Kelsey Owen-Cooper is one of those people.

Owen-Cooper grew up in rural Ontario, surrounded by farm influences. Her grandparents grew up on farms, her father worked on a local dairy (frequent visits to his workplace sparked the idea that she wanted to work on a farm someday) and she married into agriculture. 

It was when she was working on her husband’s farm that she realized she loved agriculture and wanted to make it part of her career. So, she headed for Ridgetown Ag College and is now the co-production manager at Cooper’s CSA* where she handles beef and pork processing, sales and marketing.

Alongside farm work she also runs a marketing, content creation and consulting business for agriculture and small businesses. As a creative person she loves using her knowledge and experience — as well as the perspective of someone who didn’t grow up on a farm — to help tell farmers’ stories and bridge the gap between producers and the public.

“It’s been a journey I never could have imagined 10 years ago — and the doors just keep opening,” she says.

As an up-and-comer in Canada’s ag industry — one who is passionate, dedicated and working to ensure the industry’s success and sustainability — I wondered what she thought about her generation’s involvement in agriculture and what they think we should do better.

Danielle Ranger for Country Guide: Today’s workforce includes the most generations ever (five) at one time with millennials in the middle. What unique advantages does that cohort have?

Kelsey Owen-Cooper: Honestly, seeing “millennials” and “unique advantages” in the same sentence is a bit of a trip. Usually, we’re getting roasted for killing industries or eating too much avocado toast. I’m right on that cusp, basically a Gen Z in a millennial’s birth year (call me a zillennial), so my jaded side wants to roll its eyes. 

But the truth is, I think we do bring a lot to the table. We’re wildly adaptable — we’ve lived through more global curveballs than we can count, so shifting gears is basically our baseline operating mode. 

We also grew up as tech was exploding, so we not only understand it, we’re eager to use it, whether that’s modernizing farm practices, improving efficiency or telling our story online. Speaking of which, our social media presence is huge. 

We care about transparency, showing consumers where their food comes from and pushing back against lazy corporate marketing that tries to pin environmental blame on farmers while they skate by. And let’s be real: we’re hilarious. Our dark sense of humor gets us through the chaos of farming and life. 

Plus, we genuinely care. About the environment, about sustainability, about doing better. And we’re not afraid to question the way things have always been done if it means building a stronger future.

DR: What’s one tradition you think needs to be brought back or embraced more than it currently is?

Owen-Cooper: I’ve always sort of linked tradition with getting stuck in the past. But after mulling it over, I realized there’s one “tradition” we could stand to revive in agriculture: the tradition of not totally walling ourselves off from the rest of the world. 

It’s so tempting, isn’t it? In rural life — especially in Canadian ag, where we’re such a tiny slice of the population pie — it’s easy to just hunker down with people who think like us, value the same things and gripe about the same issues. 

And hey, I get it. Sometimes the rest of the world is … a lot. People can suck, especially when their values clash hard with yours. 

But here’s the kicker: for all our talk about city folks being “disconnected”, sometimes we’re the ones who are out of touch. We’re such a small minority, yet we can get weirdly defensive about our way of life instead of inviting others in or learning from them. 

So, if I could champion any tradition, it would be the practice of keeping the door open — of staying curious, connecting beyond our comfort zone and letting fresh perspectives in. Not because we need to abandon our rural roots, but because engaging with the bigger world actually makes us stronger … and a lot less cranky.

DR: What’s one tradition or mindset that needs to die?

Owen-Cooper: One mindset that absolutely needs to die — or at the very least get a serious overhaul — is this idea that the farm has to keep going no matter what, even if it means destroying your family or alienating your workers in the process.

I’d rather sell the farm than sacrifice my relationships. Period. And that’s not me talking with my head stuck somewhere dark. I’ve had some tough, heartfelt conversations with my own family about this. I’ve watched the air go out of them when I say it. Because for them, who’ve poured their entire lives into the farm, the idea that the next generation might just walk away feels like all their pain and sacrifice was for nothing. 

But here’s the thing: that exact mindset is why so many family farms are simmering pots of resentment. It’s the root cause behind family members who can’t stand each other, who bring their bitterness to the dinner table — or worse, project it onto employees. 

I’ve had countless shop talks with friends in ag who all have the same stories, and it’s heartbreaking. In my eyes, if parents and owners prioritized healthy relationships over simply keeping the farm afloat “because it’s been in the family for nine generations”, so many of these problems would solve themselves. I grew up playing sports and captaining teams, and I learned early that when you lift up the people around you — when you care more about them than the scoreboard — the wins come anyway. And not just on the field, but in life. That’s a mindset agriculture desperately needs more of.

*CSA = community supported agriculture

The post The wildly adaptable side of next gen agriculture appeared first on Country Guide.

It’s “the latest step we are taking to unlock the enormous potential of true free trade within Canada,” said Ontario Premier Doug Ford in a news release May 14.

The release heralded a memorandum of understanding signed by Ford and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew. The document states that both provinces will:

• Build on legislation to remove internal barriers hindering the flow of goods, services, investment and workers. Direct-to-consumer alcohol sales and labour mobility were named specifically.
• Encourage other jurisdictions to remove barriers to trade across Canada.
• Encourage labour mobility by finding ways to align rules for regulated occupations and registration.
• Develop a bilateral direct-to-consumer agreement by June 30 to improve market opportunities for goods producers and increase consumer choice.

Interprovincial trade barriers have been a standing topic of debate in Canada. The topic was thrust again into the spotlight this year as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened widespread tariffs on Canadian goods.

In January, Canada’s premiers agreed to take “meaningful action” to improve the flow of goods and services across the country. The next month, the federal government said it would remove 20 out of 39 exceptions to the Canadian Free Trade Agreement—most of which pertained to government procurement. The government said the move would increase businesses’ ability to compete across Canada.

In 2021, the value of trade between Ontario and Manitoba was $19.5 billion, the province of Ontario said in a news release.

Canola oil products and conventional crude oil are among Manitoba’s top exports to Ontario. Ontario’s top exports to Manitoba include household goods, food and beverages.

The post Manitoba and Ontario vow to remove interprovincial trade barriers appeared first on Country Guide.

Glacier FarmMedia reporters and contributors from Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and Manitoba asked farmers about their election priorities, how represented by the federal government they’ve felt — and finally, if there’s anything they’d like farmers from other regions to understand about the issues they face.

In part three of this series, farmers answer the question, “Do you feel represented by the federal government?”

Read part one and part two of the series, which look at farmers’ views on U.S. President Donald Trump, trade, the economy, and what the federal government can do to build a better business environment.

For more coverage of the 2025 federal election, visit the Western Producer’s election page.

Ontario

Ontario farmers Glacier FarmMedia spoke to felt generally well represented by their MPs. In all cases, those were Conservative MPs elected in ridings where agriculture is a significant economic driver.

“From Ottawa as a whole, though, I don’t feel the current government provides as much support as I would like to see for grain farmers across the country,” said Matt Underwood.

Brayden Older, a dairy farmer near Embro, says he “feel(s) like we’re rudderless right now.” He criticized former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for proroguing Parliament immediately upon announcing his intention to step down as Liberal leader. He also mused about the possibility that the nation could — if Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives win the election — potentially be led by three different prime ministers within a few months.

Pete Overdevest, who is on the Dairy Farmers of Ontario board, says the ruling Liberals made campaign promises in the past but failed to follow through once elected. He expects little better this time.

Overdevest and fellow dairy farmer Braydon Older shared the concern that if the Liberals secure a third successive victory the alienation due to lack of representation for farmers — particularly Prairie farmers — in Ottawa will rise to troubling levels.

Older wants to hear assurances from party leaders this campaign that supply management will be protected in any trade negotiations. But he admitted he worries that putting too much emphasis on poultry, eggs and dairy could leave voters in Western Canadian farm country feeling left out.

“We need to be united over the whole country,” agreed Overdevest.

Quebec

“The strongest element of a society is also its weakest link: its farmers,” said fruit producer and Bloc Québécois candidate Christian Hébert. His comments are translated from French.

“We can’t just pick up tomorrow and go. So, if farmers’ concerns are not prioritized in public policy, then we’ll be the first ones sacrificed. I find this very sad.”

Hébert said Quebecers unanimously support reciprocal norms — that is, that imported products sold in Québec must be subject to the same standards and requirements as Québec products.

“The federal government is not playing an adequate role in terms of control over products coming through the border,” he said.

Hébert said in recent years there have been several demonstrations in Quebec, other provinces and the U.S. about reciprocal norms.

Manitoba

Curtis McCrae said his biggest fear is that eastern voters will forget what has happened in the last ten years.

“We haven’t been represented as part of the country. We’ve just been where everything gets pushed to solve problems,” he said.

He said he’d love to see a government that understands the importance of primary industry, and the growth it can spur in the rest of the economy.

Scott Peters, who sits on the Canadian Pork Council, said representation has been okay at times. It can be difficult to get meetings with officials, but he understands they are very busy.

However, he said AgriStability has been toyed with too much, and programs have been cut — possibly because agriculture is poorly understood or forgotten.

Alberta

Hog and grain farmer Bryan Perkins said agriculture seems to get lost in the mix, while tariffs on other industries receive all the attention from the federal government.

“They’re spending a lot of time working on and being worried about tariffs and whatnot, but we’re here with 100 per cent tariffs on canola oil and canola meal and 25 per cent tariffs on pork going to China, and there just doesn’t seem to be a whisper on that,” he said.

“Yet, when there’s a 25 per cent tariff on automobiles or steel and aluminum — and those are all really important industries, for sure — all of a sudden there’s lots of government attention,” Perkins said.

China placed tariffs on agricultural products in retaliation for those Canada placed on electric vehicles, he said.

The post Canadian farmers’ view of the federal government differs by province — but not by much appeared first on Country Guide.

As for precipitation, ECCC said above-normal amounts are likely to be received over most of Western Canada, Northern Ontario, Northern Quebec as well as Newfoundland and Labrador. ECCC stated it’s unclear at this time how much precipitation during the December to February period is in store for the rest of the country.

One factor guiding the outlook is the La Nina forming in the Pacific Ocean. However, ECCC said the La Nina has yet to officially develop, but when it has done so, the system is expected to be weak during the winter. ECCC noted the La Nina could still generate a more active storm track over the Great Lakes and Atlantic Canada. Officials added the system can lengthen the country’s snow season.

One positive effect of this winter’s snowfall is ECCC forecast more precipitation for those drier areas of Canada that experienced a large number of wildfires over the last few years.

Another factor ECCC accounted for was the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, which when combined with a La Nina could result in a colder than normal temperatures, particularly for Western Canada.

Overall, officials predicted the 2024/25 to be more like a more seasonal winter as opposed that last year.

On the downside, ECCC stressed that Canada is warming at about double the global rate, especially further to the north. With that in mind, ECCC created the Rapid Extreme Weather Event Attribution system, which will analyze the connections between human-caused climate change and the odds of extreme cold temperatures. The system is expected to come online next year.

The post More precipitation at the start of winter says Environment and Climate Change Canada appeared first on Country Guide.

Rob O’Connor, COFS show director, said the show’s dynamic nature is on display this year.

“There’s nothing ‘always the same’ at this show,” he told attendees at the opening ceremony of the thirty-first annual show.

He noted that one of the key changes this year was an expanded “international effort” aimed at attracting international buyers to Canadian farm equipment manufacturers.

“We expect it to continue to grow in the coming years,” he said.

One of the dignitaries speaking at the launch was Senator Rob Black, who chairs the Senate Agriculture and Forestry Committee and is author of “Critical Ground”, a recent report on soil health in Canada. He touted the importance of using innovation and technology to meet the sustainability challenges Canadian farmers face. He noted the importance of agriculture and the need to ensure it has the tools it needs to succeed.

“Through innovation, collaboration and strong leadership, agriculture will overcome these challenges and build a bright future for Canadian farmers,” he said.

Next to take the stage was Rob Flack, Ontario minister of agriculture, food and agribusiness, who noted that agriculture in Ontario is an overlooked powerhouse. The long-time agri-business executive called on all attendees to promote the sector, noting it contributed $51 billion to Ontario’s economy last year, and was quickly growing.

He added that the sector employed 871,000 people in 2023, accounts for one in nine jobs in the province, and total employment in food and beverage exceeds that of the auto sector.

“That’s why it is so important to invest — not spend, invest — in our farmers and food industry,” Flack said.

A major focus of the show is farm equipment, and O’Connor noted that Canada is a major player in this industry, and Ontario leads the country in export sales of equipment.

Bob Cochrane, general manager of Highline Manufacturing and CEO of the Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada, said Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show has become an important event for the sector.

“I am very excited to be here today, as both an exhibitor, and as a representative of AMC,” he told attendees. “We’re very excited to showcase our products to producers at this showcase of all things agricultural.”

The post Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show kicks off 2024 event appeared first on Country Guide.

The grocer said in a release that from now on, the CRSB Certified Mass Balance mark will be displayed on all beef products across its Platinum Grill Angus Canadian AAA Beef Program, available in all 131 Metro stores in Ontario.

The CRSB Certified program provides credible assurances for the production, processing and sourcing of beef through certified supply chains in Canada. This means verifying outcomes across five areas of sustainability that include conserving and enhancing natural resources (land, water and air); supporting people and communities; best practices in animal care; food safety and quality, and embracing efficiencies and innovation that foster continual improvement.

Metro Ontario said these focus areas align closely with “multiple elements” of its priorities when it comes to responsible procurement.

Ryan Beierbach, chair of the CRSB and a CRSB Certified rancher from Saskatchewan said in a release that by displaying the CRSB Certified Mass Balance mark on-pack, “Metro shows their customers they are making positive contributions through their food choices.”

The post Metro Ontario expands its beef sustainability sourcing appeared first on Country Guide.

Hepworth was among 78 appointments announced by governor general Mary Simon in late December.

The London, Ont., resident was recognized for his contributions to agriculture and research “which have propelled the sector to new heights,” according to Simon’s office.

He was a farmer and veterinarian in Saskatchewan before entering provincial politics during premier Grant Devine’s Progressive Conservative governments, where he served in several portfolios until 1991.

After his political career, Hepworth moved to Ontario and began working with the Crop Protection Institute and Canadian Agra Group of Companies. He was instrumental in the formation of CropLife Canada and retired as its chief executive officer and president in 2014 after 17 years. He was appointed to the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame that year.

Hepworth has also served as chair of Genome Canada and the Global Institute for Food Security at the University of Saskatchewan. The list of his involvement with other institutions includes the Canadian Council of Academies Expert Panel on Sustainable Management of water in agricultural landscapes, the Scientific Advisory and Governance Committees of the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund, the advisory board of the National Research Council of Canada’s Plant Biotechnology Institute, the Canadian Agri-Food Research Council and the federal pest management and national biotechnology advisory committees.

He was on the board of Input Capital Corp. and a director and chair of Canterra Farmland Holdings LP.

He received the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 2020.

—Karen Briere is a reporter for the Western Producer. She writes from Saskatchewan.

The post Hepworth honoured for agricultural achievements appeared first on Country Guide.

The winter forecast features a mild start to the season, with a delay in the arrival of consistent cold weather for most of the country. However, the forecast adds that January and February could bring a dramatic pattern change.

“The current El Niño event and ocean water temperatures across the Pacific Ocean are giving us a pattern that is unlike anything that we have ever seen before,” said Chris Scott, chief meteorologist at The Weather Network.

“Therefore, we believe that the upcoming season will deliver some curveballs that will set this winter apart from typical El Niño winters. While mild temperatures should continue to dominate across Western Canada, it appears to be a different story for the eastern half of Canada where winter is expected to make more than just a token appearance.”

El Niño is associated with warmer-than-normal ocean water temperatures in the tropical region of the Pacific Ocean to the west of South America. This has an impact on the global jet stream pattern.

Alberta

A relatively mild winter is expected across Alberta, including Edmonton and Calgary, with above-normal temperatures and below-normal snow totals, according to The Weather Network. There will still be periods of high-impact winter weather, but mild Pacific air is expected to be more prevalent than arctic air.

During mid- to late winter, a cold pattern is forecast to develop well to the east of Alberta. If the focus of the cold weather shifts further west than currently expected, then Alberta could end up seeing a more active pattern (potentially more snow) and periods of more significant cold weather.

Saskatchewan and Manitoba

A milder than normal winter is also expected across the region, especially across western Saskatchewan, as Pacific air will spread into the region from the west. However, there will still be periods of severe cold, especially during January and February across eastern parts of the region, including Winnipeg. However, frigid conditions are not expected to be as persistent as they are during a typical winter.

Below-normal snowfall is expected across western Saskatchewan, but eastern parts of the province and Manitoba are expected to see near-normal snow totals.

Ontario

A mild start to winter is expected in Ontario, with less snow than normal during the weeks leading up to the holidays, especially in southern parts of the province including London, Hamilton, Toronto and Ottawa.

While a strong El Niño would typically result in a milder pattern in the province for most of January, The Weather Network expects a colder scenario is more likely this year. When the colder weather arrives, the Great Lakes will be wide open, so the traditional snowbelt areas should eventually see an abundance of lake-effect snow.

The primary storm track for the season is expected to be well south of the border but close enough to bring near-normal snow totals to the southernmost parts of Ontario. However, a slight shift north or south would have a major impact on the final totals.

The post Weather Network predicts mild winter, with caveats appeared first on Country Guide.

The Ontario and federal governments on Thursday opened the intake for applications under what they’re calling the Increasing Deadstock Capacity Initiative, budgeted for $1.5 million over two years.

The program, to be delivered by Ontario’s Agricultural Adaptation Council (AAC), is meant to “help improve the removal handling, and disposal of deadstock” through cost-shared funding of projects that address “immediate and short-term deadstock capacity needs at businesses and municipalities in Ontario.”

Funding is available to:

• new and existing deadstock service providers, including collectors, carriers, renderers, composting facilities, transfer stations and service brokers, among others;
• commercial operations that either “provide or require” deadstock services, such as slaughter plants or livestock sales barns;
• waste management companies such as Waste Management of Canada Corp. that offer “mass carcass emergency” services;
• commodity associations, including Ontario’s three accredited farm organizations as well as livestock producer groups, meat industry groups, animal product groups and county federations of agriculture; and
• municipalities, including both “upper-tier” and “lower-tier,” that either have or are setting up an approved waste disposal site that allows for disposal of dead animals.

Work eligible to be funded under the program includes construction or modifications that increase deadstock disposal and rendering capacity; retrofitting or modifying sites for such facilities; buying, retrofitting, and/or modifying collection, handling and storage equipment; and planning and assessments.

Through the initiative, an eligible applicant can get up to 40 per cent of total eligible project costs, to a maximum of $100,000 per project — and can be approved for no more than three projects, for up to no more than $300,000.

The program’s first intake opened Thursday (Sept. 21) and will remain open until Sept. 15, 2024 or whenever the funding is fully allocated. The deadline to apply for funding just for the 2023-24 program year (Sept. 21, 2023 to March 31, 2024) will be Feb. 1, 2024.

Approved projects can start on Sept. 21, 2023 or on the agreed-upon date in a given funding agreement. The earliest project start date will be April 1 next year for applications submitted after Feb. 1 next year.

To file claims for approved costs incurred between now and next March 31, the deadline will be March 28, 2024, while for costs incurred between April 1, 2024 and Feb. 1, 2025, the deadline will be Feb. 14, 2025. Any eligible projects approved under the program must be completed no later than Feb. 1, 2025.

Funding for the initiative will flow through the federal/provincial Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (S-CAP).

“Ontario’s livestock farmers are increasingly challenged with the disposal of deadstock in a manner that is economical, sustainable and that safeguards the integrity of our food system” AAC chair Doug Alexander said in Thursday’s release.

“Access to deadstock services is an essential part of livestock management,” provincial Ag Minister Lisa Thompson said in the same release. “This initiative will enable eligible businesses to streamline their operations and improve access to deadstock management solutions across the province.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

The post Funding set to improve Ontario deadstock removal, disposal appeared first on Country Guide.

Olymel, the meat packing arm of Quebec’s Sollio Cooperative, announced Wednesday it will permanently close its pork boning and packaging plant at Princeville, Que. effective Nov. 10, and its poultry processing plant at Paris, Ont. effective Dec. 22, affecting 301 and 93 jobs respectively.

One of two production lines from the Paris plant will be installed at the company’s processing plant at Oakville, Ont., about 75 km northeast of Paris, as part of an $8 million package of upgrades. Equipment from the Paris site will also be moved to an Olymel further processing plant at Sainte-Rosalie, Que., just east of Saint-Hyacinthe.

“The decision to close the Paris plant definitively was much thought-over, and the choice to consolidate the Paris operations with those in Oakville was taken to ensure efficiency and cost savings,” Olymel CEO Yannick Gervais said in a release Wednesday.

“This decision will prevent the projected costly investments needed to update the company’s equipment at the Paris plant, notably to eliminate noise and odour disturbances for the neighbourhood.”

The renovations at Oakville, meanwhile, are expected to add 62 processing jobs at that plant, Olymel said in a release. Employees from the Paris plant will be offered relocation to Oakville or to other Olymel poultry plants at Port Colborne and Brampton, Ont.

Further-processing work such as tumbling at the company’s Orenda Road plant at Brampton are also expected to get a boost from the upgrades at Oakville, Olymel said.

Olymel has owned the Paris, Oakville and Port Colborne plants since 2018, when it bought Ontario chicken processor Pinty’s Delicious Foods.

‘Rethink’

As for the Princeville closure, Gervais said the company had “explored various avenues” for the pork processing facility but found its operations could be handled instead at Olymel’s other pork slaughter, cutting and boning plants in Quebec, namely at St-Esprit, Yamachiche and Ange-Gardien.

A relocation plan will also be offered to the Princeville plant’s employees to shift to other fresh pork plants or “any other facility with labour needs.” The closure also affects 33 temporary foreign workers (TFWs), Olymel said, adding it plans to work with federal and provincial authorities to allow those workers to apply to relocate to other Olymel sites.

The site at Princeville, about 80 km east of Trois-Rivieres, had already been shifted from hog slaughter and cutting work to value-added processing in March last year. Olymel said Wednesday it will announce plans for disposition of that plant and land at “a later date.”

“Today more than ever, it is necessary to continue to rethink our organization in order to optimize all of our activities,” Gervais said of the Princeville closure in a separate release. “The fresh pork industry is slowly getting back on track after two years of tumult that forced us to reorganize our operations.”

The “difficult but necessary” decision to shut the Princeville plant “is part of Olymel’s desire to continue our efforts to return to profitability in the sector, for the benefit of our entire organization,” he said.

Olymel’s processing business at Princeville had also previously included a bacon facility, which burned down in 2012 and was not rebuilt.

Throughput

Olymel also said Wednesday it’s “accelerating” plans by over a year to close a distribution centre it operates at Saint-Simon, Que., about 12 km north of Sainte-Rosalie. That closure will now take effect Jan. 26, 2024.

The company said it announced in September last year it will sell its building and land at Saint-Simon to the municipality, which plans to redevelop the site for residential use.

The decision to reschedule the closure follows Olymel’s recent reductions in slaughter volumes, which led to a “decline” in throughput at the Saint-Simon site, and also considers the capacity of other Olymel distribution centres to handle those volumes.

In Sollio’s fiscal 2022, the Olymel division alone booked a loss, before income taxes, of $445.7 million for 2022, following a $71.8 million loss for 2021.

Olymel has already been in deep cost-cutting mode for about a year, including eliminating dozens of administrative and management positions last fall through attrition and layoffs and permanently closing three Quebec processing plants.

After announcing plans to reduce its total hog slaughter, Olymel said in April it will close its Vallee-Jonction, Que. slaughter plant by Dec. 22.

In May, Olymel said it will also dial back its company-owned sow herd in Western Canada, with plans to idle five sow units in Alberta and one in Saskatchewan.

That’s expected to translate to a production cut of about 200,000 market hogs per year. The resulting impact on operations at Olymel’s Red Deer, Alta. slaughter plant “will not be felt until 2024 at the earliest,” it said at the time. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

The post Olymel to consolidate Ontario, Quebec further-processing appeared first on Country Guide.