Kevin Stewart's Videos (Ontario Agriculture) - Ontario Agriculture

Finding Good Farm Help.

2010-07-17T15:48:31.000Z

Is there an growing problem with finding good farm employees?

Growourfarms.ca What Is On Your Plate?

2009-08-22T17:10:27.000Z

Farmers depend on a healthy, clean environment to produce quality food, so they make every effort to keep their soil and land in top shape.

Ontario’s farmers don’t just guess what might be best for the environment. They are committed to using the best practices they possibly can, which is why they develop Environmental Farm Plans (EFP). These voluntary assessments address a variety of on-farm areas where farmers can reduce the impact they have on the environment.

Environmental Farm Plans cover things like manure storage and handling, runoff control, integrated pest management and nutrient management. These plans, combined with other government- and producer-led initiatives, have proven to be positive for the environment.

In 1983, Ontario’s farmers and the provincial government decided to aim to cut pesticide use in half over 20 years. By 2003, not only had that goal been achieved, but it was exceeded – 52% to be exact. It doesn’t stop there: farmers continue to decrease their pesticide use by about 3% every year.

This may be because producers are learning efficient and effective pesticide use in pesticide safety training classes.

Better soil conservation measures, such as crop rotation and reducing tillage on farm fields have also led to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions on farms. So far, these changes have had the same impact as taking 125,000 cars off the road.

For More Information, Visit www.growourfarms.ca

Growourfarms.ca Importance of Agriculture in the Economy.

2009-08-22T17:07:10.000Z

Agriculture is important to Ontario’s economy. If you know at least seven people, then you probably know somebody who holds a food-related job, since one in seven Canadians works in the agri-food system. In Ontario, our farming and food processing sector employs 700,000 people who do everything from raising cattle to processing foods and manufacturing farm equipment.

The system also accounts for over $30 billion in sales, making it the second largest goods-producing sector in the province.

To produce this much food, it seems as though there must be an endless number of farmers. However, only about 12% of people who hold agri-food jobs work directly on a farm in primary agricultural production. This means the other 88% of the 700,000 Ontarians in the industry work to process and handle food after it leaves the farm.

Food processing continues to grow, too: in 2006, food processing companies (cheese factories, canneries, slaughterhouses and vegetable packers, for example) invested over $400 million in facilities in rural Ontario and bought more than 70% of the food grown by Ontario’s farmers.

While Ontarians spent over $43 billion on food in grocery stores and restaurants in Ontario in 2005 (an average of about 10% of our disposable income), not all of our food stays here at home. In fact, Ontario exports more food than any other province. In 2003, we shipped $8.4 billion in agri-food products around the world, most to the United States.

Visit www.growourfarms.ca for more information.

Growourfarms.ca Food Independence

2009-08-22T17:00:41.000Z

With over half of Canada’s best farmland in Ontario, it’s no surprise that Ontario farmers own thousands of hectares of land. That land is used to grow the fruits, vegetables, grains and meats we eat every day.

In the past, farmers often grew a variety of different vegetables or raised many types of livestock all at once. This might have fed a few people, but likely did not go beyond a small community. Now, farmers usually specialize in one type of crop or livestock, so we know they are doing one thing really well. Not only that, but one Canadian farmer can now feed about 120 people for a whole year.

Modern farmers can feed far more people because technology has helped make their crops and farming techniques more efficient. This is important because our population is steadily increasing and more people demand more food.

However, there are also fewer farms every year and Ontario grocery stores import food from other provinces and countries, including items we grow here at home like apples and strawberries.

This leads to increased food prices and the transportation required to bring food across long distances has negative effects on the environment.

Visit www.growourfarms.ca for more information.

Growourfarms.ca Our Family Farms

2009-08-22T16:56:52.000Z

Family Farm Values

If you have ever visited a local farm operation to pick fruit or buy fresh bread or meat, you know how friendly and welcoming farmers can be. This is because over 98% of Canadian farms are family owned and operated and farmers want to share what they produce with their neighbours.

In Ontario, just 1.6% of the province’s entire population is made up of farmers, even though we all benefit from the fruits of their labours (literally!).

There are about 230,000 farms in Canada, a number that continues to decrease every year. However, demand for food and other agriculture products is not slowing, so farmers need to find ways to increase production and make the most of their land. The average size of a Canadian farm increased from 676 acres in 2001 to 728 acres in 2006. That's the same as 361 football fields!

Fewer young people are taking over their family operations as they did in the past, leaving more work to fewer farmers –their parents. The average Canadian farmer is 52 years old.

Among the younger farm population, more operators are earning post-secondary education than ever before. In 2001, almost 38% of male farm operators and 46% of female farm operators had a post-secondary education.

Visit www.growourfarms.ca