All Blog Posts (764)

Investment in research is a long-term strategic initiative of the Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) for the benefit of all corn, soybean and wheat farmers. Ontario’s grain farmers have sponsored and participated in decades of practical research that has resulted in economic gains for Ontario farmers. The GFO Research Committee selects and funds projects that target the most important issues in grain production in Ontario.



Within the current Research Priorities…

The global economic situation is still fragile, and one of the symptoms is the nervousness about currencies. All it takes is a rumor to see a particular currency drop within minutes. The actions taken by central banks during the financial crisis have consequences. The amount of debt and the ability, or inability, of individual countries to manage the situation will influence the relative strengths of all currencies.

One currency has a special status. Because of the economic and…

By John Clement

The challenges of farm policy used to be simpler. Most farms in most commodities were about the same size and generated somewhat comparable farm revenues. But those days have been leaving us for awhile now, with new challenges emerging about how to deliver public support that is both fair and appropriate to changes in the scale of production. 

 Increasingly, farming and public interest groups are noting that we are starting to experience what could be called the…

It's been an exciting year in the agri-food sector in Canada. Economic, weather and trade issues have dominated the agricultural headlines. So what lies ahead for the coming year? Here are what the consulting team at Synthesis Agri-Food Network is predicting will be the big trends and issues to watch for in 2011.…

By Mark Wales, Vice President of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture

By Henry Stevens

There is general agreement in the farm community that a number of our commodities are in serious financial difficulty and face an uncertain future. There is also general agreement on why family farms in those sectors are facing such difficulties. Where there is less agreement is “how do we solve those problems and…

By Nathan Stevens

There are some industry leaders that would argue that one of the greatest opportunities for farmers in the next 20 years will be the development of the bio-products sector. At a recent information session held by the Wellington…

By Nathan Stevens

The next Growing Forward agreement is starting to loom on the distant horizon and farm groups are developing new options that differ from the current program. James Rude of the Department of Rural Economy at the University of…

As anyone who plays a lot of games knows, having a plan is essential to success. Whether one is playing a sport, a board game or a video game, having that plan of action greatly increases the chance of winning. This is also true in the business world where having a plan makes a huge difference between success and failure. The agriculture sector is no different. The CFFO has developed what it believes are the essential goals of a food strategy for Ontario.



Last winter,…

Questions involving world hunger and food production are keenly appreciated by the farming community. Most Ontario farmers are willing to work with others to ensure that no one goes hungry. But they also want to do so in a way that ensures farm markets are stable both here and…

By Paul Bootsma

October 29, 2010

For groups like the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario, there is no substitute for attending farm shows and catching the pulse of what farmers are thinking. This year’s farm shows…