Agriculture was one of the few sectors outside of health mentioned in Ontario’s 2020 budget. Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said the budget predominantly focused on […] Read more
Agriculture gets numerous Ontario budget mentions
Foreign worker community settlement gets funding
New OFA president says ‘one message, many voices’ makes for stronger lobbying
Peggy Brekveld had been an OFA vice-president for five years
Peggy Brekveld’s election as Ontario Federation of Agriculture’s (OFA) 32nd president is a first. Brekveld, along with the rest of the executive committee, is the first in OFA history to […] Read more
Brekveld elected new OFA president
The northern Ontario farmer was elected in a newly approved process
Peggy Brekveld is the new president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), elected by the board of directors in a new process approved earlier in the day at the […] Read more
Return home stalled for some foreign workers
Seasonal foreign workers face uncertain timeline to return home due to pandemic-related border crossing restrictions
Seasonal foreign workers face uncertain timeline to return home due to pandemic-related border crossing restrictions
In the spring Ontario farmers were concerned COVID-19 border closures would stymie efforts to get the much-needed foreign workers into Ontario. Now it appears the pandemic might be hindering efforts […] Read more
Agriculture education evolves to fit modern needs
Colleges are offering shorter courses in regional settings to help fill the need for practical skills
Colleges are offering shorter courses in regional settings to help fill the need for practical skills
Post-secondary agriculture education in Ontario is diversifying to meet the labour and skill needs of the industry. Shorter, concentrated offerings are expected to help fill the need for more employees […] Read more
OSF takes first steps to knit fractured industry back together
Canadian Sheep Federation willing to talk, but on its terms
Miscommunication, misinterpretation and mistrust are festering splinters in the side of Ontario Sheep Farmers (OSF) and it’s time to treat the wound. Marc Carere, OSF chair, didn’t mince words during […] Read more
Request for Ontario farm names withdrawn
Freedom of Information request had drawn significant farmer concern
The agriculture community is celebrating a win after a Freedom of Information (FOI) request for all Farm Business Registrants was withdrawn. “Together, our farm organizations strongly opposed the release of […] Read more
Province ups investment in broadband and cellular service
An additional $680 million will be put into rural/northern digital infrastructure
The province is investing $1 billion to remove “Can you hear me now?” from the lexicon of rural and Northern Ontario residents. As part of the Ontario government’s 2020 budget […] Read more
Technology monitors high-risk barn wiring to help stop barn fires
A project by Trillium Mutual Insurance aims to get 100 monitoring devices installed on farms in a year
An Ontario insurance company is trying to stop barn fires before they start by subsidizing the installation of technology that monitors wiring systems for faults. The sensor-based early warning system […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
