Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

The CFFO Commentary: Creating New Options for Preserving our Top Farmland

By John Clement
August 26, 2011
 
Farmland preservation is a key component in keeping a strong and vigorous agricultural sector. And with Ontario having one of the biggest agriculture and food clusters in North America, it only makes sense that our citizens be proactive in ensuring that we do our best to preserve and maintain our best farmland.
 
The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario has a long history of advocating for farmland preservation. We’ve taken up the fight to keep our best farmland in a number of battles, including power line developments, highway proposals, land use planning sessions and arguments about municipal housing severances. We’ve been at the forefront of those saying that our best farmland needs to be preserved for farming, not held in trust until some other competing use comes along.  
 
With that background in mind, I was pleased to see this summer’s creation of the Ontario Farmland Stewardship Fund. It has been put together by the Ontario Farmland Trust in partnership with the Stratford and Perth County Community Foundation. It’s part of a larger campaign called “Care for the Land you Love” and is working to raise awareness and funds to maintain the lands under land trust care in the province.
 
The campaign allows financial donors to double the impact of their gifts as every dollar contributed by the end of 2011 will be matched up to a total of $20,000, thanks to the participation of the Ontario Land Trust Alliance and Community Foundations of Canada. The earnings from the funds will be used every year to help conduct annual monitoring, property and building maintenance, maintain regular contact with landowners and undertake environmental enhancement programs.
 
The Ontario Farmland Trust was established in 2004, and seeks to protect and preserve farmland and associated agricultural, natural and cultural features of the countryside. It protects farmland by working directly with landowners who want to permanently protect their farm properties for farming. This includes accepting donations of farmlands and farmland conservation easements. Easements allow landowners to continue owning and using their properties while placing some non-farm development restrictions on the land.
 
If you are interested in learning more about the Ontario Farmland Trust, visit www.ontariofarmlandtrust.ca. And please take the time to consider whether you’re interested in investigating a conservation easement for your property, or making a donation to the trust fund. Every bit helps in preserving an important resource for farming.

John Clement is the General Manager of 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. It is also archived on the CFFO website: www.christianfarmers.org. CFFO is supported by 4,200 family farmers across Ontario.

Views: 106

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

Trade with China

China’s Anti-Discrimination Investigation On March 8, 2025, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced the outcome of its anti-discrimination investigation initiated in September 2024 as a result of the federal government’s imposition of tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, steel and aluminum. In response to Canada, China’s State Council Tariff Commission will impose a 100 per cent tariff rate on Canadian canola oil and canola meal along with several other tariffs on other Canadian agricultural commodities as of March 20, 2025. Tariffs from the State Council Tariff Commission resulting from the anti-discrimination investigation are separate and distinct from China’s anti-dumping investigation into imports of Canadian canola seed which is ongoing. China’s Anti-Dumping Investigation On August 12, 2025, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced its preliminary ruling as part of its anti-dumping investigation into Canadian canola seed imports. In its ruling, MOFCOM announce

Advocating for Trade and Market Diversification on The Hill

Canadian canola farmers are navigating major trade volatility. Ongoing tariffs have closed access to China, once a $4.9 billion market, while uncertainty around the upcoming Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) review is putting Canada’s two largest export markets under pressure. At the same time, Canada’s growing biofuels sector offers a valuable opportunity for canola farmers. With strong policy support, biofuels can drive new domestic demand for canola and reduce farmers’ exposure to trade disruptions. Canada’s canola farmers rely on predictable market access. These shifts show how quickly geopolitical issues and national policies can ripple back to the farm gate.  As the national representative of Canada’s 40,000 canola farmers, Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA) has been front and centre with the federal government, calling for a political solution to the China tariff dispute and for a canola-friendly biofuels policy.  Canola’s Annual Lobby Day Every year, the Board o

Revitalizing rural and agricultural infrastructure

Since 2023, Alberta’s government has taken action to support ag societies through the Agricultural Societies Infrastructure Revitalization Program, strengthening the quality of life in rural communities. The program has delivered $7.5 million in total grants for 106 ag society projects over the past three years, including funds allocated this year. This funding has helped ag societies with improvements and repairs to commercial kitchens, roofs, horse riding arenas and heating and ventilation in ice rinks, and has increased accessibility and energy efficiency in rural facilities. Alberta’s rural communities need up-to-date facilities to promote community involvement and economic growth. These buildings are central hubs, offering residents the opportunity to gather, engage and connect with their neighbours. “Ag societies have an important role in the quality of life for Alberta villages, towns and rural communities. Throughout the year they welcome Albertans to community events, from l

Canada makes commitments to international ag

Canada will spend almost $400 million to support farmers around the world

Growth Promoters and the Environment Revisited

In October 2021, this column described a research project that examined how long residues from growth promoters persist in the feedlot environment. They learned that residues from trenbolone acetate (TBA; used in some growth implants to mimic testosterone) and melengestrol acetate (MGA; sometimes fed to heifers to suppress estrus) dissipate very quickly after they’re excreted. However, residues from ractopamine (a feed additive that improves feed efficiency, weight gain and leanness late in the feeding period) could be found on the pen floor for up to five months after it was last fed. Jon Challis and collaborators at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the University of Saskatchewan recently published a follow-up study to learn whether manure composting, stockpiling or soil incorporation help break down ractopamine residues and whether ractopamine residues can affect hormone levels in other organisms that may come in contact with them in the environment (“Chemical and bioassay-based

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service