Whether the government brings forward small business tax change legislation, the U.S. closes the border to Canadian cattle, or a bill (i.e. C-49) ends up locked in the Senate and going nowhere fast, our industry associations and member-based organizations lobby for change on behalf of farmers. According to Wikipedia, lobbying is defined as: the act of attempting… Read more »
Tag: Grain Farmers of Ontario
That’s a wrap: Mark Brock on stepping up, lobbying, and the importance of family
When you let your name stand as chair of an organization, you never know what challenges you’ll face. For Mark Brock, who stepped in as chair of Grain Farmers of Ontario in 2015, there was little time to adjust to the new leadership role. As he was nominated, the organization was facing one of its… Read more »
Grain Farmers of Ontario names new chair
Grain Farmers of Ontario have named its 2018 executive, including Markus Haerle as its new board chair. Haerle replaces Mark Brock, who served as chair for the last three years. The province’s largest commodity organization, Grain Farmers of Ontario represents 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean, and wheat farmers. The balance of the 2018 executive committee… Read more »
Grain Farmers of Ontario creates new agronomist position
Grain Farmers of Ontario has named Laura Ferrier, a Certified Crop Advisor, as its agronomist. This is a newly created position for the organization that represents the 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean, and wheat farmers in the province. Ferrier may be the new agronomist, but she is certainly not new to Grain Farmers of Ontario… Read more »
More corn needed to meet Wynne government’s proposed new ethanol mandate
The demand side of the Ontario corn balance sheet is poised to grow with the provincial government proposing to double its ethanol mandate for gasoline from five percent to 10 percent by 2020. “We currently have the five percent mandate in place and it takes at least about a third of the corn production in… Read more »
Farm groups pushing for thorough review of business risk management programs
Several of Canada’s largest farm organizations are united in calling for a comprehensive review of the government’s business risk management (BRM) programs for farmers. In government lingo, the BRM acronym refers to AgriStability, AgriInvest, AgriRecovery and AgriInsurance (which includes crop insurance) — all programs that are intended to help farmers manage against volatile weather and… Read more »
Trump Administration Not Capable of Renegotiating NAFTA: David Frum
Will Canadians see a renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement any time soon? Don’t bet on it, says political commentator David Frum. Earlier this week, the editor of The Atlantic and former speech writer for George W. Bush, shared his thoughts on the Donald Trump presidency and possible NAFTA renegotiation at the Grain Farmers of Ontario… Read more »
A Map to the (Grain Farmer) Stars
Grain Farmers of Ontario recently launched a new, virtual “meet your farmer” through its Good in Every Grain initiative. Building off of last year’s start on farmer profiles, 2017 marks a year-long foray into meet and greets with 52 Weeks of Your Farmers:www.GoodinEveryGrain.ca/YourFarmers. Each week, a new Ontario grain farmer is profiled on the site. The profiles include… Read more »
Talking Dirt: New Soil Health Centre Backs Intuition With Science
Soil preservation is gaining seatbelt and sugarless gum status in our society. It’s simply no longer optional. Some soil advocates are now calling for every agricultural grant application to have a tick box explaining how the proposed project exercises best soil management practices. No doubt, pressure is mounting to acknowledge the unparalleled role those first… Read more »
Farm Groups Try New Leadership Approach for Public Support
When your back’s against the wall, and talking and reasoning isn’t working, sometimes a 1-2 punch seems like the only forward. For example, in recent times, some Ontario farm groups — grain farmers, in particular — have used what appeared to be a pretty tough approach in dealing with pressure over neonicotinoid pesticides. People in… Read more »
New Grains Lab Helps Market Ontario Wheat Crop
A new grains analytical testing laboratory will provide value for farmers, plant breeders and the end users of Ontario cereal crops, says Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO). The lab, a joint venture between GFO and SGS Canada, was officially opened during a ceremony this week at its Guelph location. Grain Farmers CEO Barry Senft says… Read more »
Should GFO Keep Fighting For Neonic Use?
After losing an Ontario Court of Appeal decision on the province’s new seed treatment regulations, what strategy should Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) now pursue on the neonic issue? We put the question to GFO chair Mark Brock. We’re also interested in your opinion. It appears the farm organization has three strategic options. Let us… Read more »
GFO Denied Appeal in Court Case Against Seed Treatment Regulations
The Ontario Court of Appeal has denied Grain Farmers of Ontario an appeal on the dismissal of the farm group’s case against the provincial government’s seed treatment regulations. “We’re pretty disheartened by the whole situation. We felt we had a good case before the courts, so we’re disappointed, but the one highlight is that the Court… Read more »
SciBabe: People Need to Hear from Farmers
When it comes to busting food myths, the SciBabe has a simple message for farmers: “Don’t let people without the facts control the conversation.” Yvette d’Entremont, known to many as the SciBabe, has emerged as a leading crusader against unproven food claims and pseudoscience in the media. Over the last two years, d’Entremont, who earned… Read more »
Judges Reserve Decision in GFO’s Appeal Over Seed Treatment Regulations
About 200 farmers filled a Toronto courthouse Wednesday to show their support for Grain Farmers of Ontario’s case against the provincial government’s seed treatment regulations. The panel of judges reserved their decision on GFO’s request for appeal on the dismissal of the case. On Oct. 23, 2015, the Ontario Superior Court denied GFO’s request for a stay… Read more »