Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Do you agree with the OFA that no more wind turbines should be built until a number of issues are dealt with?

The OFA has made a call to the Ontario government to suspend industrial wind turbines saying there are too many unanswered questions about its value, and that the debate over turbines is polarizing rural communities.

Read the OFA article - click here.

What are your thoughts? Do you agree that no more wind turbines should be built until a number of issues are dealt with?

Take the POLL: Do you think Ontario should halt wind turbines? - click here

Views: 2025

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by OntAG Admin on January 20, 2012 at 8:12am
formosafarmer profile

formosafarmer Had a great talk with a farm family that is Pro Wind Turbines. Good perspective. Only thing they are against is people stopping their choice

Permalink Reply by OntAG Admin on January 20, 2012 at 8:48am
Permalink Reply by OntAG Admin on January 20, 2012 at 10:03am
modernfarmer profile

modernfarmer Ontario farm group calls for halt to wind power developmenttgam.ca/DQyw via @globeandmail iPhone app

Permalink Reply by Joann on January 21, 2012 at 4:12am

I don't believe this is anything more than political posturing.

Our Premier has, in my personal opinion, shown nothing short of contempt towards farmers for the past 9 years.

Ontario is preparing for a budget.  The OFA dealt the first hand.


It will be interesting to see how the government play their cards.

Permalink Reply by OntAG Admin on January 21, 2012 at 5:21am
AlKerslake Al Kerslake
@OntAg wind turbines are only effective in selected areas
Permalink Reply by OntAG Admin on January 21, 2012 at 5:27am

NewHamburgIndy

NewHamburgIndy
Ontario Federation of Agriculture supports moratorium on . What will it mean for projects like this?
Permalink Reply by OntAG Admin on January 21, 2012 at 5:30am

On the OFA website article re OFA stance on wind turbines by Mark Wales, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture:

Wind power versus rural power (2012)

 

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is calling on the provincial government to suspend the invasion of rural Ontario with industrial wind turbines.

 

Earlier this week OFA took a hard look at our own concerns with wind turbines. We have always been concerned with the price paid for wind power and the fact that it is not dispatchable – it is not stored for use during peak demand periods, making it highly inefficient. This was noted by Ontario’s Auditor General in his recent Annual Report in December 2011.    

 

In addition, our technical concerns with regard to setback issues, induced current and noise impacts remain unaddressed.   

 

OFA believes that the amendments to the Planning Act made under the authority of the Green Energy Act are not having the desired effect of providing for good planning. Removal of municipal input into industrial wind turbine projects has alienated the rural population and ignored competing community needs and policies.

All of these issues have been emphasized clearly by our members. Over the past few weeks we have clearly heard OFA members tell us of health concerns, concerns over the loss of farmland, encumbrances on their farm properties and many more issues related to the imposition of wind turbines across our rural landscape.

Most disconcerting of all is the impact wind turbines are having on the relationships across rural communities. When wind developments come to a community neighbours are pitted against neighbours. The issue of industrial wind turbine development is preoccupying the rural agenda.

OFA is telling the Ontario government our members have had enough. Rural Ontario cannot continue to be torn apart by wind turbines. The province needs to immediately suspend any further developments until our farm families and rural residents can be assured their interests are protected.

On behalf of rural Ontario, OFA needs to see the government enable community involvement in wind developments to ensure local planning issues and priorities are addressed. We need wind power to be priced right and made dispatchable so it can be used when we need it, rather than selling it at a loss during the nighttime. We need health and nuisance concerns addressed immediately and we need serious studies done on reasonable setback distances for the newer and larger turbines being planned.

The onus is on our provincial government to ensure the interests of rural Ontarians are protected. Our members are clearly telling us now that they are not. There are very serious concerns with wind energy as it is currently rolling out.

OFA supports green energy – Ontario needs a reliable, affordable source of renewable energy for our future. But we all need to work to ensure that green energy projects will respect concerns for noise, community involvement and price, balanced against the effective provision of that power.

Permalink Reply by OntAG Admin on January 21, 2012 at 4:47pm


apasztor829:31pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

@OntAg would like to say we have a turbine on r farm and have no problems with it at all, my health is great, #OFA give your head a shake

Permalink Reply by Colette McLean on January 23, 2012 at 6:30am

Yes,  I agree!  no more turbines and thank OFA for putting forward a fairly clear proposal on what should be done to address the very real problems surrounding Industrial wind turbines and wind energy development.  Wind is unreliable, intermittent, inefficient, non-dispatchable, & expensive.  It has never been proven to reduce the burning or mining of coal, reduce emissions from fossil fuel plants, provide long term green jobs that does not atrophy jobs in other sectors.  It will at best provide 5% of Ontario energy needs & requires fossil fuel backup to compensate for it's intermittency.  The cost benefit analysis has not been done,  read the AG's report.   http://www.auditor.on.ca/en/reports_en/en11/303en11.pdf

Permalink Reply by Colette McLean on January 23, 2012 at 6:32am

Not everyone's health is affected & stating that you r not affected suggest others r lying.  Why would these people lie? Maybe ur lying because u make money!

OntAG Admin said:


apasztor829:31pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

@OntAg would like to say we have a turbine on r farm and have no problems with it at all, my health is great, #OFA give your head a shake

Permalink Reply by Colette McLean on January 23, 2012 at 6:51am

"Most disconcerting of all is the impact wind turbines are having on the relationships across rural communities" As a farmer who was presented with the chance to have a turbine but found some very worrisome issues with the contracts, (first-rights of refusal, postponement of mortgages etc)  I can attest to how relationships have been shattered because I took a different stance.  Our neighbour wanted the turbines & because of the disagreement over the wind issue resulted in him pulling away from our custom combine services.

Permalink Reply by Colette McLean on January 23, 2012 at 6:57am

So what is their perspective.  This is not just about the property right of the landowners who want turbines,  it is also the land rights of those next to the turbines.  Because of required setbacks,  landowners with no turbines are limited with the future development (eg. barns, outbuildings, even their own energy projects)



OntAG Admin said:

formosafarmer profile

formosafarmer Had a great talk with a farm family that is Pro Wind Turbines. Good perspective. Only thing they are against is people stopping their choice

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

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