Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

CFFO Blog's Blog (97)

Celebrate 60 Years of CFFO at this Year’s Annual Convention

The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario turns 60 this year, and we want to invite our members, supporters, and friends of the organization to join us. This year’s convention will be held on Tuesday, December 2nd at St. George’s Hall in Waterloo, just minutes away from St. Jacob’s Country Market. This year’s…

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Added by CFFO Blog on November 20, 2014 at 7:30am — No Comments

CFFO Blog: Agriculture is Cornerstone of Growth within the Agri-food Sector

The CFFO is focused on how to generate additional jobs within the agriculture and agri-food sector. The Premier’s Challenge set ambitious goals for the sector which were renewed in the recent mandate letter to the Minister of Agriculture. The leadership within the industry needs to work together to generate new ideas to meet this challenge and help strengthen our great province.

The CFFO assessment is that there are limited opportunities at the primary production level to…

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Added by CFFO Blog on November 14, 2014 at 1:17pm — No Comments

CFFO Blog: Agriculture Can Benefit from a Long-Term Focus on Water Stewardship

The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario is championing improved water stewardship as a key policy area that can move the Ontario agriculture sector forward. If we look at long-term challenges for agriculture, water stewardship is essential to sustainable production of food.

The CFFO believes that there are three game-changing factors that point towards the need for more thought on how farmers use water in Ontario. The first is managing the impacts of more erratic weather…

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Added by CFFO Blog on November 10, 2014 at 1:00pm — No Comments

CFFO Blog: The Farmers Story

by Paul Bootsma

Farmers need to get their story out to the public. The general public is the farmer’s customer and wants to know what farming is like in this decade. Agriculture, like all businesses, has evolved and changed, and today’s farmers are as likely to use a communication device as a shovel or a pitchfork.

Recently, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) released an article called Realities of Agriculture in…

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Added by CFFO Blog on October 24, 2014 at 4:43am — No Comments

CFFO Commentary: The Proposed Ontario Budget holds Positives for Agriculture and Rural Ontario

By Nathan Stevens

May 10, 2013

 

The first proposed budget under our new Premier holds many positive commitments for agriculture and rural Ontario. The CFFO is pleased that there are commitments to the key issues that the organization raised in its budget submission on the need for fiscal discipline, the need for a focus on innovation, and the need for regulatory modernization. However, there are some areas of concern as…

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Added by CFFO Blog on May 10, 2013 at 5:05am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Educating Youth about Agriculture more Important than Ever

By Nathan Stevens

April 12, 2013

 

The recent Ontario Agri-food Education (OAFE) annual meeting underscored the importance of providing learning opportunities to children about the food system that keep store shelves – and their bellies – filled. The fact of the matter is that most children today lack any direct connection to farm life anymore.  Yet there are important opportunities and challenges…
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Added by CFFO Blog on April 15, 2013 at 7:26am — No Comments

Leadership is a Key to Agriculture’s Future Success

The future success of agriculture in this province will depend on many factors. There are some factors that are far beyond our control, like the weather in the Midwestern United States, but there are some where we can take pro-active steps. As a sector, we often consider the physical factors that impact our businesses, but we do not always consider other factors including developing quality leadership for the future.



Agriculture needs a variety of leaders that can look at a broad… Continue

Added by CFFO Blog on April 5, 2013 at 1:45am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Ontario Reintroduces the Local Food Act

by Nathan Stevens

This week, the Provincial government introduced the Local Food Act, 2013. This act has the potential to be a positive opportunity for government to lead the way on local food. It also represents an opportunity for farmers in Ontario to supply Ontario’s public bodies with local food. 

The Act has three simple purposes. The first is to foster successful and resilient local food economies and systems throughout Ontario. The second is to increase awareness…

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Added by CFFO Blog on March 29, 2013 at 3:07pm — 1 Comment

Government And Industry Are Progressing Slowly On Waste And Wash Water Regulations

Water use related issues are of rising importance to farmers across Ontario. Potential solutions to environmental concerns surrounding wash and waste water for fruit and vegetable growers are progressing slowly. If Ontario is going to continue to succeed as a major food producer, agriculture needs low cost, efficient solutions that meet environmental concerns head on.

Earlier this year, the Christian Farmers Federation expressed its support for greenhouse and nursery growers to have a…

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Added by CFFO Blog on September 28, 2012 at 4:45am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Hay East Initiative Demonstrates Farmers Willingness to Help Each Other

By Nathan Stevens

September 14, 2012 

 

Tough times can bring out the best and worst in people. The drought that has impacted some areas of the province is an instance where the best is coming out in Canadian Farmers. The efforts being made to put together a “Hay East” campaign demonstrates that farmers separated by thousands of kilometers can pull together in times of need.

Back in 2002, Eastern Canadian…

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Added by CFFO Blog on September 14, 2012 at 4:57am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: A Time for Agriculture Policy Change? – Part 3

By Nathan Stevens

August 17, 2012

 

The agricultural sector is one that is poised for change.  This is the third in a series of commentaries raising questions about the direction of agriculture policy in Ontario and Canada. The first two parts of this series focused on the fundamentals that are pointing towards change and the need to focus on productivity. In the other parts of the commentary series, I will focus on the critical need…

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Added by CFFO Blog on August 17, 2012 at 3:07am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: A Time for Agriculture Policy Change? – Part 2

By Nathan Stevens

August 10, 2012

 

The agriculture sector is one that has the potential to benefit from a focus on productivity. This is the second in a series of commentaries raising questions about the direction of agriculture policy in Ontario and Canada. In the second part of this commentary series, I want to talk about the potential of a productivity-oriented policy agenda. In other parts of the commentary series, I will focus on…

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Added by CFFO Blog on August 10, 2012 at 2:45am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Farmers Hope for Rain to Improve Prospects for all of Agriculture

By Nathan Stevens

July 27, 2012

 

The weather has been dominating the concerns of farmers across Ontario. While conditions vary widely from region to region, there is no doubt that a great many farmers are very concerned about the conditions of their crops. The impact of heavy drought conditions impacts all of agriculture.

 

The most obvious group that is being impacted are grain and oil seeds farmers.…

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Added by CFFO Blog on July 27, 2012 at 8:53am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Ontario Food Banks Need Farmer Support

By Nathan Stevens

July 20, 2012

 

In an increasingly competitive and cost-conscious agriculture and agri-business climate, sometimes there are unintended results for other organizations. Today, farmers and food processors are reconsidering the concept of waste and are seeking to turn all their raw materials into marketable or reusable items. The unintended result of this movement is that the Ontario Association of Food Banks is short…

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Added by CFFO Blog on July 20, 2012 at 3:33am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Farmers can Still Influence Growing Forward 2

By Nathan Stevens

July 6, 2012

 

The future of farm programming in Growing Forward 2 remains unannounced, allowing more time for farmers and farm groups to influence the future. This summer is a vital opportunity for farmers and other stakeholders to provide their input on the safety net and strategic investments that support them in different ways.

 

Agriculture programming in Canada is driven by…

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Added by CFFO Blog on July 6, 2012 at 8:00am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Sustain Ontario takes its Next Step Developing in a Food Strategy

By Nathan Stevens

June 22, 2012

 

The need for an Ontario or Canadian food strategy has been emerging in the agricultural and health communities. Sustain Ontario is one of the groups that is moving ahead in developing ideas around an Ontario Food and Nutrition Strategy. Their efforts tie agriculture and food production to health and environmental improvement.  A recent meeting held by Sustain Ontario focused on three key strategic…

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Added by CFFO Blog on June 22, 2012 at 3:31am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Tough Decisions ahead for Growing Forward 2

By Nathan Stevens

June 15, 2012

 

The federal and provincial governments are working on Growing Forward 2, the five-year policy framework for the agriculture and agri-food sector. Farmers, farm organizations and commodity groups across the country are focused on influencing the outcome of the framework. A realistic assessment of the world around us today points to this agreement featuring harder choices than those made in the original…

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Added by CFFO Blog on June 15, 2012 at 7:37am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: CFFO helps fill a bus for Agricultural Education

The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario is placing a strong emphasis on the importance of agricultural education. Earlier this year the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario announced its scholarship program for students attending post-secondary courses in agricultural studies. Continuing with that direction, CFFO has sponsored a bus full of school children to visit the Ag Museum in Ottawa. Good education involves teaching the history of the…

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Added by CFFO Blog on June 8, 2012 at 1:53am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Animal Welfare Expert Temple Grandin Urges Farmers to Share Their Message

Animal welfare is an issue that is gaining in importance for livestock farmers across North America .There are few people more influential in the area of reasonable animal welfare improvements than Dr. Temple Grandin. I recall her sharing her thoughts at a meeting back in 2006 about the future of animal handling and animal welfare. Today, she is calling on farmers to use social media to influence the public discourse on animal welfare in North America, and the strides taken since the…

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Added by CFFO Blog on June 1, 2012 at 1:47am — 1 Comment

The CFFO Commentary: The Canada Brand gets extended to the Domestic Market

By Nathan Stevens

May 25, 2012

 

Proponents of Canadian food for Canadians got a boost last week as the Federal Government announced that the Canada Brand has been expanded to include a domestic component. This is a positive step forward in market-oriented ways to enhance farmer’s opportunities both domestically and abroad.

 

The Canada Brand has been in existence for a number of years promoting the…

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Added by CFFO Blog on May 25, 2012 at 1:26am — No Comments

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

Canadian pork producers respond to Product of USA rule

Following this week's announcement by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack that the finalized Product of USA rule now means all meat products sold with that label must be derived from animals raised, slaughtered, and processed in the U.S., the Canadian pork industry, as well as Canada's Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development have expressed concern. In a joint statement, Minister Lawrence MacAulay and Minister Mary Ng said they are reviewing the final rule carefully and will closely monitor its impacts and implementation, including U.S. international trade obligations. "Canada remains concerned about any measures that may cause disruptions to the highly integrated North American meat and livestock supply chains. We are disappointed that the final rule does not appear to take into account the concerns we have continually brought forward related to our unique and important trading relationship. Canada inten

Canada responds to U.S. V-COOL rule

Canadian reps will continue to advocate for equitable U.S. market access

Canada’s farmland values continued to climb in 2023, FCC reports

The average value of Canadian farmland continued its steady climb in 2023, increasing by 11.5 per cent, slightly less than the 12.8 per cent increase reported in 2022, according to the latest FCC Farmland Values Report.

CANADIAN PORK COUNCIL REACTS TO VOLUNTARY PRODUCT OF USA ANNOUCEMENT

The Canadian Pork Council is disappointed comments from the pork industry on both sides of the border were not taken into consideration in the finalized rule, announced Monday by United States Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, mandating that all meat products sold with a “Product of the U.S.A.” label be derived from animals raised, slaughtered, and processed in the United States.

Canadian Pork Council reacts to voluntary product of USA announcement

The Canadian Pork Council is disappointed comments from the pork industry on both sides of the border were not taken into consideration in the finalized rule, announced Monday by United States Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, mandating that all meat products sold with a “Product of the U.S.A.” label be derived from animals raised, slaughtered, and processed in the United States.

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