Extension granted for quarry comments Monday, May 16, 2011 by PAT CURRIEThe Grand River Conservation Authority and Guelph have joined a number of municipalities and agencies seeking an extension on the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources’ deadline to file resolutions and comments opposing the establishment of a megaquarry near Melancthon, about six kilometres northwest of Shelburne in Dufferin County.Mayor Bill Hill of Melancthon Township appeared at a GCRA board committee meeting April 14 asking for, and receiving the authority’s endorsement of his township’s request that the original April 26 deadline be extended. The Highland Companies have applied to operate a large quarry in the township on a 2,300-hectare site immediately east of the boundary between the Grand River and Nottawasaga Valley watersheds.Although the quarry proposed lies outside the Grand River watershed, the conservation authority said it wanted more time to study its impact on the headwaters of the Grand River. Other opponents have cited dangers to the headwaters of the Nottawasaga, Saugeen and Mad rivers which all rise in the same area.Conservation Authority staff submitted comments to the applicant and the ministry on the April 26 deadline but asked for more time to review the submission and seek additional information from Highland.On May 5, Guelph added its voice to the chorus opposing the April 26 deadline, partly on grounds that it fell too close to Easter weekend (April 22-25).Anti-quarry activist Carl Cosack, a Dufferin farmer, described the deadline as "totally unrealistic." The ministry has since extended the deadline to July 11. BF How did you beat the weather to plant your crops - or did you? Egg Farmers spending on research
A new front in the repair access debate Friday, March 6, 2026 Iowa lawmakers have pushed the right‑to‑repair conversation into new territory with House File 2529, a bill that focuses specifically on diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) systems—the single most common cause of emissions-related downtime on modern farm machinery. The bill would require... Read this article online
March 8 is International Women’s Day Friday, March 6, 2026 Across the United States and Canada, women are taking on increasingly visible roles in agriculture—managing farms, leading ag-tech startups, advancing research, and strengthening the rural economies that feed both nations. Their work reflects a shift in an industry once defined... Read this article online
Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry to Visit Toronto and Southwestern Ontario Tuesday, March 3, 2026 The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry will be in Toronto and Southwestern Ontario later this week as part of its ongoing study on the role of Canada’s agriculture and agri‑food sector in strengthening national food security. The fact‑finding mission is scheduled for... Read this article online
AgriStability Program Updated to Include Pasture-Related Feed Costs Beginning in 2026 Monday, March 2, 2026 In case you missed it last week, the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced that pasture-related feed costs will be added as an allowable expense under AgriStability starting with the 2026 program year. The update addresses rising operational... Read this article online
Bringing more Food and Ingredient Processing Back to Canadian Soil Monday, March 2, 2026 Protein Industries Canada has announced the second cohort of nine companies participating in its Program, an initiative designed to bring more food and ingredient processing back to Canadian soil and expand the nation’s value‑added agriculture sector. The selected companies span the... Read this article online