When it comes to choosing employees for your operation, it’s not as easy as many would think. There are many factors to consider: do you hire full time? Do you hire seasonal? How many people do you keep on board? And then comes the trickiest of them all — how does one determine who is… Read More
Ontario meat processors and farmers have the opportunity to apply for funding under two new program intakes of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The Meat Processors Capacity Improvement Initiative is an up to $4 million program that will provide up to $150,000 per project for improvements to product handling and processing equipment. It will also cover… Read More
The federal government has announced further updates on how the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) will work, including the option for businesses to open a business account in order to qualify. Announced at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic economic shutdown, CEBA is an interest-free $40,000 operating loan. If you repay 75 percent of the… Read More
The Manitoba and federal governments have hammered out the details of the province’s cattle set-aside program funding delivered through AgriRecovery. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic economic shutdown and temporary processing plant closures, the federal government announced in early May that it would providing up to $50 million for livestock set-aside programs. Normally, a… Read More
The Agricultural Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) board of directors has announced that Darryl Kay will sit as the new chief executive officer, effective immediately. Previously, Kay held the role of chief financial and innovation officer and has been with AFSC for almost 10 years. He also served as interim CEO in 2017 — during which… Read More
The federal government has opened applications for the Emergency On-Farm Support Fund, a $35 million fund to cover the added cost of personal protective equipment, updates to worker housing, and sanitization stations, as examples. The fund was originally announced in late July as part of a $58.6 million commitment by the government. Money can be… Read More
Ontario’s Grains Innovation Fund is open for applications. The fund, administered by the Grain Farmers of Ontario, supports retail and industry projects that develop novel, value-added uses or promote new markets for Ontario grains. Individuals, organizations, or companies can qualify for up to 60 per cent of the cost of the project — up to… Read More
After being pushed from July to October due to COVID-19, the FPT Agriculture first ministers meeting has been further delayed to November, according to a tweet from AAFC on Tuesday morning. The AAFC tweet says “Ministers agree to hold their virtual meeting in November to accommodate Saskatchewan election, ensuring all #AgFPT20 partners can be at… Read More
The Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) has announced it will be administering federal cash advance payments for Manitoba farmers, assuming a service that had been offered by the provincial corn growers association. The new multi-commodity group was formed as of August 1, 2020 following the amalgamation of five Manitoba commodity groups, including the Manitoba Corn Growers… Read More
The impact of COVID-19 on the livestock industry has been severe. There were weeks of packers operating at half to no slaughter capacity, market-ready cattle waiting to get on a truck, and the food service sector being crippled due to closures. One of the measures suggested to help mitigate the financial strain by the cattle… Read More
Premier Doug Ford set up at Lambton-Kent-Middlesex-area Carven Farms to announce not only the province’s $7 billion share of the federal $19 billion “safe re-start” of the economy, but also to announce the planned bump to Ontario’s risk management programs would go ahead a year early. The federal transfer payment is to cover health care,… Read More
If you’re frustrated by how government support programs are designed or overwhelmed by navigating the paperwork, you’re certainly not alone. The numbers speak for themselves — enrolment in the main suite of federal programs has been dropping steadily for years. A recent letter from the Standing Committee on Agriculture to the Minister of Agriculture and… Read More
In this RealAg LIVE! episode with Mary Robinson, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), Mary joins host Shaun Haney to discuss agricultural policy issues including temporary foreign workers, business risk management programs, and engaging with youth and minorities. Check out the video below, or scroll down to read the summary! Tune in Thursday,… Read More
What would the Conservative Party of Canada do with AgriStability and other business risk programs? Does this current Liberal government understand agriculture at all? What can farmers expect to change when the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement comes into effect July 1? If the answers to any of those questions interest you, check out this RealAg LIVE! segment… Read More
Markus Haerle, chair of the Grain Farmers of Ontario, says the producer group’s recent social media and radio campaign is aimed at getting the federal government’s attention and at pushing Ottawa to quit stalling on making improvements to business risk management tools, so that these programs can address shortfalls and challenges in the industry. Reaction… Read More