Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


The Hill: Hungry Canadians need government action now

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

The recession in rural, urban and industrial Ontario has created a crisis for those dependent on food handouts and those at the forefront want the taxman to level the playing field.

by BARRY WILSON


This column is mainly about Ontario's poor and how problems in the agricultural economy in Ontario made their lives worse.

But first, a word from the sponsors of the view that life is pretty darn good down on the farm.

In late 2009, Agriculture Canada published its annual survey of farm financial statistics that suggested many farmers were doing better last year.

True, debt levels rose but so did assets.

In Ontario, Canada's largest farm economy but also one of its most under-performing in recent years, the statistics showed farm incomes beginning to rebound.
So far, so good.

And across the country, the analysis suggested that farm families are better off than their non-farm and urban neighbours.

Farm household income was higher than their non-farm rural neighbours, in most cases entirely due to off-farm income.

And the federal analysis argued that when net worth is taken into consideration, the median net worth of farm families in 2005 was $691,000 compared to $148,000 for non-farm families.

This should give fodder to those urban and conservative analysts who complain that farmer arguments for better program support is misplaced since they are doing just fine, thank you very much.

Meanwhile, the percentage of farm family income coming from the farm is in constant decline.

But enough about the statistical portrait of rural Canada as a land wealth. In truth, rural Ontario is a land of milk and honey, producer of valuable quantities of food and wealth, whatever the state of farm finances.

But behind that picture, in rural and urban Ontario there is the often-hidden spectre of poverty and hunger.

The story is told in a report from the Ontario Association of Food Banks, which revealed late last year that the recession in rural, urban and industrial Ontario created a crisis for those dependent on food handouts, both rural and urban.

Part of the problem was poverty on many Ontario farms (not really reflected in the Agriculture Canada statistics) and damage to the food-manufacturing sector during the recession of 2009.

"In Ontario, we have witnessed an overall decline in food donations this year, in part due to the closure of more than 10 major food manufacturers who have suffered the same hardships as the province's manufacturing sector in the past 18 months," the Ontario food banks association reported in late 2009.

Food donations in the year declined by one million pounds. Portions to hungry families were rationed.

"Food banks in Ontario have been forced to get creative," said the year-end report.

"Relationships with local farmers are becoming more common. Donations and the gleaning of farmers' fields after they have been harvested have led to increased amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables making their way into Ontario's food banks this fall."

In this land of plenty, picking up the dregs from farmers' fields sounds outrageous.
Yet the food banks' lobby is trying to encourage this by making food donations from farmers and processors tax deductible. Government has not yet agreed.

With fields across the country dedicated to tax-deductible contributions to the worthy overseas efforts of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, it seems strange that domestic contributions would not be treated the same way.

And in this land of milk and honey, savaging for leftovers in farmers fields sounds too Charles Dickens for 2010. BF

Barry Wilson is a member of the Parliamentary Press Gallery specializing in agriculture. 

Current Issue

June/July 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Ontario farmers get boost for energy upgrades

Friday, July 11, 2025

The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $3 million in the third round of the Agricultural Stewardship Initiative (ASI). This funding will help farmers improve the energy efficiency of their operations and support the long-term sustainability of the agriculture... Read this article online

Swede midge and cabbageworm found in Ontario canola

Thursday, July 10, 2025

As reported on the OMAFA website fieldcropnews.com, Ontario canola crops are at various growth stages, ranging from seedling to full bloom depending on planting time and region. Winter canola is now fully podded, and harvest is expected to begin soon in Essex and other southern... Read this article online

Ontario crops respond to summer heat

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

According to the OMAFA Field Crop News team, Ontario field crops are showing rapid development as summer-like temperatures have dominated late June early July. The warm spell has accelerated growth and helped reduce the heat unit deficit from a cool spring. Corn fields have seen a burst... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top