Ag Industry News Ontario

https://www.farms.com/author-bio/andrew-joseph.aspx">Andrew Joseph; Image from Harry Hoffman and Sons Funeral Home Jack Riddell, a former Ontario Minister of Agriculture, passed away on January 23, 2024, at the age of 92. He served in that role from 1985 to 1989. Riddell had also been an MPP for Huron and Huron-Middlesex from 1971 to 1990, winning six consecutive elections for the Ontario Liberal Party. For the Ontario Liberals, he was elected and became the Agriculture Critic in 1973. He was born in London, Ontario, but grew up in Huron County, earning a B.Sc. In Agriculture from the OAC in 1957. He was the Assistant Agricultural Representative in Hastings and Essex Counties, then the Assistant Manager of the Ontario Stockyards. At home, he raised cattle and sheep on a farm near Dashwood, Ontario, even while working as a teacher at the South Huron District High School. He owned and operated the Hensall Livestock Sales Barn and worked as an auctioneer jointly with his brother Doug. After becoming the Ontario Minister of Agriculture and Food in 1985, he introduced the program and formed an of rural MPPs. For his efforts to sustain and advance agriculture, Riddell was elected to the Ontario Agriculture Hall of Fame in June 2017. A service for Riddell took place on January 27, 2024.

Image via Getty Images, MicroStockHub Everybody step back and take a deep breath. After both sides groused about the lack of access to agricultural markets, the UK suspended discussion with Canada about comporting a free trade deal between the countries. Despite the pause, the talks are admittedly still a work in progress, having first begun in March 2022. The UK had initiated the talks—one of many economic deals it is working on around the globe—after announcing it was leaving the European Union (EU). While having many benefits for the UK, leaving the EU also caused it to miss out on existing EU free trade deals. According to a statement from Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng, Canada was not happy with the pause in negotiations. “Their [UK] decision to continue to maintain market access barriers for our agriculture industry and unwillingness to reach a mutual agreement hasonly stalled negotiations,' noted the statement. For Canadian farmers, there’s the complaint that they have been shut out of the UK beef market because of regulations banning the use of hormones. For Canada (and the US), there are complaints that the UK remains under the thumb of the EU and its push for greater progress towards turning its agriculture into a more organic farming industry—and that its trade partners should follow suit. In the face of Canada’s disappointment in the trade talks stalling, a UK government spokesperson wrote on X that 'we reserve the right to pause negotiations with any country if progress is not being made.' Before Britain left the EU trading sphere at the end of 2020, Canada rolled over existing trade arrangements to ensure free trade could continue. However, as of 20243, some of those agreement dates have come and gone. Cheese access is one contentious issue, as Canada has complained that the UK wasn’t interested in working quickly to renegotiate the continuance of the deal. As the late great comedic actor Terry-Thomas said, “Hard cheese, old boy.”

Image by Michelle from Pixabay. The governments of Canada and Ontario have announced they will contribute up to $8-million in funding through the () to create or increase processing efficiencies and enhance food safety in the province's dairy processing sector. Eligible dairy businesses are invited to apply for funding through the to acquire modern technologies that increase production efficiency and ensure food safety in their facilities. Cost-share support through this initiative can be used to help cover the purchase and installation of new or refurbished equipment and its associated costs, such as training. 'Ontario's dairy processors work tirelessly to ensure their products meet the highest standards for quality and safety,” stated the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “Through this $8-million shared investment under Sustainable CAP, processors will be able to access the technology they need to continue to grow and improve their efficiency.' This investment supports the objectives of the government's to strengthen the agriculture and food supply chains and build resilience in the face of any future disruption. The is open to cow, goat, sheep, and water buffalo milk processors. There are 171 licensed cow and goat dairy processors, plus additional sheep and buffalo dairy processors, in the province. Each eligible applicant can receive up to $200,000 in cost-share support. Applications open on April 2, 2024, and will remain open until the initiative is fully subscribed. Eligible project costs can be incurred as of April 2, 2024. The is a five-year (2023-2028) $3.5 billion investment by federal, provincial, and territorial governments to strengthen competitiveness, innovation, and resiliency in the agriculture, agri‐food, and agri‐based products sectors. This includes $1-billion in federal programs and activities and a $2.5 billion commitment that is cost-shared 60 percent federally and 40 percent provincially and territorially for programs that are designed and delivered by the provinces and territories. “Our government is committed to working with Ontario's dairy processors, so they will be able to continue to supply the array of delicious, nutritious, and safe products that consumers enjoy and trust. Efficiencies realized through new technologies will play a key role in helping the sector continue to thrive,' stated the Honourable Lisa Thompson, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It is expected that the will help enable the goals outlined in Ontario's , which include increasing the production of food by 30 percent by 2032 and growing agri-food exports by eight percent annually.

By Farms.com Calling all farmers interested in maximizing winter wheat crop returns! The 2024 Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) is now open for registration, offering a unique opportunity to gain valuable insights into crop performance. Established in 2021, the Great Lakes YEN is dedicated to helping farmers elevate their winter wheat yields by providing in-depth knowledge about crop performance. Registration for this insightful program closes on February 2nd, 2024, or when maximum capacity is reached – so act fast! Participants in the Great Lakes YEN can look forward to: Collecting soil and plant samples, meticulously analyzed at an accredited laboratory. Engaging in multiple in-person networking events, fostering connections with farmers and researchers. Receiving a comprehensive, personalized report summarizing data specific to their individual fields. Agronomists and crop consultants are integral to the success of the Gr

Ontario's dairy processors, are receiving a much-needed boost thanks to a $8 million investment from the Canadian and Ontario governments. This funding, delivered through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), aims to enhance processing efficiency and food safety in the province's dairy sector. Eligible dairy businesses, including cow, goat, sheep, and even water buffalo milk processors, can now apply for the Dairy Processing Modernization Initiative. This initiative provides cost-share support, up to $200,000 per applicant, to acquire modern technologies that streamline operations and bolster food safety measures. This includes funding for purchasing and installing new or refurbished equipment, as well as associated costs like training. “Our government is committed to working with Ontario’s dairy processors, so they will be able to continue to supply the array of delicious, nutritious and safe products that consumers enjoy and trust,” said Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “Efficiencies realized through new technologies will play a key role in helping the sector continue to thrive.” The Federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, echoed this sentiment, praising Ontario dairy processors for their commitment to quality and safety. He further emphasized the initiative's role in supporting the industry's growth and continued success. The Dairy Processing Modernization Initiative is part of a larger, $3.5 billion commitment through the Sustainable CAP. This five-year investment, spanning from 2023 to 2028, aims to strengthen the entire agriculture and agri-food sector across Canada. By fostering competitiveness, innovation, and resilience, the program seeks to secure the future of this vital industry. Applications for the Dairy Processing Modernization Initiative open on April 2, 2024, and will continue until the program reaches its capacity. Eligible project costs incurred on or after April 2, 2024, are also covered.

The City of Hamilton is signing onto an initiative designed to help first responders locate farm and rural properties without municipal addresses. On Jan. 8, Hamilton announced its involvement in Farm 911, also known as The Emily Project. The initiative, which launched in 2017, is named after Emily Trudeau, a seven-year-old girl who passed away in 2014 after an accident on her family’s farm in Tweed. Emily’s mother had to flag down the first responders because they couldn’t find the entrance to the farm. The program provides civic addresses to rural properties. These addresses include a civic number, a full street name and the municipality, multiple municipal websites say. Work on bringing this project to Hamilton has been years in the making. “The local federation of agriculture has been advocating for this for a few years,” Drew Spoelstra, president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and farmer from Binbrook, Ont., told Farms.com. “We’re glad the City has brought this on board and trying to address the concerns about access to emergency services.” Local

ino and Abhinesh Gopal; Photo by: Jodie Aldred North American hog producers live and die by the gyrations in hog futures. The year 2023 was not the kindest to hog futures and to hog producer margins. Futures reacted sharply to the developments in the US hog/pork sector. The trend in 2023 had been that of a shrinking breeding herd. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been reporting on a shrinking US hog breeding herd that could break below the industry’s comfort level of six million head for the first time in a long time. Canada’s hog herd as a whole is expected to shrink in 2024 on account of reduced Canadian packing capacity that shrank in 2023 due to plant closures and continued labour availability issues. Their issues are likely to continue in 2024. US domestic hog and pork demand was a sore spot in 2023, and that too is contributing to the Canadian and US hog herd shrinkage. Domestic demand continued to be the missing link in 2023 when exports did a lot of the heavy lifting, especially with Mexico buying record amounts, as domestic consumers preferred spending more on beef despite record-high prices. We spoke previously about the surprise in the September USDA ‘Hogs & Pigs’ report update in terms of higher-than-expected US hog inventory. This was on account of increased productivity, especially due to better mitigation of diseases from the hog herd. With a much healthier herd, as the big integrators reduce old sows from production, you have a recipe for more supplies at lower prices that result in losses for hog producers despite lower feed prices. The very big hog integrators control two-thirds of the total sows in the US. So, when they lose on the hog production side, they make it up on the packer side. That is causing losses to continue as they are reducing less productive sows and replacing them with more productive ones. Better health has surely been a key driver. The increase in productivity gains (pigs saved per litter), feed efficiencies, and less disease offset the continuous labour challenges of 2021 and 2022. This put US producers back on their long-term growth trend for litter size, and that trend should continue in 2024. The average US pig litter size from September 2007 to September 2023 grew at an annual growth rate of over 1.5 percent. Also, the continuous increase of the US pig crop despite farrowing remaining stable over the last 28 years reflects the productivity increases in the industry. The quarterly USDA ‘Hogs and Pigs’ reports always garner keen market attention, but since the latter half of 2023, it has been watched more closely for more surprises. Given the losses producers faced over the last two years and are likely to face in 2024, resurgent producers are likely to be forced to trim the breeding herd again in 2024. According to estimates by the Iowa State University economics department, a normal farrow-to-finish US hog producer would have faced losses in 10 months during the 12 months from November 2022 to October 2023, with the hefty losses averaging US$21 per hog per month. Hog farmers are likely to have been forced to liquidate sows in the winter, which is expected to cause lower hog and pork supplies in 2024. But this has been talked about repeatedly, and it’ll need to be monitored closely to see how it impacts the m

lways been a big believer in the idea that the more people work together, the more we can achieve. As a fifth-generation farmer raised in rural Ontario, I grew up with the belief that it’s always important to give back to the community you’re involved with, whether through service clubs, volunteerism, donating your skills and abilities to worthy causes, or stepping up to participate in leadership roles. That spirit of involvement and collaboration also drives my husband Dave and me in our farm business near the southwestern Ontario town of West Lorne, where we grow crops, raise cattle, and sell beef from our farm directly to consumers. I spent time as a municipal councillor in West Elgin before becoming involved as a director with the Elgin Federation of Agriculture, where I soon became the organization’s Vice President and Chair of Land Use Planning, as well as a mentor to young female farmers. Late last fall, I took on my newest community involvement leadership role when I was elected as a Director-at-Large for the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). I was inspired to put my name forward for the position by the example of OFA’s recently retired president, Peggy Brekveld, who so ably led the organization through the very tough pandemic years. Stepping forward to lead is never easy, particularly for women, but she was a strong yet compassionate advocate for agriculture and dedicated to the ideas of collaboration and building bridges between rural and urban communities. I also decided to run for an OFA director position because I feel strongly about the future of agriculture. As a farmer who sells food directly to consumers, I spend a lot of time answering the public’s questions in person and online about how food is produced and where it comes from, and I’m deeply familiar with the critical roles that farming plays in so many ways right across our society. It’s also important that agriculture’s voice is heard on major issues like land use planning and farmland preservation, for example, so we can ensure that our ability to produce food, fuel, fibre, and flowers here in Ontario isn’t lost forever. A key part of that also lies in investment in critical infrastructure for rural Ontario. This means well-maintained roads and bridges, but it’s also about access to affordable energy like natural gas as well as social infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, healthcare, and community services. Better access to high-speed internet and fewer gaps in cellular coverage are also essential. Farmers are continually encouraged to modernize their systems and adopt new technologies, but in many parts of rural Ontario, the much-needed infrastructure to support that innovation simply isn’t there or can’t support the demand. It can be hard to use precision agriculture tools when the cell coverage needed for GPS fields isn’t available or the Internet service isn’t good enough to support the technology needed to remotely monitor livestock. These are issues that the OFA has long worked on, and progress is definitely being made, but I welcome the opportunity, in my new role, to continue to advocate for positive change for farmers right across the province. I&

2024 may only be a few days old but the farm show calendar is chalked full of events for farmers and industry reps to learn and network. Farms.com will provide the pertinent information for upcoming farm shows across Canada and the UnitedStates throughout the year. This article will focus on the farm shows happening in Ontario in the early months of the year. Between January and the end of February, six farm shows are on the calendar. The Eastern Ontario Crop Conference, which is part of the overall Ontario Ag Conference experience, takes place Jan. 16 at the Kemptville Campus Community Centre Parish Hall, 40 Campus Dr., beginning at 8:00 a.m. The one-day conference will feature 12 presentations on topics like growing quality forages, supersizing soybean yields and managing spring soil conditions. Three days later at Forbes Hall, located at 2001 University Ave. E, in Waterloo, the Midwest Ag Conference takes place. This is also part of the overall Ontario Ag Conference family of events. It begins at 8:30 a.m. and will have six sessions attendees can take in.

Photo by Katie Bernotsky on Unsplash Alveo Technologies, Inc., an Alameda, California-based global leader in molecular sensing and diagnostics with its proprietary technology platform, has announced it is working with experts and leaders in the poultry industry to launch a rapid, accurate, in-the-field multiplex panel to test for all relevant strains of avian influenza, initially focusing on Group , , , and . To help co-develop and distribute the tests, Alveo has partnered with industry leaders x-OvO, Royal GD, and Pharmsure International Ltd. Alveo said that it expects to release its first product in the poultry diagnostic space in EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) within the first half of 2024. The avian flu test will be Alveo’s first product to launch into the agricultural sector since Alveo announced its open platform and partnering strategy last year. In addition to the avian flu, Alveo is partnering to develop test panels for many other pathogens impacting the agriculture industry. “We’ve been working closely with Alveo in a deep collaboration to develop these highly valuable assays for Avian Influenza,” said Wim Kieftenbeld, Director of Business Development at Royal GD. “It’s a significant challenge, where two parties bring in their expertise. Alveo has a lot of knowledge in the field of LAMP technology and human diagnostics, and Royal GD brings in its expertise in the field of veterinary diseases and diagnostics. Together, we’ve been able to achieve incredible results with an assay that accurately and rapidly delivers highly specific results at the point of need.” The threat highly pathogenic avian flu poses to the poultry industry In the most recent season, more than 68 million birds have been affected, surpassing the record set in the 2015 season, which caused up to $4 billion in economic damage. Recent outbreaks in California and Alabama required the culling of nearly 700,000 birds. “According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, highly pathogenic avian flu has affected about 11 million domestic birds during the current outbreak, and, in the US, 11.4 million were affected in December alone,” said Shaun Holt, Chief Executive Officer of Alveo Technologies. “Avian flu presents a serious threat to the poultry industry, and the first step to controlling its spread is detection. Alveo’s ruggedized testing platform gives farmers and authorities the ability to perform highly accurate tests in the field to get rapid results so they can take immediate action.” The need for a new testing paradigm Alveo said that it is leading the development of diagnostics at the intersection of animal and human health to proactively manage disease epidemics and prevent future potential pandemics. The earlier bot

Photo by David Holifield on Unsplash The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) has written to the Honourable Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance) regarding the proposed changes to the () filing requirements outlined in the . So why are farmers so concerned about a housing tax, and just what exactly is the ? The is a one percent tax that is applied to the value of vacant or underused housing. According to the new legislation, anyone who isn’t a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, as well as private corporations and partnerships that own residential housing, must file an return, even if they don’t have to pay the tax itself. This doesn’t just affect homeowners in the suburbs or cities—houses, condos, —it also affects farms. While this tax was meant to gain some financial grift from urban homes, condos, and apartments purchased for investment purposes—which includes foreign investment—while investors wait for the market to go up, allow the residence to remain empty or not be utilized to its full extent. On a farm, there’s usually a residence. For farm corporations and farm partnerships where a residence may not be used, we come to the issue. Canadian farm business partners and farm corporations owning residential property are considered 'affected owners.” As an affected owner of residential property, they will need to file for exemption from having to pay the or to calculate the they owe. The return and election form must be filed for each property owned by an affected owner in a calendar year; even if the affected owner qualifies for an exemption. And vacant residence or not, the legislation said that farmers have to file a separate return every year by April 30 for each property a farm partner or a farm corporation owns. It’s more bureaucratic red tape that farmers have to be concerned about. At least that’s how things were presented originally. Changes to the have been proposed, and the OFA is fully behind them. As the OFA noted, it is especially pleased to see the proposal to make “specified Canadian corporations”, partners of “specified Canadian partnerships” and trustees of “specified Canadian trusts”, “excluded owners.” OFA wrote that it is also pleased to see a reduction in the non-filing fees from $5,000–$10,000 to $1,000–$2,000. While these proposed changes would address Canadian farmers’ concerns moving forward, the proposal states that the proposed changes to filing requirements would be f

Braxten Breen Farms.com Intern Spring has sprung and everyone is happy, until of course, you have to clean up the pond. Or it’s been hot for a while, and now algae is growing in your pond. Sometimes you need more than a pond net, you need Aquascape’s versatile professional-quality pond net called the Pond Shark Pro. The Pond Shark Pro not only safely collects fish with its 3mm mesh net, but also allows a farmer to tear through and collect unwanted debris and string algae with an innovative rake integrated into the Pond Shark Pro design. The Pond Shark Pro also features a large scrapping blade, to simply scrape debris off rocks, gravel, and any other objects in the pond. The scrapping blade will also help guide any debris into the net, creating an efficient scoop every time. The handle itself is extremely durable made up of steel that will extend up to 96” long with the net itself measuring in 9” diameter, making it easy to reach those hard-to-reach places or towards the middle of the pond. This cool tool can help make your pond maintenance easier and more efficient.

Image by Christos Giakkas from Pixabay McCain Foods is certainly not a company accustomed to sitting on its laurels. In continuation of its commitment to drive innovation and advance new technologies in agriculture, McCain Foods has launched Presia Ag Insights, a newly formed business unit wholly owned by the company that is a global leader in frozen foods. According to the company, Presia is the result of a decade of collaboration to develop digital technologies, supporting farmers in building resiliency within their operations. With Presia, farmers and crop-sourcing partners can better evaluate and predict crop yields, optimize harvest timing, and enhance on-farm sustainability practices. Specializing in satellite-based, data-driven intelligence that can transform the way humans understand crop growth, Presia will accelerate the future of farming and foster the monitoring and adoption of regenerative agricultural practices by stakeholders across the agriculture sector. 'Launching Presia advances McCain’s innovative agriculture agenda, providing an opportunity to build off the expertise we have developed in potatoes to offer leading capabilities to other food businesses and farmers,” stated Peter Dawe, the Chief Growth and Strategy Officer at McCain Foods. “It is driving data intelligence that is helping us change the way we grow a potato.” Presia is the evolution of McCain’s acquisition of the predictive crop portfolio from Resson in June 2022. Resson is a bioinformatics and data analytics company that has modernized crop management practices by integrating vision intelligence into farm equipment. However, even before the purchase by McCain, Presia had already been working with them for some seven years, providing them with a deeper insight into in-season potato growth across the globe. According to Presica, it provides McCain with an advanced prediction of yield, a view of canopy development, and regular measurements of key regenerative agriculture metrics. It deploys potato-, variety-, and McCain-specific models to ensure insights are relevant to unique business needs. With this knowledge, McCain leverages Presia’s analytics to arm its potato growers with deeper insight into their fields, which helps them make key supply decisions. For McCain, that predictive crop portfolio includes vision-intelligence-based technologies that better leverage field data and satellite imagery to assess more accurately the status of a potato crop. “Presia supports our farmer and crop-sourcing partners in building resiliency within their operations and strengthening decision-making capabilities through the use of satellite imaging and machine learning,” commented Tyler Hennick, Managing Director of Presia. “We are proud to offer existing and new customers more frequent and accurate readings on their in-season crop performance within and across entire fields and regions.” Based in Ontario and eastern Canada, the Presia team is comprised primaril

Image via www.goodleaffarms.com Slated to begin full production in Québec and Eastern Canada early in the new year, GoodLeaf Farms has planted the first test crops at its new facility in the Montréal area. The mandate of the Guelph, Ontario-headquartered company is to produce local, fresh greens under its brand without pesticides, which it does using innovative vertical farming technology. The company’s roots, however, are originally from Truro, Nova Scotia where it had its first test farm, whose success led the company to set up in Ontario. Construction on the new 96,000-square-foot indoor vertical farm facility is all but complete, and crops of the microgreens and baby greens that will be grown and harvested in Montréal for retail stores and the food service sector in Québec and Eastern Canada have been planted to ensure all of the equipment and infrastructure are working as intended. Once fully operational, GoodLeaf’s Montréal farm will produce more than two million pounds of fresh, local leafy greens each year, with an expected 40 annual harvests of microgreens and 20 annual harvests of baby greens. “This is a significant milestone for GoodLeaf Farms as we build a truly national footprint of indoor vertical farms that provide fresh and local leafy greens that are typically imported to Canada,” explained Barry Murchie, President and Chief Executive Officer of GoodLeaf Farms. “As import replacement products, the foods we are providing are critical to our food security and sovereignty. We are excited to begin ramping up production in Montréal to serve markets in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces.' GoodLeaf Farms grows, under its brand, , , , , , , , , and , as well as a variety of blends such as , , and . The Montréal farm is GoodLeaf’s third Canadian location after its flagship commercial-scale farm in Guelph and a facility in Calgary, Alberta, that began commercial production in autumn 2023. GoodLeaf’s Montréal operation will create about 70 skilled and hourly job opportunities in the city and will serve as a focal point for partnerships with post-secondary schools in Canada’s east. The design will be expandable, allowing a future expansion to double its size and create more local jobs when needed. GoodLeaf’s indoor vertical farms use innovative technology to grow microgreens and baby greens in Canada year-round, no matter the season, climate, or weather. The plants are grown in a complex hydroponics system to feed nutrient-rich water to the plants and specialized LED lights that are engineered to emulate the red and blue wavelengths of the light spectrum to mimic the spring sun—ideal conditions for plants to maximize photosynthesis.