Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Buying local or buying effectively?

A recent London Free Press Letter to the Editor has basically backed up what I have been stating for the past few weeks during meetings regarding the state of agriculture in Ontario. The common theme at the meetings has been promotion of "Buy Local". This has been an effective program by the government with the changes of their Foodland Ontario guidelines and the Savour Ontario branding.
It appears as though both non-ag and agricultural people have the thought that promoting the consumer to buy local will save agriculture. My comment has been - so which hog (beef) producers are being asked to leave the industry? We export a lot of produce. In Huron County the majority of what we produce is exported to other counties, provinces, and countries (my soybeans go to Europe for example).
My other comment has been: Who is going to explain to the 1000 people in Huron County that have lost their jobs in the past nine months that they are going to have to pay more for food? Spread that comment across all counties in Ontario because Ontario has been hit particularly hard with the job losses in manufacturing.
So on one hand I may be viewed as Mr. Negativity but I like to look at the bigger picture from outside the box. How is our request going to impact the bottom line at the end of the day - for all producers, big and small, established and beginning?
The letter:
Local produce too costly
I am dreading the winter -- not because of the snow but because of the price and quality of produce.
I have used my gas to drive to rural areas and purchase produce from farmers. They need support. More times than not, I have found the quality lower and the price higher than my local grocer.
I went to a Garlic Festival this year, excited to buy fresh garlic. But not from China. They wanted $2 a clove! Where are we shipping the good stuff -- to China?
In the grocery store, there was a choice of yellow and red peppers from a local farmer for $4. Next to it, peppers from Mexico for much less.
I'm on a tight budget and can't buy vegetables that cost as much as the main course. The bad weather excuse can't be every year. Only the rich will be able to eat healthy soon.
Alexandria Books
London

That being said I think she brings up a more important question: "Only the rich will be able to eat healthy soon." I would add on to that - local or imported healthy food!
So how do we assist the people living in poverty to buy local healthy food?

Views: 67

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by John Schwartzentruber on October 9, 2009 at 10:50am
I think this topics suffers from generalizations.

But that's O.K..; generalizations are so nice to deal in because they allow me to reply with an answer like - "by leaving the smokes and cases of pop in the store and instead spending that money on food"!
Permalink Reply by Avia Eek on October 10, 2009 at 8:57am
Buying local IS a good idea. For one thing, it's more nutritious when it's fresh, and has been picked at the peak of ripeness thereby retaining more nutrients. However, it is unreasonable to think we can ONLY buy local, that's not realistic. As for produce coming in from our trading partners, and being sold much less than our own Ontario product that is an easy one to answer. Canada has very high standards for food production. Many of our standards have been imposed by way of government rules and regulations to keep the people we feed healthy! For decades Farmers have absorbed the cost of keeping your food supply safe and healthy. It is very expensive to produce safe, healthy, nutritious food, and Farmers are NOT in a position to pass our costs along to the consumer. Now back to cheap food--many of our trading partners do NOT FOLLOW the same farming practices that Ontario Farmers ARE REQUIRED TO ADHERE TO. We must follow strict Human Rights rules: $9.50/hour, provide housing, heat, transportation, etc.; pesticide use in Ontario (contrary to popular belief) is very prohibitive both cost-wise and effective-wise; fertilizer continues to increase yearly; many of the Farmers I know use IPM (integrated pest management--scouts) so we reduce pesticide use considerably--this is not a free service. I could go on and on. So when you are comparing Mexican peppers to Ontario peppers, try to remember the worker who picked the Mexican peppers was only paid $4.00 for the entire day! Canadians have been grossly underpaying for their food for years. Perhaps that's why the average age of a Farmer is 57, and our children are not willing to continue this noble profession!!

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

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

Soybean Fungicide Decisions

As soybean crops move into flowering, questions are sure to be raised about whether fungicide applications are needed. In anticipation, let’s take a closer look at the potential disease threats and what Manitoba On-Farm Network research has told us. What Should We Be Concerned About? Foliar diseases infecting soybeans in Manitoba typically occur at low severity levels and are not expected to impact yield most years. These usually include bacterial blight, downy mildew and Septoria brown spot. Stem diseases generally have a greater impact on yield. White mould: infections begin at nodes along the main stem. Wilted plants may be spotted from afar, within a humid canopy may find white mycelial growth and black sclerotia bodies later in the season. This disease is the main target of fungicide applications. Cool, wet conditions throughout July and August favour white mould. For every 10% increase in the percent of plants infected with white mould, 2-5 bu/ac of yield are lost in soybeans.

Fungicide Decision Tool for Managing Mycosphaerella Blight in Field Peas

When your peas have reached V10 (10th node stage), it is an ideal time to start scouting each field to evaluate if a fungicide application to manage Mycosphaerella blight is warranted. Continue scouting for symptoms from V10 (10th true node) to R2 (beginning bloom), during mid-June to late July. Mycosphaerella (Ascochyta) blight is the most widespread and economically damaging foliar disease of Manitoba field peas. Peas are the single host crop of Mycosphaerella but it can be managed by foliar fungicide. This pathogen can be stubble-, air-, soil- and seed-borne. Spores can travel long distances by air, meaning there is a disease risk even in fields where peas have not been grown previously. The impact of disease severity on yield will depend on how early the disease sets in and how quickly it progresses into the upper crop canopy. Early infections during the bloom to early/mid-pod stages cause the most damage if left untreated. Use this fungicide decision worksheet when scouting to

Manitoba pork, canola producers hold steady amid heavy tariffs

A slab of back bacon from Natural Raised Pork comes with a waitlist. Ian Smith points to tariffs. Since the United States placed levies on imports from Canada, Manitobans have increasingly been calling Smith about his farm near Argyle, some 40 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg. “There’s more people wanting to support local and I’m one of few people that do what I’m doing,” said Smith, 62. He estimates 90 per cent of his pork products are bought by Manitoba households; the latter goes to a packing plant. Last year, it was a 50-50 split. Smith works alone, hustling to meet the four-to-six week waitlist that’s accumulated. He keeps hundreds of feeder pigs and a couple dozen sows; it’s a relatively small operation, he noted. “If there’s any mistakes to be made, there’s only one person to blame and that’s me,” he said with a laugh. Smith doesn’t export to China — so he’s shielded from that nation’s levies still hanging over the Canadian industry.

KAP Welcomes Appointment of New U.S. Trade Representative

Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) welcomes the appointment of Richard Madan as Manitoba’s new trade representative to the United States. “We commend Premier Kinew and Minister Moses for making Manitoba’s voice a priority in Washington, D.C.,” said KAP President Jill Verwey. “We look forward to working with Mr. Madan to advance the interests of Manitoba farmers and the agricultural industry, ensuring these interests are at the forefront of his work as he forges stronger relationships with American policymakers and trade officials.” Agriculture is an important part of Manitoba’s economy, with $4.29 billion in agri-food exports to the U.S. alone in 2024, and KAP sees the new presence in Washington as instrumental in fostering strategic relationships with key states that are important to our trade interests. “The U.S. is Manitoba’s largest agri-food export destination and is one of Manitoba’s key trading partners on the international stage,” added KAP General Manager Colin Hornby. “

2025 Annual General Meeting

On Wednesday, June 18th, the Ontario Farmland Trust hosted its Annual General Meeting. The meeting was held hybrid again this year, with members and friends joining both virtually and in person.

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service