Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters takes stand AGAINST farmers

http://www.ofah.org/News/index.cfm?ID=3&A=GetDoc&DID=492

Folks, this has me about as upset as I can get. For several years now, farmers in the areas where these elk have been "reintroduced" have been forced to deal with significant damage to fences, crops, stored feed, injured livestock, untold personal and financial stresses and in some cases even threats to their own physical well-being from having to work around these animals while going about their business.
They have had no compensation, and no real help from the MNR, OFAH, or anybody involved in bringing these elk here.
These aren't wild animals people. They were penned up for months and fed hay and grain in feeders both before and after being brought to Ontario, then when they were released they immediately started looking for hay in the barnyards nearby. No surprise there. I've seen them, many of the beef cattle in these areas are more wild than the elk are. They simply have no fear of human beings.
Now, FINALLY there is something for these farmers to hope for with the proposal to set the elk up as nuisance animals in the new "omnibus" bill.

Views: 303

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

These farmers haven't been asking for much folks. The opportunity to apply for a nuisance tag and shoot one animal in one of these pods that are causing damage would probably scare the rest enough that it would start them down the road to being "wild"life again and teach them to stay away from people. A few nuisance elk being shot in the province in a year would probably cut the damage down significantly, and it's hardly a conservation issue with the Bancroft herd growing by leaps and bounds and expanding it's territory every year (with crop damage now at least 80 km from where they were released).
Yet OFAH are using conservation as an excuse to align themselves squarely alongside the animal rights and anti-hunting people to try to deny farmers this very small opportunity. This is the ONLY reason these farmers have had so far to be optimistic that anything might be done. Why would OFAH do this? These farmers can't afford to wait any longer, their family farms will be out of business within another year or two. The only reason I can see for OFAH is because they can't stand to see anyone else get a chance to legally shoot an elk before the season is opened up for hunters in general
However, even OFAH's own staff have admitted that the elk in the Bancroft area now are domesticated to the point where hunting them wouldn't be "sporting". So what could it possibly hurt to give farmers the opportunity to shoot a very few nuisance elk and teach the elk to fear humans like they should if they're wildlife? What's more, the Bancroft elk are now so numerous they've driven the other large game species (particularly deer but also moose) almost completely out of the area, actually REDUCING hunting opportunities in these areas.

This just makes no sense people. In recent years, we've continuously heard how OFAH want to work with farmers, how they're on our side, and yet when the opportunity comes along they stab us in the back. Don't they realize how many farmers are also their members? Don't they realize how many of their members depend on the goodwill of farmers to provide them with hunting opportunities?

Don't assume this isn't your problem. These elk are expanding rapidly. If farming is going to survive in these areas, particularly the North Hastings area, farmers need at least some limited opportunity to shoot nuisance elk NOW.
I wish I was still an OFAH member. It would give me great satisfaction to cancel my membership. I have a lot of people hunting on my farm for various species. At this point, I'm seriously considering not allowing any OFAH member to hunt here until they've cancelled their memberships. Why should we put up with being stabbed in the back by a group to whom we've been a great ally? This response to something farmers need is just ridiculous.
Lets face the reality, the greenbelt effect is going all over our province
and our so called rural municapalities are urban governed
The OFAH should be a strong ally to farmers.....do they know the farmers in the Bancroft area are pissed off?

You would think that the OFAH would want to work with the local farmers and pay them to help establish the elk....

I can't imagine the costs would be that great if there are only 500 elk in that large area.

Maybe the farmer needs to import(domesticate a couple of endangered rare wolves and have them hanging around his hay fields....:)
OFAH know very well that the farmers are upset.

As for wolves, the wolves aren't really interested in the elk unless they can catch a young calf or a lame elk. There's no shortage of timberwolves in the area (since there's a hunting ban in the townships around Algonquin.....)

Thanks Roadrunner

Roadrunner said:
The OFAH should be a strong ally to farmers.....do they know the farmers in the Bancroft area are pissed off?

You would think that the OFAH would want to work with the local farmers and pay them to help establish the elk....

I can't imagine the costs would be that great if there are only 500 elk in that large area.

Maybe the farmer needs to import(domesticate a couple of endangered rare wolves and have them hanging around his hay fields....:)

Reply to Discussion

RSS

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

Map: Dakotas Drought Remains Entrenched

There is still plenty of time before spring planting, but abnormal dryness and drought remains stubbornly entrenched across the Dakotas. Released today, the latest US drought monitor shows abnormal dryness afflicting more than two-thirds of North Dakota, with more than half of the state impacted by some form of drought (see map below). Those numbers have remained little changed since the end of November and represent a stark departure from early June, when abnormal dryness and drought impacted less than 9% and 3% of the state, respectively. The situation in South Dakota is even worse, with 100% of the state being in some form of drought since early November. Like North Dakota, South Dakota went from being little affected by abnormal dryness and drought in June to the current levels. Meanwhile, the latest season drought outlook from the US Climate Prediction Center suggests drought will persist across all of South Dakota and much of North Dakota for the remainder of February and t

Advance Payments Program provides cash flow until farmers can sell agricultural products

Thousands of Western Canadian farmers meet their cash flow needs through an Advance Payments Program (APP) cash advance from Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA). APP is a federal loan program that offers farmers marketing flexibility through interest-free and low-interest cash advances through their unsold crop and livestock inventory. CCGA is now into its 40th year of running the program and Vice-President, Finance & APP Operations Dave Gallant said farmers can apply for a 2025 cash advance during the early application window. “Now is a great time for farmers to get their application submitted, so we can process their paperwork and provide the spring operating funds they need as quickly as possible,” Gallant said. For 2025, farmers can apply for up to $1 million in financing, with the interest-free component at $100,000 and the remaining at CCGA’s interest-bearing rate of prime less 0.25 per cent. Every year, over 10,000 farmers in Western Canada take advantage of cash adv

The Great Twine Round-Up Contest in Alberta: Be part of it in 2025!

Three out of four $3000 cash prizes are still to be won across Alberta in 2025 in the Great Twine Round-Up Contest. The first prize was randomly drawn on January 15 from over 100 entries, and was awarded to the winner’s 4-H club, the Northern Lethbridge 4-H Beef Club. As part of the Alberta Ag-Plastic. Recycle It! pilot program and in partnership with the Alberta Plastics Recycling Group (APRG) and Cleanfarms, this innovative contest helps encourage Alberta farmers to step-up their recycling of used plastic baler twine. “Alberta farmers proudly do their part to make agriculture clean and sustainable,” says Cleanfarms Executive Director Barry Friesen. “Last year alone, Cleanfarms recycled 95,400 kg of twine through the Alberta pilot. This contest helps recognize all that hard work, while building a better future together.” With funds granted by the Government of Alberta and administered by Alberta Beef Producers, a total of $12,000 is divided into four cash prizes of $3,000. Three of

Governments support crop health projects through research and innovation

The governments of Canada and Manitoba are providing $4.7 million in grant funding under the Sustainable Canadian Agriculture Partnership (Sustainable CAP) to support 36 projects, including several that benefit the future of crop health in Manitoba, under the Research and Innovation Program over the next three years, federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay and Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn announced today at CropConnect. The Research and Innovation Program supports the development of science-based solutions and tools that address known challenges, prepare for potential disruptions and climate threats, and capture emerging opportunities in the agriculture and agri-food sector. The program provides funding to eligible applicants for research and capacity building projects aimed at promoting the agriculture sector's growth and sustainability, helping to put Manitoba at the forefront of sustainable agriculture research. Funding will support 36 projects

FVGC Executive Director Highlights Tariff Concerns at Canada-U.S. Economic Summit

Massimo Bergamini, Executive Director of the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC), participated in the Prime Minister’s Canada-U.S. Economic Summit today in Toronto.

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service