It’s a time of generational change in Ontario’s major farm organizations, with significant retirements of long-time stabilizing influences and the hiring of new leaders of a different generation. Neil Currie, for 19 years general manager of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), and Dave Stewart, executive director of Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO), where he’d […] Read more
Tag Archives dairy farmers of ontario — page 3
Editorial: Farm group management changing quickly
Dairy Farmers of Ontario hires new CEO
Cheryl Smith will fill the position that has been vacant for about six months
Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s board of directors has announced Cheryl Smith has been hired as chief executive officer (CEO). She comes to Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) from Parmalat where she recently retired after being a member of the executive team and general manager of the cheese division. She has 30 years of leadership experience, […] Read more
Dairy Farmers of Ontario suspends cattle assessments after Holstein Canada data breach
Holstein Canada manages cattle assessments under the proAction quality assurance program
The assessment of dairy cattle under the sector’s quality assurance proAction program has been suspended in Ontario after a data breach at Holstein Canada. Dairy Farmers of Ontario sent a communique to its members about the security issue on July 25. It says that the data breach was because a file transfer protocol (FTP) site […] Read more
Editorial: U.S. ponders its dairy future
You can tell every five to 10 years that the American milk situation is getting particularly dire, when they start having more discussions about supply management. American dairy farms are in their fifth year of chronically low milk prices, which declined quickly in late 2014 from about $25 per hundredweight of milk to a range […] Read more
Farmers fear being targeted by activist invasions
Recent incidents have prompted many to review what the regulations allow
A recent self-guided tour by animal activists on a dairy farm in southwestern Ontario and a protest outside another dairy near London have farmers reviewing their rights and possible courses of action should they find themselves the next victims of these unwanted visitors. Why it matters: Animal rights activists are illegally trespassing on farm businesses […] Read more
Editorial: The gaping difference
We’ve known for years that there’s a gaping chasm between the world view of some urbanites and the people who have made it their vocation to care for animals. Luckily for most, that chasm has not been physical. Animal rights activists and livestock farmers haven’t often met. There are some notable exceptions, including activists gaining […] Read more
Processor investments should continue to grow Ontario milk market
The fluid milk market situation has prompted calls for better forecasting of quota allocation
Dairy Farmers of Ontario expects the demand for milk in the province to continue to grow, even with potentially significant new volumes of imports from trade deals. But unlike last year, there were no bold predictions of what that increase in demand means for quota levels. At last year’s annual general meeting, DFO board chair […] Read more
Canadian negotiator said CUSMA deal had to be done
The Canadian negotiators received pressure to end supply management until late in the negotiations
Canadian agriculture negotiators were dealing with proposals from the United States that would end supply management into September, 2018, not long before the deal was eventually completed at the end of September. That goes against the assurances of U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue while visiting Canada last summer that the Americans didn’t want an end […] Read more
Implications for the USMCA trade deal
The new deal hurts supply management but helps other farm sectors
Norm McNaughton and his son Mike are almost ready to move cows into their new barn north of London, Ont. They’re committed to the future of the dairy industry through an investment that includes a robotic milking system. The McNaughtons are typical of an Ontario dairy sector that has been building and expanding rapidly. Canadians […] Read more
The new world of Canadian dairy pricing
Nearly 30 per cent of the price farmers receive for milk is now tied to global prices
Dairy farmer Paul Vickers knew change was coming, but he was still a bit shocked when his June milk payments brought in less revenue than usual. Like many dairy farmers across Canada, Vickers is adjusting to swings in revenue unlike anything seen since the advent of supply management almost 50 years ago. A greater percentage […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
