Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, left, and Amy Fee, MPP for Kitchener South-Hespeler, share a quick conversation before a funding announcement in Kitchener, July 29, 2021.

Ontario ag minister Thompson steps into new role

Focus on growing efficiencies, market share and innovation top new ag minister’s to-do list

Lisa Thompson has a quick, warm smile and a penchant for direct eye contact when engaging in conversation.  Her open nature can momentarily eclipse her razor-sharp observational skills and the […] Read more

Beef and sheep farmers in northwestern Ontario received nearly 6 million pounds of hay through the Northwestern Livestock Emergency Initiative

Funds support drought-stricken Ontario farmers

Payments will help but the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach doesn’t work long-term, says industry

[UPDATED: Aug. 23, 2021] A collective sigh of relief greeted the Aug. 6 federal government announcement of a $100 million emergency drought fund. “We haven’t received any details on what […] Read more

Cracked and dried soil shows the challenges of the drought in northwestern Ontario.

Northwestern Ontario farmers wait for hay

A Beef Farmers of Ontario project has already started moving hay to the area

The far-reaching drought in Canada is sparking widespread mental health concerns for livestock and cash crop farmers. The pressure for livestock producers in north-western Ontario and the Prairies to secure […] Read more



Amy Kitchen stands at the door to a greenhouse at Sideroad Farm.

An enviable problem

Direct-to-consumer farm marketers learn to manage businesses that have grown much quicker than they expected

Farmtario talked to Amy Kitchen and Emma Butler early in the pandemic. We went back to see how they are managing the rapid growth in their direct-to-market farm businesses a […] Read more