Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Do you agree with the OFA that no more wind turbines should be built until a number of issues are dealt with?

The OFA has made a call to the Ontario government to suspend industrial wind turbines saying there are too many unanswered questions about its value, and that the debate over turbines is polarizing rural communities.

Read the OFA article - click here.

What are your thoughts? Do you agree that no more wind turbines should be built until a number of issues are dealt with?

Take the POLL: Do you think Ontario should halt wind turbines? - click here

Views: 2332

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by OntAG Admin on January 20, 2012 at 8:12am
formosafarmer profile

formosafarmer Had a great talk with a farm family that is Pro Wind Turbines. Good perspective. Only thing they are against is people stopping their choice

Permalink Reply by OntAG Admin on January 20, 2012 at 8:48am
Permalink Reply by OntAG Admin on January 20, 2012 at 10:03am
modernfarmer profile

modernfarmer Ontario farm group calls for halt to wind power developmenttgam.ca/DQyw via @globeandmail iPhone app

Permalink Reply by Joann on January 21, 2012 at 4:12am

I don't believe this is anything more than political posturing.

Our Premier has, in my personal opinion, shown nothing short of contempt towards farmers for the past 9 years.

Ontario is preparing for a budget.  The OFA dealt the first hand.


It will be interesting to see how the government play their cards.

Permalink Reply by OntAG Admin on January 21, 2012 at 5:21am
AlKerslake Al Kerslake
@OntAg wind turbines are only effective in selected areas
Permalink Reply by OntAG Admin on January 21, 2012 at 5:27am

NewHamburgIndy

NewHamburgIndy
Ontario Federation of Agriculture supports moratorium on . What will it mean for projects like this?
Permalink Reply by OntAG Admin on January 21, 2012 at 5:30am

On the OFA website article re OFA stance on wind turbines by Mark Wales, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture:

Wind power versus rural power (2012)

 

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is calling on the provincial government to suspend the invasion of rural Ontario with industrial wind turbines.

 

Earlier this week OFA took a hard look at our own concerns with wind turbines. We have always been concerned with the price paid for wind power and the fact that it is not dispatchable – it is not stored for use during peak demand periods, making it highly inefficient. This was noted by Ontario’s Auditor General in his recent Annual Report in December 2011.    

 

In addition, our technical concerns with regard to setback issues, induced current and noise impacts remain unaddressed.   

 

OFA believes that the amendments to the Planning Act made under the authority of the Green Energy Act are not having the desired effect of providing for good planning. Removal of municipal input into industrial wind turbine projects has alienated the rural population and ignored competing community needs and policies.

All of these issues have been emphasized clearly by our members. Over the past few weeks we have clearly heard OFA members tell us of health concerns, concerns over the loss of farmland, encumbrances on their farm properties and many more issues related to the imposition of wind turbines across our rural landscape.

Most disconcerting of all is the impact wind turbines are having on the relationships across rural communities. When wind developments come to a community neighbours are pitted against neighbours. The issue of industrial wind turbine development is preoccupying the rural agenda.

OFA is telling the Ontario government our members have had enough. Rural Ontario cannot continue to be torn apart by wind turbines. The province needs to immediately suspend any further developments until our farm families and rural residents can be assured their interests are protected.

On behalf of rural Ontario, OFA needs to see the government enable community involvement in wind developments to ensure local planning issues and priorities are addressed. We need wind power to be priced right and made dispatchable so it can be used when we need it, rather than selling it at a loss during the nighttime. We need health and nuisance concerns addressed immediately and we need serious studies done on reasonable setback distances for the newer and larger turbines being planned.

The onus is on our provincial government to ensure the interests of rural Ontarians are protected. Our members are clearly telling us now that they are not. There are very serious concerns with wind energy as it is currently rolling out.

OFA supports green energy – Ontario needs a reliable, affordable source of renewable energy for our future. But we all need to work to ensure that green energy projects will respect concerns for noise, community involvement and price, balanced against the effective provision of that power.

Permalink Reply by OntAG Admin on January 21, 2012 at 4:47pm


apasztor829:31pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

@OntAg would like to say we have a turbine on r farm and have no problems with it at all, my health is great, #OFA give your head a shake

Permalink Reply by Colette McLean on January 23, 2012 at 6:30am

Yes,  I agree!  no more turbines and thank OFA for putting forward a fairly clear proposal on what should be done to address the very real problems surrounding Industrial wind turbines and wind energy development.  Wind is unreliable, intermittent, inefficient, non-dispatchable, & expensive.  It has never been proven to reduce the burning or mining of coal, reduce emissions from fossil fuel plants, provide long term green jobs that does not atrophy jobs in other sectors.  It will at best provide 5% of Ontario energy needs & requires fossil fuel backup to compensate for it's intermittency.  The cost benefit analysis has not been done,  read the AG's report.   http://www.auditor.on.ca/en/reports_en/en11/303en11.pdf

Permalink Reply by Colette McLean on January 23, 2012 at 6:32am

Not everyone's health is affected & stating that you r not affected suggest others r lying.  Why would these people lie? Maybe ur lying because u make money!

OntAG Admin said:


apasztor829:31pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

@OntAg would like to say we have a turbine on r farm and have no problems with it at all, my health is great, #OFA give your head a shake

Permalink Reply by Colette McLean on January 23, 2012 at 6:51am

"Most disconcerting of all is the impact wind turbines are having on the relationships across rural communities" As a farmer who was presented with the chance to have a turbine but found some very worrisome issues with the contracts, (first-rights of refusal, postponement of mortgages etc)  I can attest to how relationships have been shattered because I took a different stance.  Our neighbour wanted the turbines & because of the disagreement over the wind issue resulted in him pulling away from our custom combine services.

Permalink Reply by Colette McLean on January 23, 2012 at 6:57am

So what is their perspective.  This is not just about the property right of the landowners who want turbines,  it is also the land rights of those next to the turbines.  Because of required setbacks,  landowners with no turbines are limited with the future development (eg. barns, outbuildings, even their own energy projects)



OntAG Admin said:

formosafarmer profile

formosafarmer Had a great talk with a farm family that is Pro Wind Turbines. Good perspective. Only thing they are against is people stopping their choice

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

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

Map: Prairie Dryness, Drought Little Changed in May

Abnormal dryness and drought across Western Canada were little changed in May compared to a month earlier. The latest monthly update of the Canadian drought monitor shows 19% of Prairie agricultural lands were being impacted by abnormally dry or drought conditions as of the end of May. That is 2 points higher than the end of April but slightly below 21% at the end of March and sharply below 47% in February. Much of the Prairie Region received below to well below normal precipitation in May, with the Peace Region, south-central Saskatchewan, and southern Manitoba recording less than 25% of normal. On the last day of the month, however, a large storm system in Alberta produced 40 to 80 mm of precipitation alone. In east-central Alberta up to 300% of normal monthly precipitation fell in the one day. Significant rainfall was also recorded in western regions of Saskatchewan but at lower levels than in eastern Alberta, the monitor said. Temperatures were generally below normal across

U.S. Soybean Ending Stocks Steady

U.S. soybean ending stocks – both old and new-crop - were left unchanged in USDA’s June supply-demand update on Thursday. For 2026-27, USDA made no changes to the U.S. soybean balance sheet this month. Estimated production remained at 4.435 billion bu, up 173 million from 2025-26, while the crush was held at 2.75 billion bu and exports at 1.63 billion. With no changes, forecasted 2026-27 U.S. soybean ending stocks were left steady from May at 310 million, modestly below the average trade guess of 314 million bu. The USDA also kept the 2026-27 season-average farm price unchanged at $11.40/bu, up from the 2025-26 estimate of $10.40. For old-crop 2025-26 soybeans, the USDA raised crush by 20 million bu, citing stronger soybean meal exports and domestic meal use, while soybean oil use for biofuel was also increased. However, exports were lowered by 20 million bushels based on available U.S. Census data, offsetting the increase in crush and leaving ending stocks unchanged at 340 mi

Only Modest Adjustments for Old-, New-Crop U.S. Corn

The USDA left its 2026-27 U.S. corn outlook virtually unchanged this month, with the only supply-side change a 3 million-bu increase tied to a higher import forecast carried in from the old-crop balance sheet. In its June supply-demand update on Thursday, USDA left 2026-27 U.S. corn production unchanged at 15.995 billion bu, while all major demand categories were also steady. Feed and residual use was held at 6.1 billion bu, food, seed and industrial use at 6.955 billion, including 5.6 billion for ethanol, and exports at 3.15 billion. With no change in use, the small increase in 2026-27 beginning supplies carried directly into ending stocks, which were raised 3 million bu from May to 1.96 billion, slightly above the average pre-report trade guess of 1.942 billion. The season-average farm price was unchanged at $4.40/bu. Corn futures were trading about 7-8 cents/bu lower this afternoon, following the report’s noon hour EST release. For old-crop 2025-26, USDA also made only mo

Don’t miss June 12 deadline: Share your feedback on the Beef Cattle Code of Practice

Public comment period nearing close on proposed updates to national beef cattle care standards.The Beef Code outlines expected and recommended animal care practices for beef cattle. The public comment period is an opportunity for anyone who has an interest in how beef cattle are raised in Canada, including consumers, veterinarians, food service professionals, and producers, to review the draft content and share feedback. Feedback gathered through the public comment period is critical and helps determine the content of the final document. Strong producer feedback from all regions of Canada is an important step in this process. The Beef Code is meant to drive continuous improvement in animal welfare and is built to be scientifically informed, practical, and reflect societal expectations for responsible farm animal care. The Code uses an outcome-based approach that focuses on achieving successful standards while allowing for flexibility in how these outcomes are met rather than dictati

From the Government Desk: ABP keeping up momentum

Spring is always one of the best times of year in this business. Calving is underway, seed is going into the ground, and there’s a sense of momentum heading into the grazing season. This year, that momentum also includes a few policy wins worth noting. Strychnine is back in 2026! After its approval was pulled in 2023, producers have been searching for a useful option to control infestations of Richardson’s ground squirrel. If you’re impacted, you’ll know why this is a meaningful development. The rollout is still underway, with initial access expected toward the end of May. For some, that timing will miss the most effective spring window, which is frustrating. There is expected to be another opportunity later in the summer, but it won’t fully replace what many producers were hoping for this spring. That said, getting this approval across the line was no small task. This was very much an Alberta-led effort, with strong collaboration between cropping groups and ABP to build the case. A

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service