulting with agriculture stakeholders,” McMeekin says.Ontario has been consulting with stakeholders and they’re telling him they “want to see a continuation of an effective suite of business risk management programs and we continue to advocate for that,” he says.Asked if proposed cuts to AgriStability were discussed during the call, McMeekin says the federal government has proposed a series of options but “I think we headed that off by talking about the need for consultation and the effective suite of programs.”McMeekin says the federal government has said it needs to find $300 million in savings and about 80 per cent of federal support goes to business risk management programming. “They’re looking at some potential flexibility but we haven’t bought in to that, we haven’t agreed to anything other than to continue to consult and continue to articulate our primary objective” to ensure there’s an effective suite of business risk management programs.Growing Forward 2 will come up again at the agriculture ministers’ annual meeting being held in Whitehorse, Yukon in September. Girard says that’s when federal and provincial governments aim to reach an agreement on a new five-year agricultural policy framework. BF Alberta rancher to bring wind message to Ontario Ontario apple and tender fruit growers await governments' aid decisions
Ontario Basketball and Dairy Farmers of Ontario expand partnership into 2025 Thursday, April 3, 2025 Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) and the Ontario Basketball Association (OBA) have extended their partnership into 2025. With this agreement, DFO will be the presenting partner of the and support Team Ontario. “Dairy Farmers of Ontario is delighted to continue its partnership... Read this article online
Agritourism operators meet with Ontario’s Tourism Minister Thursday, April 3, 2025 On April 2, 2025, members of Ontario’s agritourism sector met with the province’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming, the Hon. Stan Cho to discuss what is one of the fastest growing and popular sectors in tourism. Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff, Associate Minister of Energy-Intensive... Read this article online
U of G Students win Branded Farms.com Chairs Thursday, April 3, 2025 Farms.com was pleased to support the University of Guelph’s annual College Royal which was held March 15th & 16th, 2025 – it was the 101st edition. Every March, the University of Guelph hosts College Royal, the largest university open house event in North America. This annual... Read this article online
Lynmark Farms named Master Breeder for 2025 Wednesday, April 2, 2025 The Canadian Milking Shorthorn Society has announced that Lynmark Farms has been named as a herd for 2025. Lynmark Farms is owned and operated by Tim Shearer and Irene Vietinghoff of Norwood, Ontario. They are the third Milking Shorthorn herd to be recognized as a since this... Read this article online
John Deere collaborates with Dovetail Workwear Wednesday, April 2, 2025 Built by, for, and with women, Dovetail Workwear is teaming with John Deere ( Deere & Company) to develop a collection of apparel and gear specifically designed to address the needs of women in the agricultural industry. The companies said there’s a shared commitment to celebrating... Read this article online