File photo of young birds on a Canadian broiler operation. (Elena Bionysheva-Abramova/iStock/Getty Images)

B.C. farmers granted late entry for AgriStability

Avian flu, 'extreme weather' events considered

With bird flu outbreaks and last spring’s weather woes in mind, farmers and ranchers in British Columbia are now spotted until the end of June to enrol in AgriStability. The province and the federal ag department on Tuesday announced they’ve agreed on a late participation option for the 2022 program year. In this case, the […] Read more

Federal Ag Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau (r) visits the Ag in Motion outdoor farm show near Langham, Sask. on July 20, 2022. (Greg Berg photo)

Ag ministers lock in next policy funding framework

AgriStability compensation rate to rise; new EGS program planned; some agmins decry feds' approach on fertilizer emission cuts

The new federal-provincial ag policy funding framework due to take effect next April 1 will include a new ecological goods and services plan and a sweetened compensation rate for AgriStability. Following meetings this week in Saskatoon, federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and her provincial and territorial counterparts on Friday mapped out the bones of their […] Read more

There are 480 provincially licensed and 230 federally licensed facilities in Ontario.

Province further invests in meat processing capacity

The federal and provincial governments recently announced a commitment of up to $7 million to rapidly increase processing capacity in meat processing plants across Ontario.  Through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the second intake of the Meat Processors Capacity Improvement Initiative will provide up to $150,000 per project for handling and processing equipment to increase efficiency, […] Read more

File photo of the flags of Canada and its provinces and territories at Canada Place in Vancouver. (lilly3/iStock/Getty Images)

Feds launch consultations on next ag policy framework

Programming types, cost-sharing among expected contentious points

Consultations for Canada’s next agricultural policy framework are officially underway. The five-year framework agreement currently in place, known as the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP), is a $3 billion funding deal between federal, provincial and territorial governments that funds a wide range of programming within the sector. That deal, agreed upon in mid-2017, kicked off in […] Read more

Attracting the next generation of workers

Attracting the next generation of workers

Workers new to a job are three times more likely to be injured during the first month on the job compared to experienced workers. The statistic, across all sectors of the economy, is staggering and points to the need for adequate training. The Ontario agri-food sector, with a diverse range of career opportunities, struggles to […] Read more


Just rotating pyramids of Bt traits won’t help as most of them are similar, say OMAFRA experts.

Lessons learned from U.S. struggle against corn rootworm resistance

Producers growing corn-on-corn encouraged to find new sources of feed

Specialists from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs recently urged the province’s corn-growing livestock producers to take the issue of corn rootworm resistance to Bt traits seriously. They said efforts in the United States to slow the growth of resistance in corn rootworm to Bt-based control traits have not been effective. Why […] Read more

Manitoba Agriculture Minister Blaine Pedersen speaks at Ag Days in Brandon on Jan. 21, 2020. (Manitoba Co-operator file photo by Alexis Stockford)

AgriStability proposal could have hidden cost, Pedersen warns

Manitoba's ag minister warns Bibeau's plan may hurt crop insurance, AgriInvest funding

Ottawa’s proposal for an improved AgriStability program could give farmers short-term gain for long-term pain, Manitoba’s agriculture minister Blaine Pedersen warns. At the online federal-provincial-territorial agriculture ministers’ meeting on Friday, federal Agriculture Minister Marie Claude Bibeau proposed dropping AgriStability’s maximum reference margin, and increasing the compensation rate from 70 to 80 per cent retroactively this […] Read more

Ontario Federation of Agriculture to develop ag jobs support system

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) has received funding to develop a comprehensive support system for agriculture and food employers and job seekers. The funding comes from the federal-provincial Canadian Agricultural Partnership and and is part of a targeted intake created April 17 to help address labour supply and training challenges in agriculture and food. […] Read more


Governments funding farmers’ move to online sales

Governments funding farmers’ move to online sales

Direct-to-consumer sales from farms has quickly moved digital

Many farmers have moved to marketing their food and plants through the internet and they now have the chance for government help to fund that transition. The Ontario and Canadian governments are investing $2.5 million the new Agri-Food Open for E-Business initiative through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP). Organizations and businesses can apply for a […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Ontario offers cash for abattoir upgrades

Applications now being accepted through April

Ontario’s 123 provincially-licensed abattoirs can now start applying for a piece of $2 million in federal/provincial funding to step up food safety, biosecurity and animal welfare measures. The Ontario and federal governments on Wednesday announced applications for cost-share funding can be submitted between now and April 30, “as long as funding for the initiative is […] Read more