The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada
CFFO Blog's Blog (97)
The CFFO Commentary: Animal Agriculture’s Role in Feeding a Hungry World
October 28, 2011
According to some estimates, mankind will cross the seven billion person threshold on October 31st, 2011. Despite that unrelenting growth, thousands are dying each and every day of hunger as we climb towards nine… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on October 28, 2011 at 7:55am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: CFFO Convention to Focus on Building Agriculture through Sustainable Profits
October 21, 2011
Farm meetings generally contain a lot of material regarding management techniques or marketing opportunities. But without sustainable profits throughout the entire farming venture, management techniques alone simply won’t keep a… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on October 21, 2011 at 1:47am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Price Volatility a Key Challenge for Global Food Security
October 14, 2011
A recent global food security conference at McGill University in Montreal looked at the issue of feeding a hungry world from a number of different angles. At the heart of the conversation is the incredible challenge that agriculture faces as the human population soars towards nine billion people by 2050. One of the key factors in the discussion was the impact of food price volatility in the developing world.
The volatile situation of… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on October 14, 2011 at 2:32am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Selling Confidence and Authenticity alongside Pork Chops and Pears
By John Clement
October 7, 2011
Farmers may think that they’re just selling products like pork chops or pears to consumers. But they’re selling much more. They’re also selling health, environmental sustainability, animal welfare and a host of associated “values.” By understanding these consumer values, farmers can capitalize on this knowledge to develop strategies that increase or diversify sales.
John Scott, head of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers,…
Added by CFFO Blog on October 7, 2011 at 1:30am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Keeping Farm Issues on the Election Agenda
September 30, 2011
In just a few short days many Ontarians will be heading to the polls in order to cast their vote in this year’s provincial election. There are serious issues for rural Ontario as they head to the ballot box on election day. The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario has a number of issues that we feel need to be addressed by our future government.
The Christian Farmers strongly supports Environmental Goods and Services. We hope that… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on September 30, 2011 at 3:41am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Discussing the Merits and Reforms of Marketing Systems
September 23, 2011
Over the past few weeks, my colleague Nathan Stevens has been discussing different dimensions of supply managed marketing systems for agricultural products. In particular, he’s been responding to comments made by Andrew Coyne, a columnist for MacLean’s magazine. As the commentary series progressed, we had a number of readers correspond with us about why the organization chooses to become involved in a debate about supply… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on September 23, 2011 at 3:41am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: The $25,000 Cow - The Rest of the Story (part 3)
September 16, 2011
Andrew Coyne, one of Canada’s most respected journalists, has garnered a lot of attention in his recent article in Maclean’s that turned a harsh eye towards supply management. He makes a number of strong assertions in his article that are worthy of further discussion. This is the third in a series of commentaries that will provide counter-points to those assertions, this time focusing on trade and a final comment on the necessity for… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on September 16, 2011 at 1:37am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary The $25,000 Cow - The Rest of the Story (part 2)
September 9, 2011
Andrew Coyne, one of Canada’s most respected journalists, has garnered a lot of attention in his recent article in Maclean’s that turned a harsh eye towards supply management. He makes a number of strong assertions in his article that are worthy of further discussion. This is the second in a series of commentaries that will provide counter-points to those assertions, this time focusing on trends towards higher prices and fewer… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on September 9, 2011 at 2:34am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: The $25,000 Cow - The Rest of the Story (part 1)
September 2, 2011
Andrew Coyne, one of Canada’s most respected journalists, has garnered a lot of attention in his recent article in Maclean’s that turned a harsh eye towards supply management. He makes a number of strong assertions in his article that are worthy of further discussion. This is the first in a series of commentaries that will provide counter-points to those assertions, this time focusing on why there are different rules for different… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on September 2, 2011 at 5:42am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Creating New Options for Preserving our Top Farmland
August 26, 2011
Farmland preservation is a key component in keeping a strong and vigorous agricultural sector. And with Ontario having one of the biggest agriculture and food clusters in North America, it only makes sense that our citizens be proactive in ensuring that we do our best to preserve and maintain our best farmland.
The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario has a long history of advocating for farmland preservation. We’ve taken up the fight… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on August 26, 2011 at 1:51am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Fairness in Farming Is Never Far From the Surface in Most Discussions
August 12, 2011
The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario places a lot of emphasis on values. And, arguably, one of the biggest and most constant values for most of our members comes down to “fairness.” It’s not always stated upfront when our members engage each other at committee meetings and seminars, but it’s a steady presupposition that drives a good deal of conversation.
Over the years, many CFFO conversations and position statements have emphasized the… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on August 12, 2011 at 2:59am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: New Compensation for Wildlife Damage a Welcome Update
August 5, 2011
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs recently announced that the 30-year old wildlife damage compensation program has finally been updated. This has been an important issue for members of the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario over the last number of years, and as an organization we are pleased that this could finally be updated. This is a solid step forward in balancing the broad number of goals desired by society… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on August 5, 2011 at 1:32am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: The Discussion between Farmers and Urban Society Is Constant and Changing
July 29, 2011
A decade or more ago, the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario hosted a number of seminars and other events centered on the theme of “Farming in the Park.” The title was kind of a cheeky expression designed to attract people’s attention and get them thinking about critical issues in farming. The key issue at the root of the discussion was the ongoing relationship between farmers and urban society.
During that time, the interest… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on July 29, 2011 at 2:00am — No Comments
Energy Planks Need Close Scrutiny in Coming Election
July 22, 2011
The Ontario election is looming for Ontario’s politicians and the voting public. Energy is emerging as “the” hot button topic for many voters. The big question is how we are going to organize a sustainable energy system that truly considers the economic, environmental and social consequences.
There is a need for broad deliberations regarding this province’s energy policy. In particular, balance needs to be struck to accommodate both long… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on July 22, 2011 at 4:30am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Decades of Dynamic Change for Ontario Agriculture
July 15, 2011
I’m starting to show my age because I recently realized that I’ve spent very close to 30 years working at a professional career in Ontario’s entrepreneurial agricultural community. Having grown up on a century-plus farm in southern Ontario, I moved into agricultural journalism for a number of years before going to work as a staff member for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario. Over the course of those three decades, I’ve assembled some… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on July 15, 2011 at 4:20am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Farmers Need to Enroll in Ontario Risk Management Program
July 8, 2011
Last week’s formal announcement of a Risk Management Program is arguably one of the most significant accomplishments for Ontario’s agricultural groups in a long time. From the perspective of agricultural leaders, this is a program that has been fought for over an extended time period that seeks to address needs for Ontario’s farmers in a global environment. The next step is to see whether the average farmer agrees with this assessment and chooses to… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on July 8, 2011 at 2:44am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Management Groups Can Hone the Skills of Farmers
July 1, 2011
Farm business management groups have been used across Canada over the past few decades but there appears to be a renewed push today to broaden their appeal. Although these groups can vary widely from sector-to-sector, most feature a small group of farmers working with a facilitator to compare individual production and financial records against those of peers. In the process, the aim is to grow and develop the management skills of all participants in… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on July 3, 2011 at 7:14am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Evaluating the Value of Dollars spent on Environmental Projects
June 24, 2011
In a world of limited financial resources, choosing the best environmental projects and the targets to be met can be difficult for policy makers. Recently, Dr. Anna Roberts from the Department of Primary Industries in Victoria, Australia, shared an approach to establishing and evaluating environmental improvement goals.
The approach is known as INFFER, which is short for Investment Framework for Environmental Resources. The key point of… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on June 24, 2011 at 4:45am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Profitability in the Ontario Food Chain Extends to Input Suppliers
June 17, 2011
The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario has said repeatedly that a sustainable Ontario agriculture needs to be profitable for all those in the food chain. Typically, most people view the food chain as only extending upwards from farmers to processors and retailers. But the reality is that it extends much further than that conception to include both consumers and farm input suppliers.
That reality was spelled out in a recent letter I… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on June 17, 2011 at 5:45am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Healthy Food Processing Sector Creates Opportunities for Our Farmers
June 10, 2011
The Agri-food Asset Map highlights the strengths that Ontario has to offer as a place for…
Added by CFFO Blog on June 10, 2011 at 2:19am — No Comments
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Most Popular Blog Posts
- The CFFO Commentary: Price Volatility a Key Challenge for Global Food Security
- The CFFO Commentary: Farmers Need to Enroll in Ontario Risk Management Program
- The CFFO Commentary The $25,000 Cow - The Rest of the Story (part 2)
- CFFO Blog: Agriculture Can Benefit from a Long-Term Focus on Water Stewardship
- The CFFO Commentary: The $25,000 Cow - The Rest of the Story (part 3)
- The CFFO Commentary: Prognostications for Farming in 2011
- The CFFO Commentary: Moving Beyond "Random Acts of Stewardship"
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