Farmers contribute to pension plan - for now Friday, August 21, 2015 by SUSAN MANN Farmers will have to pay the new Ontario pension plan contribution for their temporary foreign or seasonal agricultural worker program employees, an Ontario Ministry of Finance spokesman has confirmed. But that may change in the future as “the government continues to examine unique workplace arrangements, including temporary foreign workers and seasonal agricultural workers,” finance ministry spokesman Scott Blodgett says by email. The new Ontario Retirement Pension Plan requires employers and their workers to contribute an equal amount capped at 1.9 per cent each on an employee’s annual earnings up to $90,000 if there isn’t a comparable workplace pension plan. Amounts earned above the $90,000 figure in 2014 dollars will be exempt. Temporary, seasonal, part-time and contract workers “will generally be required to participate in the ORPP (Ontario Retirement Pension Plan) if they do not participate in a comparable workplace pension plan,” Blodgett says. BF Ag issues missing from election campaign Grain Farmers gets late September court date
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