Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Projected 41% budget cut at Agriculture Canada...Is this really being discussed? What are they thinking?

I just saw the story in the Globe and Mail that discusses that the Federal Government is thinking of cutting Agriculture Canada a whopping 41%.

 

Here is the link to the story

 

They really can't be thinking of doing this?  Is Agriculture such a low priority that they think this won't hurt rural Canada?

 

 

Views: 377

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Frank Borszcz on April 6, 2010 at 2:25am
Our Gov't seems to be more concerned about sending relief to places like Haiti and Africa while forgetting about its own people here in Canada. If anything the Feds need to increse funding by 41% to Agriculture Canada. This is the same old story, rural Canada is always abused and taken for granted. When will this stop? Perhaps it will take a world food shortage for the importance of Agriculture in Canada to sink in. Ask a politician if he likes to eat. If he answers yes which he will, then perhaps he needs to THINK about where this food comes from. Very disappointing.
Permalink Reply by Joann on April 6, 2010 at 4:41am
Truth of the matter is agriculture funding, and distribution of such funds, has been a topic of discussion for a number of years now. If budgeted monies are not flowing to farmers now, does a 41% cut really mean anything in true financial terms? Who is receiving federal monies and where are the budgeted funds flowing to? Why did the government not pursue the Auditors' CAIS report with a thorough investigation when wrong-doing was exposed?

Our Provincial minister returned $82M of farm budgeted monies as farmers were not utilizing the funds.

Remember last fall $1B of federal ag. money was not utilized either. A news article stated $1B was cut from the budget. A member on this site corresponded with MP Joe Preston and getting the response:

Thank you for the email.

First of all, this was not an announcement. This was comments made by the Liberal Critic for agriculture.

Programs have not been cut but instead usage of the BRM payments decreased last year. 3.2 billion Was budgeted for last year with only 2.6 billion being used.

Payments under AgriRecovery were done due to the decrease in natural disasters. Regarding livestock, 1.2 billion over the past couple of years have been paid out with $711 million in advance payments for the 09-09 year and the first half o the 09-10 year.

I appreciate your concerns but the information that you have received is inaccurate.

In reality, the agriculture budget has been slashed long ago..... the government is just publicly acknowledging it now and not playing the sleight of hand shell game............or shall we say Joe Prestidigitation????

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

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

Ont. farmer Tony McQuail reflects on NDP leadership race

The 73-year-old farmer and political veteran ran on themes of representation, regeneration, redistribution, and redesign.

Corn Acres Slide, Soybeans Gain as USDA Releases 2026 Planting Intentions

New USDA reports show U.S. producers planning fewer corn acres and more soybeans in 2026, alongside higher grain stocks compared to last year.

Estimate the functional sustainability and true costs of packaging

For growers and packers, packaging decisions have become more complex now that Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation is rolling out in key markets in Canada. Ontario legislation, for example, went into force as of January 1, 2026.

Canola Crush Falls for Second Straight Month in February

The Canadian canola crush slowed for the second straight month in February but remained above the year-earlier level. A Statistics Canada report Tuesday pegged the February canola crush at 951,353 tonnes, down 9.7% from January although still up 7.8% from 882,610 in February 2025. It also marked the first time in six months the crush has dipped below the 1-million tonne mark. The high for the 2025-26 marketing year occurred in December 2025, with the crush hitting 1.077 million tonnes. The cumulative year-to-date 2025-26 canola crush (August to February) now stands at 7.066 million tonnes, compared to 6.812 million for the same period last year. That is up 3.7% and represents about 58% of the full-year Agriculture Canada forecast of 12 million tonnes. According to the Canadian Oilseed Processors Association, total national canola crush capacity is expected to reach 15 million tonnes in 2026. Cargill’s new canola crush plant at Regina is estimated to process about 1 million ton

Preparing your farm for wildfire season

Considering that Canada borders three oceans, spans six time zones, and has diverse terrain, it’s no surprise that a range of natural hazards can affect farms across the country at any given time. While one part of the country may be in a severe drought, another may experience record floods. But regardless of the location, one hazard has become an all-too-common threat during the warmer months: wildfires. Just look at Canada’s 2023 wildfire season, which was the most destructive on record. By the end of 2023, more than 6,000 fires had burned 15 million hectares of land, which, to put it in perspective, is substantially more than the annual average of 2.5 million hectares. Which is why being prepared for wildfires, wherever you are, is essential. That’s exactly the message that FireSmart Canada, a national program that helps Canadians increase neighbourhood resilience to wildfire and minimize its negative impacts, wants to raise awareness about. Below are some of FireSmart Canada’s

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service