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CFFO Blog's Blog (97)
The CFFO Commentary: Helping Out In The Rebuilding of An Agricultural Sector
By John Clement
June 3, 2011
The University of Guelph and Njala University in Sierra Leone have entered into a unique arrangement to strengthen the African institution’s ability to help in the rebuilding and development of agriculture and community service. As part of that arrangement, a delegation from the Sierra Leone university recently toured Ontario to gain a sense of how our province has put together a strong working relationship between farmers, producer groups,…
Added by CFFO Blog on June 3, 2011 at 2:16am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Charting the Unknown Territory of Source Water Protection
May 27, 2011
There are a variety of options that source water committees are able to use to improve water quality. These range from…
The CFFO Commentary: Key Questions for a Changing Agriculture
May 20, 2011
Farming is changing. And it’s not just changing in the scale of operations we now have, or the increasingly diverse markets we now supply. It’s also changing in how we view the vocation of farming and how it connects to rural communities and our fellow farmers. Simply put, our emphasis on the business of farming now often overshadows other dimensions to farming that we used to take for granted.
At the core of this change is predominately the… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on May 20, 2011 at 3:15am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Social Change Creates Evolving Standards for Farmers
May 13, 2011
Added by CFFO Blog on May 13, 2011 at 4:39am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Promise of Federal Farming and Food Strategy Needs to Deliver
May 6, 2011
Now that the election signs are being gathered up and put away for another four years, it’s time to consider some of the implications of a majority Conservative government for Canadian agriculture. And nothing may be a greater opportunity for farmers than a commitment by the newly-elected Conservative government to create a new national farm and food strategy to guide and support agriculture over the… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on May 7, 2011 at 7:56am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Growing Forward 2 needs a Family Farm Focus
April 29, 2011
The CFFO brought forward a number of key messages during a recent dialogue between farmers and the federal government on Growing Forward 2, Canada’s next agriculture policy framework. Many of these important messages lie outside the limited scope the federal government wants to look at, but they are issues that need to be addressed for the good of Ontario farmers.
The current directions outlined in Growing Forward 2 fail… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on April 29, 2011 at 4:49am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Renewal in Public Policy and Whispers of Encouragement
April 22, 2011
Public policy development and advocacy is slow and steady work. It can take years for a good idea to move from conception to adoption on a wide scale, if it happens at all. Those who work for groups advocating proactive options realize that public policy development is more like a marathon than a sprint.
There are no shortages of challenges within agriculture. Developing and maintaining an agricultural system that offers optimum amounts of… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on April 27, 2011 at 3:47pm — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Agricultural and Rural Issues Loom Large for Federal Election
By Nathan Stevens
April 15, 2011
Another federal election is upon us. While some question the need for an election so soon, it is our democratic opportunity to make our individual voices heard. There are serious issues for farmers and rural Ontario as voters head to the ballot box on election-day.
The reasons behind voting patterns are naturally diverse. Some voters have a loyalty to a party regardless of minor policy concerns. Some look at local…
Added by CFFO Blog on April 15, 2011 at 5:39pm — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Biotechnology Will Remain an Ongoing Discussion for Farmers
By John Clement
April 8, 2011
The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario has had a number of long, focused conversations about the role of Genetically Modified Organisms in agriculture. It’s a lightning rod of an issue, with most people either being for or against the use of the technology. Few individuals…
ContinueAdded by CFFO Blog on April 11, 2011 at 8:53am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Farmers Working Together Brings Results
By Henry Stevens
April 1, 2011
The hard work of the Ontario Agricultural Sustainability Coalition has finally produced positive results. As many people know, the 2011 provincial budget was announced this week and farmers received the eagerly anticipated news that new types of Business Risk Management programming are coming for many Ontario Farmers.
Presenting solutions that will cover the programming gaps found in existing programs like Agri-Stability has been the…
ContinueAdded by CFFO Blog on April 3, 2011 at 5:41am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Legislation and Regulations Reflect Underlying Goals and Values
By John Clement
March 25, 2011
At a recent provincial meeting of the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario, a guest speaker challenged our members to keep in mind that all public policies are aimed at particular goals and outcomes, based on an understanding of what we value in life. I think it’s an important piece of advice and one that needs to be kept front and centre when we create and debate new laws and regulations for farming.
In my experience, most…
ContinueAdded by CFFO Blog on March 25, 2011 at 11:32am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Wading Through the GMO Debate
by Nathan Stevens
March 18, 2011
MP Frank Valeriote recently held a public discussion on Genetically Modified Organisms in Guelph. The panel represented a wide diversity of opinion with many valid points raised by the knowledgeable presenters. The discussion highlighted the potential benefits and threats represented by GM crops.
For those supportive of GM crops, the goal is to improve crop productivity in a sustainable way. Genetic modification is…
Added by CFFO Blog on March 18, 2011 at 3:53pm — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Seminar Series to Focus on Improving the Farm Regulatory Process
February 25, 2011
Ontario’s farmers are fed up with the heavily regulated business environment in which they operate their businesses. At the same time, society and government have become overly cautious, trying to out-smart common sense by putting more and more costly rules and regulations in place that are burdening our farming community.
This year’s CFFO Seminar Series is entitled Enough is Enough and examines the case for an improved regulatory process.… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on February 25, 2011 at 6:59am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Have We Learned Anything From Agricultural History?
By Henry Stevens
February 18, 2011
I’m a firm believer in paying attention to the lessons of history. With that in mind, I took great interest in some speeches from past CFFO leaders that our staff recently uncovered when searching through the organization’s archives. And it’s led me to ask, “Have we learned anything from history?”
One of the speeches was written by then Vice-President, Sid Sikkema, in 1986. Sikkema had attended a workshop entitled “The Globalization of…
ContinueAdded by CFFO Blog on February 20, 2011 at 11:26am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: The Pile of Reports on Canada’s Agricultural Potential Grows Higher
A new report from the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute is the latest foray into this marketplace of ideas. Entitled Canada’s Agri-Food Destination, the report highlights growing problems for Canadian agriculture. In addition to… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on February 11, 2011 at 6:50am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Water, Water Everywhere ... But We Need to be Stewards
February 4, 2011
A recent Water Innovation Forum focused on the importance of water for agriculture and food. The people of Ontario are blessed with tremendous access to fresh water and this has instilled the belief that we live in an area of water abundance. The reality is that while there is a considerable amount of water available for use, wise stewardship of this resource is needed to ensure that we do not create a “Tragedy of the Commons” with our water… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on February 4, 2011 at 6:41am — 1 Comment
The CFFO Commentary: Focusing in on Feeding the World
January 21, 2011
At a recent policy conference on the future of food and farming, Robert Thompson of the University of Illinois painted the big picture for agriculture worldwide over the next 40 years. There are huge factors that are shaping the future of food that have created an array of challenges and opportunities for agriculture.
The most obvious challenge will be that of ensuring that nine billion people are able to get the food they require to… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on January 21, 2011 at 6:44am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: The Positive and Negative Roles of Farm Debt
January 14, 2011
Farm debt can be a contentious issue in farm circles. Used properly, and with clear sailing on the horizon, debt is a very practical tool for building a business. However, used improperly, or accompanied by stormy economic times, debt can be a millstone that strangles a business and limits future options.
The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario is currently taking some time to re-examine the role of debt within farming businesses. Many… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on January 14, 2011 at 6:13am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Helping our Consumers to Choose Ontario Food
January 7, 2011
Canada has some strict rules regarding truth in advertising. Advertisers are expected to tell the truth about their products and refrain from misleading the buying public. There are consequences for failing to do so. That leads to several questions about whether labels, and the information they contain, should qualify as advertisements. I would argue that labels and advertisements should be held to the same standard regarding accuracy and… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on January 7, 2011 at 5:51am — No Comments
The CFFO Commentary: Prognostications for Farming in 2011
December 31, 2010
As 2010 draws to a close, a new year in agriculture is about to unfold. The sheer diversity of Ontario agriculture ensures that some farmers will be blessed with great production and good prices while others will face another trying year. Beyond the vagaries of weather and the market there are issues that Ontario farmers may have to face in the year… Continue
Added by CFFO Blog on January 3, 2011 at 4:12am — No Comments
Latest Blog Posts
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- Leadership is a Key to Agriculture’s Future Success
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- The CFFO Commentary: The $25,000 Cow - The Rest of the Story (part 1)
- The CFFO Commentary: Personal Insight Into Need to Preserve Best Farmland
- The CFFO Commentary: The Drummond Report calls for Serious Change in Ontario
- The CFFO Commentary: Charting the Unknown Territory of Source Water Protection
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