Major commodity groups in Ontario have joined forces to make high-profile public pronouncements against the swelling tide of sentiment over their use of pesticides. But at least one organization is not in lock step with the rest Members of some of the largest farm organizations in the province, such as Grain Farmers of Ontario, Ontario… Read More
Category: Beneficial Insects
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) has published its full comment on the Ontario government’s pollinator health proposal — a proposal that singles out neonicotinoid seed treatments of corn and soybean crops as a key factor in pollinator health risks. OFA’s response includes four key points, including: the need for and content of a pollinator… Read More
“Neonicotinoids,” “Colony Collapse Disorder,” “Varroa,” “Nosema”… Defining those colloquialisms (and others) was just one of the goals the Canola Council of Canada’s Gregory Sekulic had in mind when he presented “Buzzwords about Bees” at the Farming Smarter Conference in Medicine Hat. Sekulic wanted to clear the air on jargon that so often exacerbates misunderstanding “We really lose… Read More
It’s no wonder that Western Canada is watching what’s unfolding in Ontario closely. That province’s government’s move to closely regulate neonicotinoid seed treatments, even after changes in corn and soybean planting showed significant reductions in bee health risk, has many in the agriculture industry wondering what this means for pesticide access moving forward. In this… Read More
A few weeks ago, the Grain Farmers of Ontario encouraged farmers to boycott the Ontario government’s public consultation process concerning new regulations governing access and use of neonicotinoid seed treatments on corn and soybean seed. At the time, GFO stated that there was little to be gained at the public meeting, and that GFO and… Read More
From 2013 to 2014, Canada has seen increases in beekeepers, colonies, honey production and value, according to Statistics Canada data. This has the country in a very good position in the industry, says Lee Townsend. Townsend is a commercial beekeeper from Stony Plain, Alberta, and a speaker at the upcoming FarmTech Conference in Edmonton. His talk will… Read More
Grain Farmers of Ontario met December 18, 2014, with government representatives to ask the provincial government to abandon the proposed seed treatment regulations and, instead, “support an approach that will work for the complexities of both grain farming and bee keeping.” “Family farmers need your commitment to agriculture now,” says GFO of the provincial government,… Read More
What’s the danger of building regulations on a “precautionary principle?” Is the Ontario government’s push to regulate neonicotinoids moving too quickly? That’s part of the discussion that Real Agriculture’s Bernard Tobin had with Paul Wettlaufer and Mark Wales, both of whom are farmers and directors with Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). In the interview below Wettlaufer… Read More
Two webex meetings and two in-person public consultation meetings took place in Ontario this week. At issue is the proposed increased regulation of neonicotinoid seed treatments for corn and soybean crops. Real Agriculture’s Bernard Tobin attended the London meeting on Tuesday (you can hear a recap of the event here), and spoke with Steve Klose,… Read More
The first public consultation meeting regarding impending neonicotinoid seed treatment regulations got underway yesterday in London, Ontario. Real Agriculture’s Ontario field editor Bernard Tobin was there to cover the event. The meeting format may have surprised some, as opportunities for individuals to speak were kept to a minimum. Instead, government officials from both the agriculture… Read More
The Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) have publicly asked its members not to attend next week’s government-hosted public consultation meetings. The meetings are slated for Tuesday in London, Ont., and Thursday in Toronto, to discuss the impending increased regulations required for access to neonicotinoid seed treatments. Barry Senft, CEO of GFO, says his organization feels there’s… Read More
The Grain Farmers of Ontario has announced it will not participate in the Ontario government’s public consultation meetings being held in London, Toronto, and Kingston, beginning next week. The meetings are part of what the Ontario government is calling the consultation process on what final regulations regarding access to and use of neonicotinoid seed treatments will… Read More
When the Grain Farmers of Ontario rushed to create a new coalition of farm groups, known as Farm Action Now, there was a sense that legislation was in the works in which the government would steer away from evidence-based regulatory decisions, and instead pander to an environmental lobby that had a lot of scare factor… Read More
Last week, the Ontario government announced its plan of an “aspirational” goal of an 80% reduction in acres planted to corn and soybean seed treated with neonicotinoid seed treatments by 2017. What farmers need to know now is how they are expected to meet said goal, and what the stated increase in rules and regulations may… Read More
Yesterday, the Ontario premier’s office and the ministry of the environment and climate change revealed its plan to restrict the use of neonicotinoid seed treatments. The goal, referred to as “aspirational,” is to reduce the number of Ontario corn and soybean acres planted with the seed treatment by 80% by the year 2017. The details… Read More