Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

TIME TO RALLY

After hearing that both levels of government want to do more meetings and discuss the future of agriculture in Canada I wonder if it is time to bring all non supply managed farmers and their elected officials together for a major rally to get the point accross that wait and see is not an answer and we need results now. Is this a good idea and if so how do we get the ball rolling.

Views: 858

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by John Donkers on February 26, 2010 at 4:50am
To rally or not too rally.. I guess the first question to ask is.. are we united enough or upset enough to pull off a large successful rally? Honestly the way the Ontario government has dealt with agriculture, the lack of support given or concern towards a completely unbalanced playing field within Canada it leads me to believe that we are seen as a joke and now are being abandond. Never in my life have I seen a more misguided, non business like group of politicians. With the E Health scandal costing a billion dollars and now green energy that will do nothing but offer a few jobs while huge profits go outside Canada,the costs of electricity will be HUGE and make our farms and manufacturing facilities that much more uncompetitive.

As farmers we should be extremely concerned with our futures. Ontario use to be the engine of Canada but with poor leadership and misguided policies, all that has been eroded to a point that I wonder how much longer can Ontario even compete within its own country.

Ontario should have everything going for it but this provincial government is about as wimpy as it gets and does not protect its own. If farmers want to be better then politicians then there is little choice but to rally.
Permalink Reply by Brent Royce on February 26, 2010 at 8:09am
What type of rally will get the attention of the political leaders?
Permalink Reply by JoAnne Caughill on February 26, 2010 at 10:30am
I think we will need a rally involving all non-supply managed agriculture (our own coalition) to take the message forward.
Permalink Reply by Brent Royce on February 28, 2010 at 1:33am
Standing on Queen's Park or Parliment HIll going to prove anything?
Permalink Reply by John Donkers on February 28, 2010 at 1:53pm
Obviously a rally is something that comes about when there are issues that are not being dealt with to a groups satisfaction. This non-supply coalition has be working tirelessly to get the government to act, it has also come up short and long terms plans to fix the problems that exist within Ontario. The Federal government is not to blame because it treats each province equally within agristability. When we look at Quebec, they fund there ASRA program to 100% by taking the Agristability money then topping the rest up with its own revenues. By doing this all sectors from the chain can survive and the province of Quebec benefits because it doesnt lose its producers, packers and in fact is gaining marketing share over Ontario.

So the focus is on the provincial government here. They have the ability to make the proper changes necessary to level out this unlevel playing field before its too late.

So yes a rally is totally necessary, if there is a way to get the public on our side that would be a major boost to the cause. Agriculture creates thousands and thousands of jobs, if people understood this I would hope they would support an action like this.
Permalink Reply by Roadrunner on March 2, 2010 at 5:08am
Hi John:

The only rallies that have been successful in my mind were the big ones in the USA years ago where Willie Nelson..John Mellencamp and other entertainers generated alot of support...Save the family farm...
I think in this day and age we need to do something that catches the consumer....

I do think we need to do something.
Permalink Reply by linda Hancock on March 3, 2010 at 4:36am
Hear in BC we are faced with the same problems. We held a meeting with some ranchers and everyone was disappointed in the lack of response from the governments local or federal. I think they just hope enough farmers will fail then they wont have to help. A rally would be good but all the ranchers I know are too busy trying to survive to spend time planning a rally.
When you go online and start looking i could not believe how many different agriculture groups there are and that is the problem we are not united enough in canada period. Agristability just doesnt work and the governments hide behind the program telling the public how they have a program in place to help farmers. What a crock. Some groups say a managed supply for beef wont work because a third or a half they cant decide which would have to exit the industry but the way things are now this will happen anyways.
If someone knows how we can set up a rally I would be there. I think there should be one in every province at the same time??
Permalink Reply by littlelamb on March 3, 2010 at 6:50am
"A rally would be good but all the ranchers I know are too busy trying to survive to spend time planning a rally."

This is where the organizations that we pay our fees to every year should come into play and plan the rallies. We actually switched to who we pay our fee to this year because we didn't feel that we were getting anything out of our membership with the OFA
Permalink Reply by JoAnne Caughill on March 5, 2010 at 4:30pm
I agree with John that it is the Provincial Government that needs to help us out right away to save this Industry. However I would not let the Federal Government off the hook so quickly. They have AgriStability which (even though Gerry thinks it does) IS NOT working for producers. His 80% satisfaction rating has to be many years old. They need to fix this program. Sheila Frasier, Auditor General has spoke severely against this program and it's ability to work as it should as outlined in the Farm Income Protection Act. We need to take Gerry to task on this program and make it stand up to their (Government's) own test of FIPA.

I think we need a MAJOR protest - and yes as pointed out in another email - it would be great if all Provinces could agree to protest together on the same dates. Anyone interested in this from other provinces can contact me through this chat forum. Let's work together.
Permalink Reply by Tom Murray on March 6, 2010 at 3:52am
JoAnne Caughill said:
I agree with John that it is the Provincial Government that needs to help us out right away to save this Industry. However I would not let the Federal Government off the hook so quickly. They have AgriStability which (even though Gerry thinks it does) IS NOT working for producers. His 80% satisfaction rating has to be many years old. They need to fix this program. Sheila Frasier, Auditor General has spoke severely against this program and it's ability to work as it should as outlined in the Farm Income Protection Act. We need to take Gerry to task on this program and make it stand up to their (Government's) own test of FIPA.

I think we need a MAJOR protest - and yes as pointed out in another email - it would be great if all Provinces could agree to protest together on the same dates. Anyone interested in this from other provinces can contact me through this chat forum. Let's work together.
Permalink Reply by Tom Murray on March 6, 2010 at 4:09am
I think a rally invoving all provinces at their own legislative buildings and one in Ottawa is ideal but it is a massive undertaking. Our representitives at all levels are not doing their job. It is to late this year and I wonder why I did not think of it sooner but I wonder if a good start would be having everyone ask for a refund from thier farm orginization. We keep telling every one that nothing they are doing is working but they all are still collecting their paychecks and it is time we made them hurt like we are. I am on board to help with any rally and firmly believe that the ones that are suffering are the ones that are going to have to make the time and take the effort that is required to get our points accross or lay down and let agriculture in Canada die.
Permalink Reply by Roadrunner on March 8, 2010 at 5:16pm
What other ways are there to generate the attention farmers need from the public and governments....

Peta and greenpeace etc do some major event that gains them some huge awareness with limited resources....

What good ideas do people have....

▶ 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