Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Kathleen Wynne, Letter To The Editor: Ontario's Horse Racing Industry.

The new Ontario government believes in a strong, sustainable future for the horse racing industry in this province. We have a plan, guided by the report of the Horse Racing Industry Transition Panel, for a way forward that will put the industry on a sustainable path – and while  we’ve already made a lot of progress, we know there is more work to be done.

 

We have committed up to $180 million to support the industry over the next three years as it adapts to a smaller and more sustainable model. Agreements for transition funding have been signed with 12 racetracks and there will be horse racing at 15 tracks right across the province this season. Details about those agreements are publicly available on the Ministry of Agriculture and Food website. 

 

Last week, I was happy to announce that the government would support the Horse Improvement Program – which will total up to $30 million in each of the next two years – to give Ontario’s vibrant racehorse breeding industry the confidence that there is a future here for Ontario-bred racehorses.

 

The Horse Racing Transition Panel has spent hundreds of hours working with stakeholders. In their report, they recommended a new market-driven model that works for the industry and is good public policy. This model will include integrating horse racing with the modernization of the province’s gaming strategy, which will provide additional revenue sources for racetracks. 

 

I have asked the Panel to consult with industry over the summer and to present a detailed a plan for the future of horseracing in Ontario by October 2013 that would see the industry take ownership for its long term future success. Those consultations will begin on June 21st, and I encourage everyone who has an interest to share their views.

 

I know how important the horse racing and breeding industries are to the culture and economy of communities across Ontario, and that is why our government will continue to work with the industry to ensure that it has a strong, sustainable future.

                               

-          Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Agriculture and Food

 

 

Views: 244

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

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

Elmers Unveils Super7 Harrow and WD2 Ditcher

Elmer’s Manufacturing introduces the Super7 Harrow and Wolverine WD2 Ditcher, offering improved field performance, smart technology, and reduced maintenance for modern farming operations.

Bioenterprise Canada Announces Round 3 Participants in the Grow Ontario Accelerator Hub

Bioenterprise Canada is pleased to announce the successful applicants for Round 3 of the Grow Ontario Accelerator Hub (GOAH). Twenty-two (22) Ontario-based companies have been selected to receive advisory, mentorship, and support services through Canada’s Food & Agri-Tech Engine, our growing national alliance supporting agri-food innovation. 

Cattle Chat: The economics of creep feeding

As the grazing season winds down toward fall, Kansas State University veterinarians say cattle producers may want to consider the practice of “creep feeding” to sustain growth in calves. In a recent episode of “Cattle Chat with the Beef Cattle Institute,” veterinarians Brad White, Bob Larson and Phillip Lancaster discussed potential benefits as well as potential disadvantages. What is creep feeding? “(Creep feeding is) providing some source of feed that nursing calves have access to that the dams do not have access to, which can be several different things,” Lancaster said. “We think about a creep feeder where we're feeding a grain supplement and have a creep gate where the calves can get to the feeder and the cows can't.” Lancaster also mentioned creep grazing, where a plot of high quality forage, is sectioned off with a creep gait just for the calves to get into and graze on. “Starting now and going into the early fall, forage quantity and/or quality are generally going down,” La

RDAR Boosts Support For Western Crop Innovations With $5 Million Investment

Backed by funding from the federal and provincial governments through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, RDAR is delivering an additional $5.2 million in Western Crop Innovations (WCI) to strengthen feed and forage barley and triticale breeding for Alberta and Western Canadian producers. The investment will strengthen Alberta’s plant breeding capacity, accelerate the development of locally adapted varieties and support the long-term competitiveness of crop and livestock producers in the province and across the west. Established in 2024 to carry forward the work of the Field Crop Development Centre (FCDC), WCI builds on a strong breeding legacy that includes 45 barley varieties and 19 triticale varieties. These include 40 general-purpose and five malting barley varieties, along with 10 spring and nine winter triticale varieties. The barley releases include advanced traits such as improved nitrogen-use efficiency and non-glycosidic nitrile, or non-GN. Non-GN varieties ar

Saskatchewan Climate Outlook: August 17, 2026

Welcome to the Saskatchewan Environmental Heatmaps, developed through a partnership between Saskatchewan Pulse Growers and Ukko Agro Inc. These maps provide weather-based insights to support producers and agronomists across Saskatchewan, with a focus on forecasted key environmental and climate conditions. Using data from a 20 km grid of virtual weather stations with hourly inputs (sourced from IBM/The Weather Company), the system generates regularly updated maps that evaluate how recent and forecasted weather conditions influence environmental risk factors. Environmental and climate heatmaps are provided in parallel to support broader agronomic decisions and general crop management under variable weather conditions. Due to pulse crops maturing and pre-harvest interval restrictions, the window for fungicide application is generally past. Maps will focus only on climate for the remainder of the season. Temperature Maps: Agronomist Notes Moderate temperatures across Saskatchewan (max

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service