Programs offered in Ontario under the new Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) are now open for applications for cost-share funding. CAP, a five-year federal-provincial-territorial initiative, supports Canada’s agri-food and agri-products sectors through cost-share funding opportunities. It’s modelled on the previous Growing Forward 2 program, but there are differences, explains Margaret May, regional program lead for the Ontario Soil and… Read more »
Category: Farm Programs
GreenON Agriculture program helps farmers reduce carbon footprint
Ontario farmers have a new cost-share program to help them reduce their carbon footprint and become more energy efficient. The GreenON Agriculture program, recently announced by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, is specifically aimed at producers of agricultural commodities in permanent, climate-controlled buildings. The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association will administer the… Read more »
MacAulay launches six federal programs under new Canadian Agriculture Partnership
With the five-year Growing Forward 2 agriculture framework wrapping up next month, federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay launched six federal programs under the new Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) at the Canada’s Agriculture Day celebration in Ottawa on Tuesday. CAP is the acronym for the new $3 billion, five-year federal-provincial-territorial agriculture funding agreement that begins on… Read more »
A new approach: Turning to consumers for production advice
No one has to tell University of Guelph agricultural economics master’s student Travis Jansen that farmers like him are well-advised to listen to consumers. But he’s doing more than just listening to them – he’s set to learn from them, too. Jansen, who comes from a family hog farm near Seaforth, knows successful farmers have… Read more »
Ag ministers reach deal on new framework dubbed the “Canadian Agricultural Partnership”
Agriculture ministers from across Canada say they reached an agreement in St. John’s today on the core elements of the next agriculture policy framework, which will be called the “Canadian Agricultural Partnership.” CAP is a five-year $3 billion federal-provincial-territorial funding agreement that will replace the current framework, known as Growing Forward 2, which expires at the… Read more »
Volatile times — how innovation and climate change impact risk management programs
Crop yields continue to increase across North America, but so do yield and market volatility. According to Dr. Alan Ker, director of the University of Guelph’s Institute for the Advanced Study of Food and Agricultural Policy, increased volatility is something farmers will have to get used to as the impact of innovation and climate change… Read more »
TechTour: Using solar energy to power irrigation pivots
The way we farm is continuously changing, including the way farms with irrigated acres power their irrigation pivots. The idea of using solar energy to help offset the cost of operating pivots once seemed foreign, but there’s growing interest some early adopters have setup solar installations. Merlinds Farms Ltd, near Grassy Lake, Alta. was the first in… Read more »
OSCIA Announces Controlled Tile Drainage Project
The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) has announced a new partnership through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s AgriRisk Initiatives (ARI) program. The project, entitled ‘Controlled Tile Drainage – Calculate Your Benefits’, will partner OSCIA with scientists at the University of Ottawa to research the crop yield benefits of controlled tile drainage. Controlled tile drainage… Read more »
Farmland Health Incentive Program Tightens Focus For 2017
Changes to the 2017 Farmland Health Incentive Program (FHIP) will create an even greater focus on managing water quality in the western and central Lake Erie basin. For the past two years, FHIP, part of the Great Lakes Agricultural Stewardship Initiative (GLASI), has focused on supporting and funding Ontario farmer stewardship efforts in an area… Read more »
Watch Closely for Funding Application Announcements: OSCIA
There’s funding out there, Ontairo farmers — but you’ve got to pay attention in order to get in, says Margaret May, regional program lead with the Ontario Soil & Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA). I caught up with May at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show (as is our tradition, it seems) to quickly recap four funding programs… Read more »
Ag Ministers Discuss AgriStability and the Future of Risk Management Programs
Agriculture ministers from across Canada issued what they’re calling the “Calgary Statement” following their annual federal/provincial/territorial meeting, held in Alberta this week. The document outlines the priorities for the next agricultural policy framework, which will replace Growing Forward 2 in April 2018. “We got the framework in place, just how much dollars and how it… Read more »
Consultations Starting on Next Ag Policy Framework
The federal agriculture minister has launched online consultations on what Growing Forward 3 — or whatever name the Liberals give the next agricultural policy framework — should look like. Growing Forward 2, which encompasses most federal and provincial programs for agricultural research, market development and business risk management, expires on April 1st, 2018. Lawrence MacAulay, on… Read more »
$1.9 Million Made Available for Hiring Youth for “Green” Ag Jobs
Farms and ag businesses could be eligible for federal funding if they hire young people to do work that benefits the environment. Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay and Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna visited AAFC’s Central Experiment Farm in Ottawa on Monday to announce up to $1.9 million in funding over the… Read more »
Lower Loonie Supports Record Canadian Farm Income in 2015, Slight Drop Coming in 2016: AAFC
Canadian farm income hit a record high in 2015, and is expected to drop slightly in 2016, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The impact of a weaker Canadian dollar supporting domestic prices is evident throughout the department’s 2016 Canadian Agricultural Outlook, which was published on Friday. Here are some highlights: Net cash income on Canadian farms is estimated to… Read more »
“Different Mood” in Ottawa Benefits Agriculture, says CFA President
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture is hoping the arrival of new federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay will mark a change in the impact farmers have on public policy. MacAulay’s been on the job for less than a month, but so far Ron Bonnett likes what he sees. The CFA president received a call from the… Read more »