Reading Time: 5 minutes If the agri-food industry wasn’t already keenly aware of a change in attitudes, the past three years have dramatically shown that the eyes of the world are upon us, particularly when it comes to environmental stewardship. A recent court ruling against Monsanto has only served to add fuel to a fire that includes nutrient run-off […] Read more
4R comes to Ontario agri-retail
New certification program will even mean some third-party auditing for farmers
What the law says about harassment
What is your responsibility for preventing abuse or harassment on your farm?
Reading Time: 4 minutes Whether you’re a manager at a large corporation or you own a farm business that hires a small cohort of staff, you’re obligated under the law to provide a harassment-free workplace, says Cherolyn Knapp, a partner at Guelph-based law firm, Nelson, Watson LLP. Specific statutes vary from province to province, and links to relevant pieces […] Read more
Ontario general farm organization fee increasing
Reading Time: < 1 minute Ontario farmers will be paying more for their representation by their general farm organizations in 2018 after the government approved a $30 increase. The annual fee will be $225 plus HST for membership in the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario or National Farmers Union-Ontario. All registered farmers have to pay the […] Read more
VIDEO: OFA puts more focus on rural economic development
Reading Time: < 1 minute Ontario Federation of Agriculture President Keith Currie talks about why the OFA is putting more emphasis on distributed economic development. Read more: OFA pre-election policy targets broader economic development
OFA pre-election policy targets broader economic development
Reading Time: 3 minutes Stable rural areas and thriving farms can help urbanites with some of their biggest challenges. That’s the message from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture going into next year’s provincial election. The OFA talked about how it is framing its election strategy at its annual meeting, which ran Monday and Tuesday in Toronto. “With the election […] Read more
Building a new Agriculture Policy Framework
After a decade of “Growing Forward” programs, Ottawa is developing a new five-year Agricultural Policy Framework this spring. What should be in it?
Reading Time: 7 minutes Canadian farmers are watching as the negotiations for the next Agriculture Policy Framework (APF) gyrate to completion, paving the way for the launch of the new, five-year plan in the first quarter of 2018. This new document will be immensely influential, defining how federal and provincial government ag spending will be allocated for the following […] Read more
OFA elects new president
Reading Time: 2 minutes Keith Currie is the new president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture , defeating incumbent Don McCabe in an election this week at the farmer organization’s convention. Currie emphasized the need for unity in the agriculture industry during his remarks before the vote. It’s more important than ever for the agriculture industry to work together, […] Read more
From cornstalks to sugar
Farmers ready to participate in bioeconomy
Reading Time: 5 minutes With consumers pushing for a greener, more sustainable chemical industry, agriculture is poised to play a key role in the new bioeconomy, especially with renewable resources that can be converted into bioenergy and biobased chemicals. This time, farmers aren’t waiting around to find out how they can get involved. A group of farmers in southwestern […] Read more
Deciding on AgriStability
AgriStability has never been popular with farmers, and there’s a burgeoning lobby to get it improved. But keeping your farm enrolled still looks like the right move
Reading Time: 9 minutes If you ask farmers what they think of AgriStability, chances are you’ll hear grumbling, some of it pretty loud. But as farm groups gear up to negotiate with the federal government over the next round of Growing Forward programs, it’s time to examine what’s actually working, what’s not, and what’s misunderstood about the program. What’s […] Read more
Time to get cooking
These farm groups are building lifelong customers by teaching kids how to help themselves in the kitchen
Reading Time: 4 minutes For more and more of today’s kids, basic cooking skills are a lost art. With two parents working non-stop and with a full slate of after-school activities for the kids, families are eating more prepared meals or picking up food on the go. Mary Carver, food literacy specialist at the Ontario Home Economists Association (OHEA) […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
