Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Canadian Government Looking For Input From Young Farmers...Comment Here.

Young Farmers - Lend Your Voice to the Future of Agriculture!

CFBMC News Release

Earlier this week, the Minister's office announced the honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn is seeking input from across Canada on the key challenges and issues facing young and future farmers.

CFBMC would like to give you, its partners, an opportunity to contribute your ideas.
- What should be done to assist new and upcoming producers?
- How can the federal government (Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada) help new and young farmers start their business and capture more opportunities to grow and diversify their businesses?

Your suggestions, recommendations and comments will be compiled and incorporated into a briefing note, which we will present to Minister Blackburn on behalf of ourselves (CFBMC) and our partners.

Your responses can be emailed to info@cfbmc.com. Please include 'Blackburn' in the subject line.

We also encourage you to share your demographic information - Are you a...young/beginning farmer, established producer, consultant? What region of the country do you reside in?

The official Press Release regarding Blackburn's initiative is below.



MINISTER BLACKBURN TO DISCUSS ISSUES FACING YOUNG FARMERS


OTTAWA, Ontario, November 9, 2009 - Farmers, agriculture students and academics from across the country will get an opportunity to discuss the key challenges facing young farmers and the future of agriculture through roundtable discussions with Minister of National Revenue and Minister of State (Agriculture) Jean-Pierre Blackburn over the next few weeks.

"I believe Canada's young and future farmers have a unique perspective on the issues facing the agriculture industry," said Minister Blackburn. "These dialogues will be valuable in helping to bring their voices to the forefront and ensure their ideas are put into action."

The roundtables will focus on identifying key issues for young people who want to farm and on charting solutions that will help new and young farmers start their business, capture more opportunities to grow and diversify their businesses.

"We want to be sure that the programs we deliver hit the target for Canada's young farmers," said Minister Blackburn. "These roundtables will allow us to exchange with the experts themselves and ensure their ideas are given due importance in the elaboration of future policies."

This week and next, Minister Blackburn is holding roundtable meetings with farmers, agriculture students and academics in Ontario, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Saskatchewan and British Columbia as part of an ongoing commitment to get input directly from farmers when developing agricultural policies.

Views: 218

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Joe Dales on November 30, 2009 at 8:08am
Thanks everyone for participating and sharing some of your feedback.
I am going to forward this link on to the CFBMC team for them to review for their submission.

Please if you have some additional feedback for the Minister....post it up here for them to see.

Thanks,

Joe Dales

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

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

High prices of farmland translates to higher rental rates

Farmland rental rates are keeping pace with the value of farmland across Canada. Farm Credit Canada (FCC) provides a rental rate analysis for all cultivated farmland from data on cash rental rates and the Farmland Values Report. The analysis provides a detailed breakdown of rent-to-price ratios by province, highlighting variations in rental rates and farmland appreciation across different regions. When the ratio is lower it assumes cash rental rates are appreciating at a slower pace than land values. An increase in the ratio indicates that rental rates are increasing faster than land values. FCC chief economist J.P. Gervais said the national rent-to-price ratio in 2023 was 2.52 per cent which was a slight decline from 2022. He said it was important to note Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Quebec had increases in rental rates, maintaining stability in rent-to-price ratios. “There are challenges that come with buying land amid increasing land values and elevated interest rates,” Gervais

Manitoba’s livestock predation program received financial support

Wildlife attacks on livestock are a significant problem for Manitoba producers with over 2,000 livestock lost each year. Farmers and ranchers have been asking for some form of support to implement measures to discourage these attacks. The federal and Manitoba governments are providing $500,000 to Manitoba’s Livestock Predation Prevention Program which supports on-farm measures to deter predator attacks and promotes the co-existence of wildlife and livestock in agricultural regions. Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) President Matthew Atkinson said the program provides two funding streams for producers including the purchase of equipment, livestock guardian dogs and constructing predator resistant fencing. “The cost-shared funding for practices is aimed at reducing the risk of predation and encourages eligible producers to explore the two programs. MBP appreciates the engagement with the province on the development of strategies to help reduce livestock predation and the negative effects

Bayer Crop Science Canada Partners with U of A to Unlock Canola Potential

Bayer Crop Science Canada has partnered with the University of Alberta (U of A) to research the genetic diversity of Canada’s most exported crop – canola. Through this research, the team at U of A aims to make hybrid canola stronger, leading to an increased yield for Canadian farmers. “There is a prosperous future for canola in Canada,” says Antoine Bernet, President and CEO, Bayer Crop Science Canada. “The talented research team at the University of Alberta are developing hundreds of canola lines, which could be a game changer for our farmers. Having canola that not only has an increased seed yield, but is also more disease resistant, would be an incredible step forward for Canadian agriculture.” The research team is currently evaluating the genes of brassica vegetables, such as broccoli and kale, to determine which are best for breeding new lines of canola to produce the strongest hybrids. These types of plants are closely related to canola, and showcase the untapped genetic range

Drought Fears Tempered by Optimism as Moisture Arrives in Some Seed Growing Regions

As Alberta braces for a potential drought, seed growers are optimistic that farmers won’t be too adversely affected should dry weather plague the province in 2024. “It doesn’t usually take much to break a drought — a couple of good rains can do wonders. If we do get above-average moisture, things should be fine. But if not, and we end up with average or below-average moisture during the growing season, we’ll have to adjust our irrigation strategies,” says Will Van Roessel, owner of Specialty Seeds in Bow Island, Alta. Specialty Seeds, which grows a variety of crops for seed including hybrid canola, wheat, hemp, pea, and more, is situated in the St. Mary’s River Irrigation District, which happens to be the largest irrigation district in Canada. It’s quite substantial, covering a little over half a million acres. “Most people will likely shift water allocation from lower-value crops to higher-value ones. It’s a bit of a juggling act, and crop insurance coverage plays into it, too. I r

ROI announces recruitment for the 2024 Rural Change Makers Program

The Rural Ontario Institute (ROI) is pleased to announce the opening of recruitment for the 2024 Rural Change Makers (RCM) program with the support of regional partners:

© 2024   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service