Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

The CFFO Commentary: Christmas Story Leads to Actions to Build up Individuals, Families and Communities

By John Clement
December 23, 2011
 
Christmas is an important celebration on the Christian calendar. We believe that God became incarnate, offered his life to achieve our redemption, and left us with a mission to join in the work of advancing the “good news.”
 
The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario finds its roots in the “good news” that life can be lived according to patterns that are both liberating for farmers and which build up families and communities. Many of our members believe that God has called them to participate in the biological cycle of food production and they value the development of public policies that help them as producers, marketers and citizens. Through it all, the members of the CFFO hope to be a blessing to Ontario agriculture.
 
One of the biggest contributions the CFFO has brought to the province is a focus on fairness in public policies. We’ve had lots of lively conversations amongst our members due to the fact that nearly everyone has their own particular take on what’s fair in a given situation. That being said, there are three broad areas that have defined much of the CFFO’s contribution.
 
A continual perspective within the CFFO is that public programs should never allow one farmer to “work the system” so that an advantage can be gained over a fellow farmer. Nobody wants to see public monies being used to eventually subsidize farm expansions, even though many want to see support offered to help farmers through market or weather losses.
 
Another perspective that is often heard singles out public programs that leave some farmers out of the benefits. For example, farmers can sometimes be disadvantaged because programs can reward specialization while ignoring attempts to manage risk through on-farm diversification.
 
Finally, CFFO members have been ready to offer leadership on fairness issues that focus on gaining access to market opportunities. For example, marketing systems may sometimes need tweaking to ensure opportunities to new entrants. This is always seen within a balancing act that tries to also be fair to farmers who have already made a significant investment in the industry.
 
That’s a very quick overview of the very practical aspects of how the Christmas story has impacted many of the 4,200 members who have chosen to join the CFFO. Whatever your perspectives on such matters, I wish all listeners and readers a blessed Christmas and extend my best wishes for the New Year.

 
 

John Clement is the General Manager for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario. The CFFO Commentary represents the opinions of the writer and does not necessarily represent CFFO policy. The CFFO Commentary is heard weekly on CFCO Chatham, CKNX Wingham, and UCB Canada radio stations in Chatham, Belleville, Bancroft, Brockville and Kingston and in Brantford and Woodstock. It is also found on the CFFO website: www.christianfarmers.org. CFFO is supported by 4,200 family farmers across Ontario.

Views: 73

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

APG Seeks Advisors in All Zones to Grow Pulse Industry

Pulse producers who want to grow the province’s pulse industry while developing their own leadership skills are invited to let their names stand for election as an Alberta Pulse Growers (APG) Advisor at their zone meeting this fall. “Any interested pulse farmers are strongly encouraged to join the APG team,” APG Chair Shane Strydhorst said. “I began as an Advisor like most APG Directors, and the experience has been more rewarding than I imagined. Becoming an Advisor is a great way to get involved in the industry. Each of our five zones has available positions and it’s a good introduction to the organization, working on committees, and making things happen for Alberta pulse farmers.” A team of Advisors leads extension activities specific to each of APG’s five zones. Directors on APG’s provincial board often serve as Advisors first. Producers must have sold pulses and paid service charges since August 1, 2023 to be eligible as an Advisor. Anyone interested in letting their name stand

Saskatchewan Pulse Growers Launches Enhanced Pulse Variety Hub: New website delivers advanced tools and data for pulse crop producers

Saskatchewan Pulse Growers is pleased to announce the launch of the new and improved Pulse Variety Hub (https://rvt.saskpulse.com/), a comprehensive digital platform that helps pulse crop producers select the best varieties for their specific growing conditions and locations across Western Canada. The Pulse Variety Hub serves as a central resource where farmers can access detailed variety information, compare performance data across different regions, and make informed decisions about which pulse crops—including lentil, pea, chickpea, faba bean, and dry bean—will perform best in their specific geographic areas and growing environments. The enhanced platform represents a significant advancement in agricultural technology, building upon the proven foundation of the previous tool while delivering substantial improvements across all aspects of user experience and functionality. Key Features and Enhancements The new Pulse Variety Hub delivers enhanced value through several significant imp

Manitoba farmers racing to finish harvest

Rain and strong winds in Manitoba’s eastern and Interlake regions and snow in the Northwest slowed the harvest. In its weekly crop report, Manitoba Agriculture Cereal Crop Specialist Ann Kirk said roughly 93 per cent of the crop is harvested, and farmers are getting close to wrapping things up. “Over the past week, we did have fairly good harvest conditions. We did have rain and then snow which put a pause on harvest over the weekend and the beginning of this week,” Kirk said. Harvesting of spring cereals are basically complete and canola is very close to finished. The dry beans are about 96 per cent complete. Soybeans are also very close at about 90 per cent. “What’s left is about 25 per cent of the flax crop, 80 per cent of the sunflowers and about 60 per cent of the grain corn , so we have made good progress, and it’s just those remaining later season crops to come off,” Kirk added. Spring cereals had a very long harvest season, and as a result, some of the crops are of poorer

Agriculture innovation part of TIME’s list of best inventions

An agriculture innovation from a Winkler, Man. based company has been named to TIME’s list of the Best Inventions of 2025. Thunderstruck Ag was recognized for its Razors Edge Concaves. Thunderstruck Founder and CEO Jeremy Matuszewski said the concaves were designed to minimize harvest loss, maximize machine efficiency, and simplify operations across multiple crops. The system’s patented variable bar spacing tightens where impact is greatest and opens where flow matters most delivering a cleaner thresh, reduced equipment overload, and higher yields, all without cover plates or hardware swaps.

Halloween characters suitable for farmwork

Farmers can use all the help they can get these days

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service