Thanks for tuning into this Wednesday edition of RealAg Radio! On this episode, hear from: Mike Steenhoek with Soy Transportation Coalition on the Port of Baltimore’s impact to agriculture; Drew Spoelstra with Ontario Federation of Agriculture on Temporary Foreign Worker restrictions; A clip from the latest Farm Safety Roundup episode on safety week with Ryan… Read More

On this Tuesday edition of RealAg Radio brought to you by Nufarm, host Shaun Haney is joined by: John Tennant, former diplomat and founder of W2N2 Partnership, on trade concerns with Bill C-282; Ontario Federation of Agriculture’s new president, Drew Spoelstra, on his journey from the farm to his new role; A spotlight interview with… Read More

No matter how you slice it, Ontario’s Ford government took liberties with the rules when it decided to re-draw the boundaries of Toronto’s Greenbelt. (You can read the auditor general’s report about how many liberties, here). A staunch supporter of farmland preservation, Peggy Brekveld, president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, says that there’s no doubt… Read More

A controversial proposal to allow up to three severances off an Ontario farm property will be walked back, according to a letter sent to Ontario farm groups by Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister, Steve Clark. The decision comes after several farm groups, led by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, lobbied the government to drop the… Read More

Fourteen of Ontario’s agriculture organizations are collectively asking the provincial government to pause forward momentum of the proposed Bill 97 and the Proposed Provincial Planning Statement. “We stand in strong opposition to the 3 lot severances per farm parcel proposed in prime agricultural areas as well as other measures that weaken local farmland protection. We… Read More

Tucked into the Ontario Progressive Conservatives’ Bill 97 is a proposed change to severance allowances of farmland that the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) says could make siting of livestock farms much more difficulty. What’s more, the bill carves out increased power for Ministerial Zoning Orders in the name of housing; however, Peggy Brekveld, president… Read More

The federal government has made it clear it will not return fertilizer tariff funds directly to farmers who paid the tax, and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture has three other suggestions for how the federal government can spend the more than $34 million collected. Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau and Minister of Finance… Read More

Can governments protect valuable farmland while at the same time build housing needed for ever-expanding cities and urban cities? That question is being asked throughout Ontario agriculture this week after the provincial government passed the More Homes Built Faster Act, Bill 23. The legislation has drawn the ire of critics, as Premier Doug Ford moves… Read More

Agriculture and food issues often cross provincial, national and international boundaries. Being a leader of a farm organization frequently requires representatives to look well beyond the farm gate to tackle issues that impact their members. That’s certainly the case for Thunder Bay, Ont., dairy farmer Peggy Brekveld, who in 2023 will again lead the Ontario… Read More

For the second consecutive year, Thunder Bay, Ont. dairy farmer Peggy Brekveld will lead the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the province’s largest general farm organization. Brekveld was elected president by OFA’s board of directors after the conclusion of the organization’s annual general meeting on Monday, Nov. 22. Mark Reusser and Drew Spoelstra were re-elected as… Read More

The governments of Canada and Ontario are funding two new multi-year mental health initiatives, specialized to support the agriculture sector. More than $7 million dollars through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership will go towards The Guardians Network, a new program modelled after the Farmer Wellness Program, pioneered by mental health specialist Deborah Vanberkel. The program will… Read More

Farm Credit Canada (FCC) and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) have both made contributions to the Hay West 2021 initiative to help cover shipping costs to send hay to drought-stricken farmers in the Prairie provinces. The 2021 Hay West initiative, organized by Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), is moving hay from eastern Canada to the… Read More

The  Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) has launched an advocacy campaign called Home Grown in an effort to decrease the loss of farmland to development. “Once it’s paved over, it’s gone forever,” the organization says. Home Grown focuses on protecting and preserving farmland and domestic food production, and is designed to increase awareness on the issue and… Read More

 

Register for a RealAgriculture account to manage your Shortcut menu instead of the default.

Register