by BETTER FARMING STAFF
Members of a farm coalition trying to alter government approaches to farm risk management are encouraged the federal government recognizes current programs are not working. Yet it’s going to be tough to turn that acknowledgement into changes, they say.
Helping the province to convince other provinces and the federal government to revise programs such as AgriStability is high on the Ontario Agriculture Sustainability Coalition’s agenda, says Bette Jean Crews, president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.
“We are pushing for fall,” to have AgriStability revisions in place, Crews says. The program pays farmers when their returns drop below 85 per cent of their individual historic averages.
The Federation is one of several provincial general farm and commodity groups that make up the Coalition. The Coalition wants changes to current programs as well as the introduction of sector-specific cost of production programs that employ federal, provincial and producer money to buffer the effects of market price fluctuations.
Crews says Coalition efforts will focus on helping the province to build support among other provinces and the federal government for the changes. Locally, she’s hoping farmers will air their concerns with their MPs.
No rallies are in the works.
Farmers are too busy, she explains, pointing out it’s in the middle of the farming season and an increasing number of the province’s farmers juggle chores and off-farm jobs.
Obtaining provincial commitment to a cost of production program is another goal.
Provincial Agriculture Minister Carol Mitchell has said the province won’t come on board without a federal contribution, Crews says. “And so it’s our job as an industry to convince the province of the right thing in that scenario.”
Crews says Mitchell “is not close-minded.” Yet “there comes to be a point where she will be saying ‘no’ and I will be pushing for ‘yes’ and we have to resolve that.”
The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association is another Coalition member and its chair, Brian Gilroy, says changes to AgriInvest, another Growing Forward program, would benefit his sector the most. Delivering cost of production programs to Ontario’s 150 different horticultural crops would be difficult, he says. Increasing the amount that farmers can obtain for a matching government contribution to their AgriInvest account is simpler. In 2009, AgriInvest government contributions were capped at $22, 500 or 1.5 per cent of $1.5 million in allowable net sales. The program covers profit margin declines of less than 15 per cent.
Gilroy says drops in market prices, loss of processors and rising expenses have affected those in the horticultural sector who grow crops outdoors. “It’s becoming more and more challenging to afford to be able to grow.”
Provincial initiatives, such as time-of-use electrical rates create more expenses. Time-of-use applies different electrical rates for different times during the day and comes into effect over the next several months in the province. The new approach will add significant costs to the on-farm refrigeration horticulture producers need to operate continuously to preserve food, he says. “That’s going to be crippling.”
Sarah Petrevan, spokesperson for the minister, notes that there was no explicit promise that changes to the Growing Forward risk management programs would happen before the umbrella agricultural policy expires in 2013. But federal officials have recognized for the first time that “something needed to be done” and indicated they would work with the provinces to explore what types of programs are needed. She says Mitchell looks forward to working with the federal government to “see what options are available.” BF
Comments
By the time anything happens we won't need their help. These characters give new meaning to the phrase "stall study stall". If this charade wasn't so sad (and unnoticed) it could be great fodder for late night TV talk shows. What year did CAIS rear it's ugly head, and their have been promised changes ever since. How do you measure progress when there is none? Yep it "will be tough".
Two things that have made the CAIS program a disaster. Livestock producers never had production insurance to help maintain reference margins. A crop farmer gets production insurance and this is added back as eligible income when filing for CAIS. A livestock producer gets a major disease, has to fight with CAIS officials, and in the end gets nothing, expect a rapidly declining reference margin. The second thing was the removal of tier one and replacing it with agri invest. What a joke, i now have the right to make a deposit based on allowable net sales, which unfortunately are zero. All this so my dairy farmer neighbour can claim CAIS on his on grain crops, while he make hundreds of thousands from the cows. And they call this a whole farm program. Why bother with all the meetings. If you owe the government money, don't bother paying, starting with all those ACC loans. Maybe that will get their attention.
OFA leaders are now a disgrace
short and simple
Ofa claim to fame is reduced farm property tax
Ofa claim to hall of shame is documented every day we farm as non supply management farmers
ofa doesnt need to worry about a protest in the busy summer months because ofa has no credibility with no solutions to ontario farmers income loses
In last weeks speech from the throne, Ontario Federation of Agriculture president Bette Jean Crews says their response will depend on the outcome of the meeting. But “the only thing that we don’t want to do is one huge demonstration and then nothing else.” Well they have got the do nothing and do nothing else part right
Last week the hue and cry was everybody will be sitting in one place we can get something done immediately "We see that as something that can be done immediately to put some immediate relief into the farm community because the need is so great.” but now everything can wait till fall
"Implementing the changes can’t wait until the current agricultural policy framework expires in 2013", she (B J Crews) adds.
By this weeks pronouncement “We are pushing for fall,” to have AgriStability 'revisions' in place, Crews says. What?, you went to a meeting not knowing what you wanted? OH excuse me Hort and veg want to change the program to something more obscure than cost based. The program pays farmers when their returns drop below 85 per cent of their individual historic averages.
If you are going to make revisions there must be something worth saving like production insurance added as eligible income when filing for CAIS. and a whole farm program that deducts one sector from another, to get nothing expect a rapidly declining reference margin. This is only outdone by the stupidity of bureaucratic accounting in the form of name changing CAIS to agri stupidity and replacing it with agri divest.
Crews says AgriStability “wasn’t designed to meet all of the multitude of crises that we’ve had in the last few years, even in the last decade.” There's no rush... 85% of 85% on top of a yr with only a 40% program is just fine. "We" (OFA) will just write something else this week. No one will look back or remember what we said last week anyway.
Producers were told of a forth coming "call to arms" from Leo Guibault and the fear OFA and OASC will instill in the bureaucrats and politicians at the FPT meetings and now "nothing", a new phase after stall study stall, is wait do nothing
Only what is written out gets measured. No plan equals no results.
In response to some readers' perceptions I must point out a few things about this article. It is difficult, in a short article to capture all said.
First, "We are pushing for fall" means that we want the new programs ASAP. We agree that waiting time is over.
Second, "No rallies are in the works" means that Queens Park and Parliament Hill are closed for the summer. The acutal news is that local events are being planned at consituency offices.
Third, OASC truly hopes that the writers and all other farmers will take up the call and lobby with us to keep this industry strong.
Bette Jean Crews
President,
Ontario Federation of Agiculture
Well now isn't this a special thought. We will wait till McGinty is back. The last time we went to Queens park he left through the back door to give the Oshawa auto industry 400 million they had not asked for and Leon was mistakenly terrified of unidentified load noises mascara-ding as bomb threats from the washrooms.
As for constituency rallies the homeless and the gays would outnumber farmers willing to do that sad refrain a second time for more hollow promises.
Third, OASC truly hopes that the writers and all other farmers will take up the call and lobby with us to keep this industry strong.
It appears the OFA needs to take class study of how MPS must conduct their professional actions and party loyality as put forward as they are taught in their first week as new MP " how to be a MP "training. Further more the OFA executive because of age and wisdom must surely know after a decade in OFA that MPs have no real power and must vote party line.
Only a herd of donkeys would believe a call and lobby of MPs will get sucessful results farmers need
There are firm visions that most farmers would not bet their farm on any ofa OASC lobby success as a cause of any improved farm support progarms in Ontario
Liberal or Conservative, in your heart you know this is true! Vote them all out in the fall.
The Haircut
One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut.
After the cut, he asked about his bill, and the barber replied, 'I
cannot accept money from you , I'm doing community service this week.'
The florist was pleased and left the shop.
When the barber went to open his shop the next morning, there was a
'thank you' card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door.
Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his
bill, the barber again replied, 'I cannot accept money from you, I'm
doing community service this week.' The cop was happy and left the
shop.
The next morning when the barber went to open up, there was a 'thank
you' card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.
Then an ag minister came in for a haircut, and when he went to pay his bill, the barber again replied, 'I can not accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.' The Minister was very happy and left the shop.
The next morning, when the barber went to open up, there were a dozen Ministers lined up waiting for a free haircut.
And that, my friends, illustrates the usefulness of lobbing politicians and the fundamental difference between the citizens of our country and the politicians who run it.
Bette Jean Crews
President,
Ontario Federation of Agiculture is no match for Magarete Thatcher past PM of England. membership increases, no results for farmers. no rmp no plan B no audits just follow orders from OMAFRA . 10 years of wasted ofa spin
If you're going to compare Bette-Jean Crews to anyone, it would be a good idea to not compare her to a Prime Minister who went well-out-of her way to get rid of exactly the kind of subsidies Bette-Jean is calling for. In addition, it would have been a good idea for you to have spelled Mrs. Thatcher's name correctly.
I think you missed the point of the previous writer. They said there is no comparison "no match". No........I know you missed the point, the spelling has nothing to do with the writer's point. What's the old adage? "Don't shoot the messenger".
While governments might be prepared to accept that the current suite of farm support programs might not be working, they aren't going to be easily convinced that any program with a cost-of-production component will work any better. Farm groups haven't been able to make the case that cost-of-production based programs won't simply be self-defeating, and it's not likely they ever could.
Farm groups haven't been able to make the case that cost-of-production based programs won't simply be self-defeating, and it's not likely they ever could.
This could unfortunately be true because Canada has a 2 class farm system
What is the soltion? All farmers in it together is not factual
One system Supply management has legislated guarenteed cost of production paid for when the consumer buys it's supply managed products, The government is off the hook pays nothing to support Supply Management, the government of Canada issues high import tarrifs to stop foreign supply management imports from coming into Canada
The other system Non Supply Management competes on the world stage, has no cost of production no legislated guarentee,and would be funded by federal government taxpayer dollars. All past federal liberal and conservative goverments have refused to fund this type of farm econmic cost of production programs fearing the end of the cheap food policy, electorate and tax payer revolt and fear of election or relection defeat. All federal government parties uses the excuse of countervail duty imposed on Canada by other countries under the world trade organization, meanwhile Stats Canada stats continue to verify the constant farm crisis economic hard ship of Canada's non supply management farmers. Only sporatic world short production supply gives relief of higer priced farm commodities/ livestock followed by new cycle increases in the cost of production commerical agri-business imputs seed, pesticides.fuel, fertilizer, machinery cost,etc.
The cycle starts all over again mean while all these increases on production costs are tacked on to Supply Management's legislated cost formula .
The perfect Storm, the public sees farmers with shiny new machinery chromed diesel pickups gives the impression all is well in farm country. Mean while next generation young farmers cannot start farming because of high start up cost to farm
Ofa Crews should get her staff to investigate why Canada alone has not made progress on farm programs that have real economic bankable value when compared to other G8 countries
10 years failure not stupidity but legalized government minipulation collusion both federal and provincial levels helped along by ineffective cfa ofa. Cherry picking farm leaders serving who? Civil servants cover ups in cooperation farm organization staff is the legacy we see
It doesnt take much to see the actions of Crews is not working and waiting till fall in just another way to cooperate as usual with government
Has reorganization of ofa benifited farmers economic being?
Ofa needs to be put under a magnifine glass
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