Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

OASC

Is OASC going to be able to do what it was set up to do, or are the governments going to finger point and try and make it self destroy?

Views: 400

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Joann on February 23, 2010 at 3:45am
The government, in my opinion, will not point fingers as they really don't care about the farmer in any way, shape or form.

The government, again my private opinion, has an interest in agribusiness.

Domestic farmers (the persons) are of no consequence in the grand scheme of things in the mind of political advisors.

The government is on solid track towards free enterprise with a belief that 'persons' need more personal accountability. Some in government would argue that "more personal accountability" or more 'self reliance' would break the cycle of dependency on government and its financial resources which is the larger prize in todays' economic environment.

I believe we will be forced into changing our farming lives..... in the very near future.

"It is one thing to give a handout but another to give a hand up." ...... ah yes... a maxim from political advisors that don't have a clue about agricultural rights.....
Permalink Reply by Wayne Black on February 23, 2010 at 9:50am
I think the OASC will be able to accomplish a couple things:
- show that the farmers do have the ability to speak with one voice given the right circumstances.
- throw an opportunity on the desk of either level of government to take charge of the leadership of agriculture policy in Ontario.
The first level of goverment, or the first party in the government system, to fully fund the OASC request will be a shoo-in for the next election. It will then be up to the OASC to convince the urbanite who they should vote for.
It is possible, we just need the leadership.
Permalink Reply by Joe Dales on February 23, 2010 at 10:51am
This email was sent to me and an Ontario pork producer asked me to post it for others to know their thoughts and opinions. Thanks, Joe


To Whom This May Concern,



If the pork industry is unable to receive valiant financial aid from our Government in the near future, this industry will deteriorate rapidly. Without a financial program set in place in Ontario comparable to that in Quebec, many people will suffer job losses. Like many industries, the pork industry works with a boomerang effect. When one aspect of the chain diminishes, the pork farmers in current terms, many components of the chain will proportionally terminate. Therefore, due to many farmers becoming bankrupt, there will be many related employment to this industry such as veterinarians, feed companies, machinery manufacturers, Government Agricultural workers etcetera also suffering and can furthermore lead to bankruptcy as well due to job loss.

The Agri Stability Program that is currently in place is not beneficial to pork farmers, especially those who feed their own home grown crops to their herd. Farmers from Quebec have sufficient financial security in the ASRA Program. It is not ethical to fund their needs alone as all Canadian pork farmers are in the same desperation to continue their business.

The foreseen future from the path that we are currently encompassing by default will also lead to American pork plaguing our Canadian plates and cutlery. ’ In Canada, we have worked hard on our food safety and traceability so we know what we put in our mouths. Canadian pork is much more wholesome, without the unnatural ‘enrichment’ of unnecessary hormones and medicines that Americans rely on to make their product ‘better. The CFIA do not permit the use of some of these feed additives to enhance our meat. With American pork crossing the border into Canada, we will be less informed and confident in knowing what the meat contains. We should not be forced to eat American pork when we have the facilities to create our own better and more safe pork.

This has been an ongoing issue for the past 3 years. With this accumulating issue and poor Governmental support we have received to date showing no signs of improvement, the death of the pork industry is vastly approaching. Your help is crucial to keep pork farming alive in Canada. The missing piece to fix this disaster is virtually in your hands.
Permalink Reply by John Vanderspank on March 20, 2010 at 11:37am
Unforrtionatly agriculture is bankrupt of any form of leadership.... OFA and Commodity Boards.

Wayne Black said:
I think the OASC will be able to accomplish a couple things:
- show that the farmers do have the ability to speak with one voice given the right circumstances.
- throw an opportunity on the desk of either level of government to take charge of the leadership of agriculture policy in Ontario.
The first level of goverment, or the first party in the government system, to fully fund the OASC request will be a shoo-in for the next election. It will then be up to the OASC to convince the urbanite who they should vote for.
It is possible, we just need the leadership.
Permalink Reply by pigsrgr8 on April 8, 2010 at 11:20am
Was anyone at the Stratford OASC town hall meeting?

Any report on how the meeting went?

Thanks
Permalink Reply by Brent Royce on April 8, 2010 at 2:08pm
Town Hall meeting was good, unfortunately it was only half full of people. Lots of press their.

pigsrgr8 said:
Was anyone at the Stratford OASC town hall meeting?

Any report on how the meeting went?

Thanks
Permalink Reply by Wayne Black on April 8, 2010 at 2:35pm
I think it went well. Lots of media and it gave lots of opportunity to educate the media on what OASC is about and what the benefits are. It is difficult to provide a traditional media scrum when you have so many "leaders" involved. As usual though, the typical political answers were given and not much meat.
Next stop may be more interesting.

pigsrgr8 said:
Was anyone at the Stratford OASC town hall meeting? Any report on how the meeting went?

Thanks
Permalink Reply by John Schwartzentruber on July 31, 2010 at 4:41am
Joe Dales said:
I found this video with OFA comments on the coalition.

Joe


A very articulate speaker. Thank you for posting this video.

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

How University of Iowa dropouts built a global ag tech company

Matthew Rooda began working in the swine industry at a young age. First, he helped his grandfather on a family farm, and later he worked with his father, who managed a commercial farm in Iowa. When it was time for college, he enrolled at the University of Iowa with plans to study genetics and biotechnology, and eventually planned to go to medical school to become an obstetrician. When Rooda met with the medical school admissions committee at the University of Iowa, he was told that he had to be different to stand out. He thought back to the experiences he had working on farms. Rooda told the committee he had experience with vaccinations, birthing assistance and management on farms. “They said, ‘That's exactly what we're looking for,’” he said. His junior and senior years of college, Rooda worked at nursing homes and he noticed more connections between farming and health care. He saw how nursing homes used technology and management practices to weed out inefficiencies in their car

MU Extension tackles persistent labor shortages in hog production

University of Missouri Extension specialists are working with the swine industry and temporary visa holders to help recruit, retain and develop agriculture professionals needed to address ongoing farm labor shortages. The TN visa program was established in 1994 under the North American Free Trade Agreement. The “TN” designation, short for Treaty NAFTA, refers to a professional nonimmigrant classification now governed by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. TN visas allow U.S. employers to hire specialized agriculture professionals from Mexico and Canada. Unlike programs such as H-2A, which focus on seasonal farm labor, the TN visa program supports year-round professional positions. That’s an important advantage for swine operations that require consistent staffing, says Magdiel Lopez, a livestock specialist with University of Missouri Extension who leads the project funded through checkoff dollars from the National Pork Board. TN visa holders typically meet specific educationa

Swine fever deaths surge in Spain amid fears of new virus strain

Spain has recorded a surge in the deadly African swine fever sweeping Catalonia as authorities bring in drones and helicopters to help contain the outbreak. The region’s department of agriculture announced on Monday that a further 18 wild boar have died from the highly contagious disease near Cerdanyola del Valles, bringing the tally up to a total of 47. The ministry said that the rise was due to wider testing in hard-to-reach areas, explored by air over the Christmas holidays. It emphasised that it was an “accumulation” of cases reported, and not a “sudden” spike. Spain ramped up containment efforts in December, bringing in sniffer dogs and the military to help track the spread. More than 620 boars have been analysed in recent weeks, with around eight per cent testing positive for the virus. Researchers believe the ‘Bellaterra’ variant could be a new mutation, after it failed to match with any samples held locally. The local government has downplayed the theory that it could have

Swine Innovation Porc unveils 4 Advancing Swine Research projects

Swine Innovation Porc is pleased to announce four research projects under its Advancing Swine Research Call for Proposals, a national initiative designed to strengthen the resiliency, sustainability and competitiveness of Canada’s pork sector. Supported by the Pork Promotion and Research Agency, the projects announced represent the first set of approved investments under a highly competitive, industry-guided research call. Additional approved projects will be announced as partner co-funding decisions are finalized. For the four projects announced, SIP will invest up to $488,347, mobilizing up to $1.18 million in total project funding to advance innovation across priority areas including housing systems, animal health, energy efficiency and product quality. “SIP is proud to lead this national research effort that channels research investments into meaningful, targeted impact for producers and processors,” said Mark Ferguson, chair of SIP. “This call delivered exceptional proposals fr

Pork producers address USDA's New World screwworm response

The National Pork Producers Council submitted comments on the USDA's draft response plan for a New orWld screwworm detection in the United States. NPPC's feedback addressed areas of the response including movement controls and movements to slaughter, treatment and physical examinations, among others. NWS is a flesh-eating parasite from female flies that lay eggs in wounds on warm-blooded animals, including pigs and people. According to USDA, animals that recently have given birth, suffered an injury, or had a surgical procedure such as tail docking or branding are most vulnerable. Even tick bites can attract NWS flies. The disease has moved from South America through Central America and into Mexico over the past few years, with a case recently being identified in cattle a few hundred miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border. It is endemic in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and some South American countries. In May, USDA closed the U.S. southern border to imports of cattle from Mexi

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service