Egg Farmers of Ontario introduces changes to the handling of increased quota allocations Wednesday, May 18, 2016 by SUSAN MANNEgg Farmers of Ontario will once again be giving all provincial egg producers a portion of the increased quota allocation it gets from its national organization.The change in policy comes after four years of using the allocation increase exclusively for the provincial organization’s layer-leasing program. The additional allocation comes from increased sales in the marketplace.Harry Pelissero, Egg Farmers general manager, says the policy change to once again distribute the quota allocation increase to all producers was made in response to farmers asking “for some predictability.”Not all egg farmers could take advantage of the voluntary layer-leasing program, which began in 2013, because having enough room in existing barns was a condition of lease.The layer-leasing program continues under the new proposal that takes effect January 2017. Qualifying farmers can lease up to 1,800 birds. The increased allocation from Egg Farmers of Canada provides for about 600,000 birds being available for the leasing program.Egg Farmers of Ontario received an increased quota allocation of about one million birds. “That is the allocation we would have received over the last two or three” rounds of allocations, Pelissero says.Farmers pay a fee of $7.30 per bird per year as part of the leasing program.The board will distribute the equivalent of about 490,000 birds to all 339 quota-holding farmers.Thirty per cent of the 490,000-bird amount, 147,000 birds, will be used to ensure all farmers receive same number of birds, 433 each. The remaining 70 per cent, 343,000 birds, will be distributed to farmers based on their existing quota holdings.“The more birds you have, the more you get,” he explains.The new policy is “really a hybrid of keeping the integrity of the layer leasing pool intact and providing some predictably for our farmers,” Pelissero says. BF Confusion reigns in Ontario farm community following leaked report Ontario growers join forces to market biomass
Cattle Stress Tool May Boost Fertility Friday, June 27, 2025 Kansas State University researchers have developed a cool tool that may help reduce cattle stress and improve artificial insemination (AI) results. The idea came from animal science experts Nicholas Wege Dias and Sandy Johnson, who observed that cattle accustomed to their environment... Read this article online
Ontario pasture lands get $5M boost Friday, June 27, 2025 The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $5 million to strengthen shared community grazing pastures. This funding supports the province’s plan to protect Ontario’s agriculture sector and help cattle farmers improve pasture quality, ensuring long-term sustainability and... Read this article online
Health Canada sets rules for drone spraying Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Health Canada has approved the use of drones, also called Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), for pesticide application under the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). Drones are considered aircraft by Transport Canada, but Health Canada treats them differently due to their unique... Read this article online
Twelve Ontario Agri-Businesses Receive Funding Support Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Bioenterprise Canada has announced the successful recipients of the second call for proposals under the Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative (OAFRI) Commercialization Stream. Twelve organizations across Ontario will receive support to bring innovative agri-food solutions to the... Read this article online
Early Career Research Award supports two Guelph research initiatives Tuesday, June 24, 2025 The 2025 Early Career Research Award was presented to two University of Guelph researchers at the recently held Livestock Research Innovation Corporation (LRIC) symposium. Dr. Kelsey Spence received $40,000 towards her work in on-farm biosecurity research, and Dr. Sam Workenhe was awarded... Read this article online