It does SOUND promising, but this small victory is only at the municipal level, although we will take what we can get to stop this ill-advised project. The provincial government initiated this project with layers of conditions that would have to be met by the proponent, and decided upon by lower-tiered authorities. So, you would think, in the grand scheme of things that our municipality, knowing what is best for its residents, would actually HAVE the final say in this regard, but no. We still have to go to OMB and hope they give us their blessing. The provincial government can still step in and say the peaker plant will be built here, but for now it is halted. Infrastructure can be put into an area of the Greenbelt under the Green Energy Act as long as it "supports" agriculture, and is compatible with it, or words to that effect. The proponent interprets this to mean that since we use electricity, this power plant is compatible with agriculture--quite a twist, in my opinion. What I'd like to know, however, is why OMAFRA has on their website what damage is caused to crops as a result of air pollution, yet where this power plant is concerned, apparently there will be a negligible effect on crops! Hard to believe since it would be emitting nitrous oxide, VOS volatile something or other, PM2.5 (particulate matter) that is known to cause respiratory problems, etc. and is considered "air pollution". Further, in my opinion, the proper studies were NOT conducted properly. Hell, the environmental assessment for this facility (393 MW, natural gas-fired, simple cycle power plant running at 35% efficienty) is the same as a 2 MW windmill. I'm no scientist, but even I know there is a huge difference is these two forms of energy makers.
Thanks Rein. Our operation is 85 acres, and my husband works off the farm in the winter, but I would say you could JUST make a living with 35 acres. We are definitely affected by the imports from other countries--especially pricewise. Many of our trading partners do not have the same rules and regulations for food production, food safety, human resources, etc. that we must adhere to, therefore, their costs are considerably lower. Consumers like lower prices. On the other hand, 40%-50% of the produce in the Holland Marsh is exported as well. Naturally, we would prefer Canadians to be benefiting from our produce, but it's a global market, and it's out of our hands unless the Consumer is educated as to the benefits of eating local, and they start demanding more locally grown food.
At 6:57pm on December 15, 2009, rein minnema said…
Hello Avia,
congratulation with keeping your seat.
now a question
how big of a producer do you need to be to be able to have living and make payments and how are you effected by the imports who likely not meat allour production standard.
Hi Avia: I was wondering what Sobey's position on supporting Canadian Agriculture was....is it lip service or are they committing resources? Thanks, Joe
I'm glad, I think, I was told about this site. It looks similar to Facebook, cool, but it is for farmers. Our farm crops are onions and carrots. Our farm is located in the Holland Marsh "Ontario's Salad Bowl". Proud to be a farmer!!
The 2024 federal budget is woefully bloated with a deficit of $40 billion dollars and yet falls short in addressing Canadian farmers’ real concerns. “Once again, the federal government has missed the opportunity to support agriculture and those that work in the industry. The real issues impacting us are the cumulative effect of the carbon tax on everything that we do, the growing need to have coordinated grain research, increased funding for the PMRA, and industry efficiency through an improved Canada Grains Act,” stated Daryl Fransoo, Chair of the Wheat Growers Association. The federal government has worked to defeat C-234, a bill that would provide immediate relief to grain farmers from the negative impact of the carbon tax on grain drying. The government fails to understand that these costs impact grain farmers and their ability to grow grain for domestic and export consumption. The government was forced to change their policy on the Advanced Payments Program and increase the int
Throughout the winter, we took the opportunity to engage with many growers at various meetings and events around the province. Growers are facing many challenges heading into the 2024 growing season including significant dryness in some areas, high costs of production, and weaker prices for some major crops. We know that these factors are placing pressure on growers’ expected margins for 2024. While prices of some major crops are significantly lower since last growing season, most pulse prices have held up fairly well. Prices for green lentils, green peas, and chickpeas have been particularly strong. In addition, India has come back to the market for pea imports after a hiatus since 2017, which has given some support to yellow pea prices since December 2023. Current estimates are that India could import 800,000 to 1 million tonnes of peas from December 2023 to June 2024, while import restrictions there are temporarily lifted. At the same time, Canada’s largest market for yellow peas –
A mobile skills lab will travel around Saskatchewan to promote careers in agriculture manufacturing. Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada (AMC) will create a virtual reality experience with the lab visiting school campuses and community events to promote industry careers to students, parents, and teachers. In addition to growing the workforce, the mobile skills lab will showcase professional development opportunities to those already working in the agricultural manufacturing industry. AMC President Donna Boyd said the industry has seen huge growth and this in turn has increased the demand for talent “A career in agriculture offers the opportunity to be one of the most successful industries in Canada—one which protects the environment, ensures global food security and fuels the future of food through innovation,” Boyd said. “AMC is directly addressing the needs of our members and our industry through the Careers in Ag initiative. The Saskatchewan Government is providing $300,000 to
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) was disappointed to see insufficient investment in Canadian agriculture in the 2024 budget. CFA President Keith Currie said farmers continue to struggle under the weight of high-interest rates, a price on carbon for essential farming activities, for which farmers have no viable alternatives, and an increased risk of extreme weather events. He said these challenges are testing the limits and effectiveness of risk management programs. “While we understand there are competing priorities for government funds, with erratic weather and high prices tremendously increasing the risk profile of Canadian agriculture, the government can ill-afford to ignore food production and Canadian farmers,” Currie said. Some positives in the budget included a re-commitment to launch of consultations on interoperability more commonly known as right to repair, carbon rebates for small businesses and previously announced funding for temporary improvements to the A
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Good luck,
Joe
All the best.
Good luck.
congratulation with keeping your seat.
now a question
how big of a producer do you need to be to be able to have living and make payments and how are you effected by the imports who likely not meat allour production standard.
I hope the rest of the Soup-a-Licious event was a success. Saturday's soup sampling sure seemed to be going well!
I discovered this site through Twitter, which I signed up for on Friday (www.twitter.com/edibleTORONTO). What a great resource!
Warm regards,
Gail
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Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story
Failing Grade for an Out of Touch Federal Budget
The 2024 federal budget is woefully bloated with a deficit of $40 billion dollars and yet falls short in addressing Canadian farmers’ real concerns. “Once again, the federal government has missed the opportunity to support agriculture and those that work in the industry. The real issues impacting us are the cumulative effect of the carbon tax on everything that we do, the growing need to have coordinated grain research, increased funding for the PMRA, and industry efficiency through an improved Canada Grains Act,” stated Daryl Fransoo, Chair of the Wheat Growers Association. The federal government has worked to defeat C-234, a bill that would provide immediate relief to grain farmers from the negative impact of the carbon tax on grain drying. The government fails to understand that these costs impact grain farmers and their ability to grow grain for domestic and export consumption. The government was forced to change their policy on the Advanced Payments Program and increase the intA Message from Our Executive Director: Spring 2024
Throughout the winter, we took the opportunity to engage with many growers at various meetings and events around the province. Growers are facing many challenges heading into the 2024 growing season including significant dryness in some areas, high costs of production, and weaker prices for some major crops. We know that these factors are placing pressure on growers’ expected margins for 2024. While prices of some major crops are significantly lower since last growing season, most pulse prices have held up fairly well. Prices for green lentils, green peas, and chickpeas have been particularly strong. In addition, India has come back to the market for pea imports after a hiatus since 2017, which has given some support to yellow pea prices since December 2023. Current estimates are that India could import 800,000 to 1 million tonnes of peas from December 2023 to June 2024, while import restrictions there are temporarily lifted. At the same time, Canada’s largest market for yellow peas –Mobile skills lab to promote ag manufacturing
A mobile skills lab will travel around Saskatchewan to promote careers in agriculture manufacturing. Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada (AMC) will create a virtual reality experience with the lab visiting school campuses and community events to promote industry careers to students, parents, and teachers. In addition to growing the workforce, the mobile skills lab will showcase professional development opportunities to those already working in the agricultural manufacturing industry. AMC President Donna Boyd said the industry has seen huge growth and this in turn has increased the demand for talent “A career in agriculture offers the opportunity to be one of the most successful industries in Canada—one which protects the environment, ensures global food security and fuels the future of food through innovation,” Boyd said. “AMC is directly addressing the needs of our members and our industry through the Careers in Ag initiative. The Saskatchewan Government is providing $300,000 toAg content lacking in the Federal Budget
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) was disappointed to see insufficient investment in Canadian agriculture in the 2024 budget. CFA President Keith Currie said farmers continue to struggle under the weight of high-interest rates, a price on carbon for essential farming activities, for which farmers have no viable alternatives, and an increased risk of extreme weather events. He said these challenges are testing the limits and effectiveness of risk management programs. “While we understand there are competing priorities for government funds, with erratic weather and high prices tremendously increasing the risk profile of Canadian agriculture, the government can ill-afford to ignore food production and Canadian farmers,” Currie said. Some positives in the budget included a re-commitment to launch of consultations on interoperability more commonly known as right to repair, carbon rebates for small businesses and previously announced funding for temporary improvements to the AKeep it Clean launches 2024 Product Advisory
Canadian agriculture must pay attention to export market regulations, an industry rep said© 2024 Created by Darren Marsland. Powered by
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