Wage hike spells disaster for growers Monday, November 23, 2009 by SUSAN MANNOntario’s horticultural industry will face a catastrophe if the provincial government doesn’t offset next year’s planned minimum wage increase, concludes a report commissioned by the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association.The wage is set to go up by 75 cents an hour in March 2010 to $10.25 from the current rate of $9.50. It will be the third year of annual increases that started in 2008. That’s about a 28 per cent increase over a three year period and will cost growers an extra $73 million annually once the increases are fully implemented.“The minimum wage increase artificially piles sharp labour cost increases on an industry that is already struggling,” it says in the report conducted by George Morris Centre research associates Al Mussell and Claudia Schmidt. The Centre, a Guelph-based independent agri-products think tank, published the report Nov. 19.Increased labour costs decrease farmers’ profitability, particularly for those growing crops where there aren’t alternatives to manual labour, such as peaches. According to the report, a 28-per-cent increase in manual labour expenses decreases profitability by almost 50 per cent.The researchers note grower eligibility for stabilization funding will also decrease significantly.Association CEO Art Smith says farmers aren’t opposed to minimum wage increases: “What we’re opposed to is having it on the backs of the farmers who don’t have a mechanism to recover those costs.”To offset the wage increase, Mussell and Schmidt recommend the government implement two types of compensation programs – one to offset losses in net income and the other to compensate for lost risk management program eligibility. BF Specialized crushing plant on hold Dow AgroSciences buys Hyland Seeds
Take a virtual reality tour of Ontario’s egg and sheep farms Saturday, December 21, 2024 Canadians now have the opportunity to explore new virtual farm tours on www.FarmFood360.ca, thanks to Farm & Food Care Ontario (FFCO), is a coalition of farmers, agriculture and food partners proactively working together to grow public trust and confidence in food and farming. The... Read this article online
Snow Begone: The RapidTrak Series Friday, December 20, 2024 BYLINE: Zahra Sadiq Winter is upon us, and with it comes thick layers of snow, making everything just a little more difficult. But it doesn’t have to be that way, thanks to the RapidTrak Snow Blowers by Ariens. This company’s story starts in 1933 when Henry Ariens took his sons... Read this article online
AEM partners with Euro counterpart to enhance global alignment on key ag manufacturer issues Friday, December 20, 2024 The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and the European Agricultural Machinery Association (CEMA) have signed a () to enhance advocacy efforts for the agricultural equipment industry. The agreement seeks to create a positive legislative and regulatory environment across... Read this article online
The 2024 Topigs Norsvin Canada Awards Banquet Thursday, December 19, 2024 Topigs Norsvin Canada Inc.—headquartered in Oak Bluff, Manitoba—is a global leader in swine genetics, and recently held its in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Stratford, Ontario, via two events for its producers. The banquets blended recognition for outstanding production achievements and... Read this article online
Premier equipment strengthens reach with new acquisition Wednesday, December 18, 2024 Premier Equipment, a John Deere dealership in southwestern Ontario, has reached an agreement to acquire Hutchinson Farm Supply, effective January 31, 2025. Hutchinson, which has been in business for 60 years, has served agriculture and rural property owners in York and Durham... Read this article online