Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

The CFFO Commentary: Seminar Series to Focus on Improving the Farm Regulatory Process

By John Clement
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. An annual event for 16 years, the organization’s seminar series aims at facilitating grassroots participation in policy development. This year’s edition will explore the reasons for the over-regulated farm business situation and will look towards alternative approaches to regulations that can be proposed to elected leaders, other organizations and the consuming public.

Long-time CFFO friend, Bill van Geest, will be the principal facilitator for the series. He is a trained facilitator, executive coach and strategic planner and enjoys helping organizations and their leaders move forward with clarity and purpose. Nathan Stevens, the CFFO’s Research and Policy Advisor, will also be on hand at selected locations to work alongside those in attendance.

Bob Seguin and Al Mussell, from the George Morris Centre, will draw on their experiences as members of “Canada’s Independent Agri-Food Think Tank” to help attendees explore the rationale and complexities behind legislation and regulations. Seguin has first-hand knowledge in understanding regulations, having served as a senior manager in several government departments.

Join us as we explore and critique the frustrating and complex world of legislation and regulations. The CFFO Seminar Series is open to all who wish to attend. Log on to the CFFO’s website at www.christianfarmers.org for details on how to register and where our individual seminars are being held. We encourage you to attend a seminar in your local community for information, provocative facilitation, fellowship and a good lunch. We welcome the contribution of your time and thoughts.

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, Ontario and is archived on the CFFO website: www.christianfarmers.org. CFFO is supported by 4,200 family farmers across Ontario.

Views: 25

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

Agriculture in a changing climate

At the heart of the agriculture industry are coffee shops where farmers gather to chat. I believe the unwritten rule is to start every meeting with a discussion about the weather. There is a reason for that. While there are many factors, the weather plays a large part in the success of the agriculture industry, and Canada’s agriculture industry is susceptible to climate change. The earth is warming, and many experts agree that we will continue to see more extreme weather events and warmer temperatures. The Aquanomics model by GHD, a global engineering and architecture service firm, projects a loss of $108 billion to the Canadian GDP from 2022 to 2050 caused by droughts, floods, and storms. Flooding could cost the economy $30 billion by 2050. The model predicts that manufacturing and distribution will be the hardest hit at $50 billion in total output losses, with agriculture 5th on the list at $3 billion in output losses by 2050. Regardless of the economic impact, the agriculture indust

Rabobank Research Examines Trade War Implications for Soybeans

US soybean acres and farmgate prices could suffer in the event of another trade war with China, according to new research from Rabobank. A renewed trade war would potentially lower US farmgate prices by US$1.50 to $2/bu and reduce American soybean planted area by up to 5 million acres, the research shows. With current US farmgate soybean prices already weak, now hovering around $10/bu or below, the worst-case scenario could drag values down to near their mid-2019 low of about $8 during the first trade war. Meanwhile, a loss of 5 million acres from the 87.1 million planted to soybeans in 2024 would represent a fall of about 6%. If accurate, that would be a much more modest fall than in 2019, when planted area tumbled more than 13 million acres or 14.6% from the previous year to 76.1 million. US President-elect Donald Trump has promised to ratchet up tariffs on imports from China after he takes office on Jan. 20, suggesting amounts ranging anywhere from 10% to 100%. Rabobank said

Saskatchewan sees average year as province back to recovering from droughts

Saskatchewan continued on the path to recovery as another year saw conditions remain closer to normal following the droughts earlier this decade. The ag sector is hoping to see more progress on that with a good snowpack over winter helping to balance that moisture deficit. Daryl Harrison, Saskatchewan's Minister of Agriculture, talks about the province's economic fortunes over 2024. "I think more moisture-wise, some of our dryer pockets have seen some more moisture and our drought area certainly shrunk. There's certainly dry areas remaining out there and with our snowpack that we've received so far this winter, I think it's very optimistic that we're seeing the drought years behind us. We still need some spring rains to help enhance both the grass and hayland, but also prepare for spring seeding." Harrison himself farms in the southeast corner and says he saw a great year in that area. "Crop wise it was a great year, I thought cops across the board were generally average to above.

A look back at ag under the Trudeau Liberals

The Liberals usually viewed ag through different portfolios

Brock University becomes Canada’s Food & Agri-Tech Engine partner

Brock University is the newest Knowledge and Development partner to join Bioenterprise through Canada’s Food & Agri-Tech Engine. The addition of Brock will expand the capacity of the Engine’s growing national network of advisors, resources and mentors to support innovation, collaboration and technology for agri-food start-up businesses and entrepreneurs. 

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service