Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Carol Mitchell - Appointed Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

We picked up the following information from the Ontario Government announcement and the OMAFRA website.


Carol Mitchell - Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Carol Mitchell joins Cabinet as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Since 2003, Ontario has ensured that farms transferred within a family are exempted from land transfer taxes and has increased efforts to promote locally-grown food. Now, Minister Mitchell will continue the government's efforts to help our farmers build a thriving rural Ontario through our high-tech agriculture and food sectors.


Carol Mitchell was elected to the Ontario legislature in 2003 and re-elected in 2007. She first served as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Agriculture. Subsequently, she served as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal. She was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in January 2010.

In her 12 years in municipal government, Carol was on Clinton council and was reeve of Central Huron. She was the first warden of Huron County to serve two terms in more than 100 years. Mitchell was the owner of clothing stores in Clinton and Bayfield. Born and raised in Clinton, she and her husband, Larry, have two children, Gabrielle and Jasmine.

Views: 485

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Roadrunner on January 19, 2010 at 3:47am
Does she have any direct experience in the agriculture sector other than being the Parl Assistant to Leona?
I hope she is a quick study and good Minister...we need it.
Permalink Reply by Tom Murray on January 19, 2010 at 3:55am
She can not possibly be any worse than Leona. Hopefully coming from Huron-Bruce she has a much better understanding of agriculture. We need someone to seriously step up to the plate and vigoursly support and defend agriculture in this province or the US and Quebec will continue to run us over.
Permalink Reply by Wayne Black on January 19, 2010 at 8:53am
Yeah she does. She has a great network of farmers that she routinely talks with being that Agriculture is now the number one industry in her riding. The economic impact of agriculture in 1/2 of her region (Huron) is in excess of $2.6 billion. She is well aware of the impact of agriculture. She also mentioned one day that the Huron-Bruce riding needed one more chicken farmer and she would have the most pig, dairy, chicken, and beef farmers of any other riding. She is aware of these numbers.
The Huron County fed of Ag routinely meets with her every few months on the local issues and neighbours of mine do not hesitate to call her office also.
She could be a great Minister but as long as we have the same bureaucrats behind her, same old - same old.

Roadrunner said:
Does she have any direct experience in the agriculture sector other than being the Parl Assistant to Leona?
I hope she is a quick study and good Minister...we need it.
Permalink Reply by rein minnema on January 19, 2010 at 1:13pm
congratulation Huron /Bruce
congratulation agriculture Ontario

Wayne Black said:
Yeah she does. She has a great network of farmers that she routinely talks with being that Agriculture is now the number one industry in her riding. The economic impact of agriculture in 1/2 of her region (Huron) is in excess of $2.6 billion. She is well aware of the impact of agriculture. She also mentioned one day that the Huron-Bruce riding needed one more chicken farmer and she would have the most pig, dairy, chicken, and beef farmers of any other riding. She is aware of these numbers.
The Huron County fed of Ag routinely meets with her every few months on the local issues and neighbours of mine do not hesitate to call her office also.
She could be a great Minister but as long as we have the same bureaucrats behind her, same old - same old.

Roadrunner said:
Does she have any direct experience in the agriculture sector other than being the Parl Assistant to Leona?
I hope she is a quick study and good Minister...we need it.
Permalink Reply by AgOntario on January 28, 2010 at 4:35am
What advice would you give the new ag minister? What would your priority be???

Check out responses to "What would you do if you were ag minister for a day?" at http://betterfarming.com/online-news/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-...
Permalink Reply by bert on March 21, 2010 at 11:20am
when mc ginty was opposition leader Pat hoy was agriculture critic but wgen liberals became govt party they bypassed hoy put in whats his name as minister then leona dom , hoy know agriculture and could have been good

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

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

Canola Industry Encouraged by Outcomes from Energy and Mines Ministers' Conference

Canada’s canola industry welcomes the outcomes of last month’s Energy and Mines Ministers' Conference, particularly the Ministers' commitment to strengthening Canada's energy security and expanding domestic biofuel production. With nearly 1 in 3 acres of canola grown in Canada destined for biofuel markets in Canada, the United States and the European Union, it is encouraging to see the Ministers building on future energy security by supporting the production and use of low-carbon fuels from feedstocks we already grow. The Ministers' reference to increasing Canada's domestic biofuel production toward 60 percent of consumption by 2030, signals the important role that Canadian agriculture will continue to play in meeting the country's energy and climate goals. By the end of 2026, Canada is expected to have the capacity to process approximately 15 million tonnes of canola annually, driven by more than $2 billion in investments in new and expanded crushing facilities across the Prairies.

Rooted in Community: Nature's Path Organic Foods Announces 2026 Gardens for Good Grant Winners

North America's largest independent organic breakfast and snack food brand, today announced the grant recipients for its 16th annual Gardens for Good: Plant It Forward™ Program. Now in its 16th year, the program supports organic community gardens and urban farming initiatives working to increase access to fresh organic food, strengthen local food systems and empower communities across North America. Through the 2026 program, Nature's Path will award a total of $45,000 to 15 grassroots organizations, with each garden receiving a $3,000 grant. This year's recipients include 10 non-profit organizations in the United States and 5 in Canada, all selected for their commitment to organic agriculture, community-led leadership, food access and education. Since launching the initiative in 2010, Nature's Path has awarded more than $1 million to nearly 150 organic community gardens across North America. The program reflects the company's long-standing commitment to nourishing people and the plan

CPKC ends 2025-2026 crop year setting annual Canadian grain record

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (TSX: CP) (NYSE: CP) (CPKC) said today it has broken its all-time volume record for transporting Canadian grain and grain products by moving 30.66 million metric tonnes (MMT) during the 2025-2026 crop year. This new record annual volume exceeded the previous record set in the 2020–2021 crop year by approximately 72,500 metric tonnes. "Our team of exceptional railroaders reliably delivered the largest Canadian grain crop in history with consistency throughout the crop year," said John Brooks, CPKC Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. "Our dedication to service excellence, paired with solid execution by our customers and terminal operators, led to a crop year that saw more Canadian grain and grain products move on our network than ever before. This performance illustrates our long-standing commitment to the safe and efficient transportation of Canadian grain." The total volume transported in the 2025-2026 crop year was 11 percent higher t

Don’t Give Up Anything. A Forage Driven Rye with Flexibility and a Real Grain Up-Side.

SU Baresi is an exciting new hybrid rye built for forage production, delivering exceptional biomass, aggressive early growth, and high-quality feed for livestock operations. Designed with cattle producers and mixed farms in mind, it offers outstanding fall and spring vigour, excellent winter hardiness, and strong standability for dependable performance across diverse growing conditions. What sets SU Baresi apart is its flexibility. While it’s purpose-built for forage, it also delivers impressive grain yield potential, giving growers the confidence to take it to grain if conditions or market opportunities change, without sacrificing performance. A combination, often rare among true forage-type ryes. There really isn’t another true forage-type rye out there with this kind of grain upside. A strong fit for cattle producers and mixed farming operations, particularly in Alberta where early, high-quality forage and tonnage are key priorities, SU Baresi fills an important gap in our portf

U.S. Farmland Values Hit New Record High but Gains Slow

U.S. agricultural land values reached another record in 2026, although the pace of appreciation continued to ease, according to the latest annual Land Values Summary and cash rent estimates from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Released Friday, the report showed the average value of U.S. farm real estate, including land and buildings, increased by $150, or 3.4%, to $4,500 per acre. It marked the sixth consecutive annual increase but the slowest gain since the current upswing began in 2021. Annual growth has steadily moderated from 11.7% in 2022 to 6.7% in 2023, 5% in 2024 and 4.3% in 2025. Despite the slowdown, average farm real estate values are nearly 44% higher than in 2020, according to an American Farm Bureau Federation market intel article on Tuesday. Cropland values rose 3.3%, or $190, to a record $6,020 per acre. Pasture values increased 4.2% to $2,000 per acre. Since 2020, cropland values have climbed 48%, while pasture values are nearly 43% higher.

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service