Rodney farmer's contributions recognized at gala Thursday, October 9, 2008 by BETTER FARMING STAFFPaul Mistele, a former vice-president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, died Friday, Oct. 3 after battling cancer. He leaves behind his wife Carol and children Matt and Amanda. His funeral was Tuesday.The Rodney-area chicken and hog farmer was a familiar face at the table of several local and provincial agricultural organizations. Among those organizations was the Ontario Farm Animal Council. Mistele had been a vice-chair before he was stricken.Ten years ago Mistele founded the Donate-a-hog program, a province-wide initiative that raises funds to donate pork products to food banks. His contributions to this program and other efforts to promote Ontario agriculture will be celebrated at Ontario’s Harvest Gala, a fundraiser for the Ontario Association of Food Banks and the Ontario Farm Animal Council. The gala will be held Oct. 30 in Guelph.Crystal Mackay, executive director of OFAC, recalls Mistele as forward thinking and a “huge supporter of the shift to proactive work” at the council.“I’ve rarely met a farm leader before that was positive on almost everything,” she said, adding Mistele also enjoyed having fun. BF Union slams Conservatives' food safety plan Flue grower board signs 2008 crop deal 'under duress'
Ontario Supports Farmers Through 4R Nutrient Program Thursday, January 22, 2026 Several key agricultural organizations and the provincial government have renewed the Memorandum of Cooperation for the 4R Nutrient Stewardship program for a third term. The agreement brings together the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario, Fertilizer Canada, Grain Farmers of... Read this article online
Canada-Ontario Funding Aims to Expand Agri-Food Markets Wednesday, January 21, 2026 The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $20 million through the new Market Diversification and Trade Resiliency Initiative to help farmers, food processors, and agribusinesses expand sales of Ontario-grown products domestically and internationally. The initiative... Read this article online
Bushel Plus rebrands to BranValt for global harvest-tech growth Tuesday, January 20, 2026 Bushel Plus Ltd., a well‑known name in harvest optimization tools and training, is preparing for a major brand transformation as it shifts to a new global identity: BranValt. The company recently announced that the transition will officially take effect in July 2026, marking a... Read this article online
Canada Negotiates Tariff Reductions on Canola Seed by China Tuesday, January 20, 2026 Mark Carney has concluded his visit to Beijing for high-level meetings with Chinese leaders, including Xi Jinping. The visit marked the first trip to China by a Canadian prime minister since 2017 and resulted in a joint statement outlining a new strategic partnership between the two countries.... Read this article online
Ontario Pig Producer Disease Advisory -- PED and PDCoV Risks Rising This Winter Tuesday, January 20, 2026 Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) and Porcine Deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) continue to pose significant risks to swine operations across the industry. Both viruses are highly infectious, spread easily through manure, contaminated equipment, transport vehicles, and human movement, and can have... Read this article online