Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Local Food Initiatives Receive Funding: A Good Idea?

In early July, the Ontario Market Investment Fund announced funding for six new projects:
From The Grower website.

Grown in Windsor-Essex


Visitors to Essex County’s restaurants and casino will soon be more likely to find Ontario-grown foods on the menu. The Windsor-Essex Development Commission and the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers Association are working together to promote the wide variety of locally grown foods to the community, boosting the local economy and providing consumers with safe, quality products fresh from the field or greenhouse. The province is contributing $47,500 to this
project.


Buy Local! Buy Fresh! Map


If you’re looking for fresh produce in Chatham-Kent, you can locate it quickly with the Buy Local! Buy Fresh! map that will showcase local foods in the region. Events, sponsors and partners will be listed on the map. The province is contributing $9,275.


Sustainable Distribution Systems for Ottawa


Eastern Ontario’s organic farmers will be working to better market their products as the Ottawa Chapter of the Canadian Organic Growers (COG) connects organic farmers with local retail and institutional markets. The COG will also expand its existing farm tours to raise awareness of sustainable agriculture. The province is contributing $25,000 to this project.


Finding Farm Fresh Products in Essex County


The Essex County Federation of Agriculture will develop, promote and distribute a “Buy Local” map to increase consumer awareness of the products available throughout the county. The province is contributing $21,000 to this project.


Ontario Berries


It will be easier to find fresh, Ontario-grown berries beyond the traditional growing season as the Ontario berry industry will be promoting their products to retailers through retail contests, media and trade events and advertising. In recent years Ontario farmers have extended the berry production season by adopting new technologies and introducing new varieties. The province is contributing $51,000 to this project.


Harvests of Haldimand


The Harvests of Haldimand Local Food Guide and Culinary event will develop a network between food producers, retailers, restaurateurs and tourism-based businesses, to increase awareness of the health and environmental benefits of local foods and its role in stimulating local economic
development for the county. The province is contributing $22,000 to this project.

With the announcement of these new projects, the four-year Ontario Market Investment Fund program has invested more than $2.7 million in 52 projects to date.

Views: 98

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Sandra Dales on August 20, 2009 at 12:49pm
The OFVGA has a Buy Local Video. Click the link to watch the video and let everyone know what you think.

http://www.ofvga.org/movie.html

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

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

Canadian Beef Check-Off Agency Scholarship Winner

The Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off Agency is pleased to announce that Ryan Trefiak of Edgerton, AB has been awarded the 2026 $2000 scholarship. Ryan is pursuing studies in Agricultural Systems Technologies at Iowa State University. This year’s judging panel noted they were impressed by the quality and dedication of all candidates, making the selection process a difficult one. Since its launch, the scholarship program has grown into one of the Agency’s most wide-reaching communications initiatives, connecting with students across the beef industry and helping support the next generation of leaders in Canadian agriculture. Congratulations, Ryan! We wish you continued success in your studies.

Field Week: Covering distance, literally and academically

There is only so much environmental science that can be learned in a classroom or science lab. Field experience is woven throughout Lakeland College’s environmental sciences programs, with labs taking place in the natural spaces on and around campus throughout the year. Each year, however, that experience is intensified during Field Week. That’s when second-year environmental sciences students find themselves knee-deep in the river electrofishing, setting up and checking small mammal traps, deploying autonomous recording units, constructing bat houses, capturing, banding and releasing songbirds, reading soil profiles, touring mine sites and assessing wetlands. “I love the hands-on experience,” says Mackenzie Hamm, a second-year environmental sciences student majoring in wildlife and fisheries conservation. “We’ve got to learn quite a few different things. It really brings into context what we’re learning in the classroom, so I can actually apply all of that theory that we’ve been doi

Growing the future: Judy Sweet invests in Lakeland’s ag students

Judy Sweet is continuing her longstanding support of Lakeland College agricultural sciences students by investing in the Student-Managed Farm (SMF) Lab Revitalization project. Sweet’s gift will support upgrades to the calving barn on the Vermilion campus farm, enhancing agricultural teaching, applied research, animal care and industry collaboration. The improvements will also strengthen facility functionality, sustainability and long-term operational capacity. “Judy Sweet’s generosity is an investment in the future of agriculture and in the students who will lead it,” says Dr. Alice Wainwright-Stewart, president and CEO of Lakeland College. “Her continued support of Lakeland’s Student-Managed Farm helps us provide the modern facilities and hands-on learning experiences our students need to put their education into action. This gift will strengthen animal care, help advance applied research and prepare graduates to make a meaningful impact in this essential industry. We are deeply gra

Canada could add $5.4B to GDP by processing more of its crops at home: EY

Canada could generate up to $5.4 billion in additional GDP and support approximately 34,000 full-time-equivalent jobs by redirecting just 10 per cent of its raw crop exports to value-added processing here at home, according to new EY analysis released today by Protein Industries Canada. The findings come as the federal government has made domestic food processing a national priority through its National Food Security Strategy. The strategy calls for Canada to reduce its dependence on other countries by processing more of the food it grows and sets an explicit objective to increase domestic processing to strengthen self-sufficiency and drive economic growth. Canada already has an extraordinary foundation to build from. Its food and agriculture sector contributed $149.2 billion to GDP in 2024 and supported 2.3 million jobs, while Canada remains a leading producer of major crops including wheat, canola and corn. But too often, Canadian crops leave the country before the higher-value pro

Thiesse, Parman discuss farm economy, tight margins at Big Iron

Live from the Big Iron Farm and Construction Show on Wednesday, Sept. 16, Kent Thiesse, farm management analyst, and Bryon Parman, NDSU farm management specialist, joined the Red River Farm Network’s “Issues and Events Center” to discuss the farm economy and the tight margins farmers are dealing with. The conversation kicked off with both guests discussing their concerns when it comes to farm balance sheets heading into 2027. “I think there’s certainly some positivity out there in the markets,” Thiesse said. “We’ve seen a runup in both corn and soybean prices, even wheat prices. Unfortunately, we’ve also seen a runup in input costs, as well. Fertilizer costs a year ago at this time were a big concern. They’ve kind of leveled out, but they haven’t really come down much. “As we look forward and start running the pencil for next year, even with higher commodity prices, we’re maybe breakeven on soybeans and we’re in the red with corn based on the numbers I’ve looked at. We’re facing som

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service