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.


Hay East program will run to June

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

by SUSAN MANN

The voluntary farmer-led program to bring donated Western Canadian hay to drought-stricken Ontario farmers has been extended until June 1 after the province kicked in more money to keep it going.

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture says in a March 20 press release Ontario’s government gave the program an additional $150,000 and that money, along with private donations, means the program can keep going until the beginning of June.

Neil Currie, federation general manager, says since October 2012 $240,000 in private cash donations has been received. The money will be used to bring in at least 50 more loads and “maybe more if we can find them,” Currie says.

About 50 to 60 people are still on the waiting list to receive hay. Currie says “if we do another 50 (loads) I think that should get one time through the list.” He notes that some people have dropped out of the list because they liquidated their herds over the winter.

The additional money is being used to cover transportation costs to move hay to Ontario from Saskatchewan and Alberta. Many livestock farmers in Ontario faced tight hay supplies and dramatically higher prices after last summer’s drought. Farmers had to start feeding the hay they had stored for winter during the growing season last year because the drought also dried up pastures.

In the federation’s release, Premier and Agriculture Minister Kathleen Wynne says the additional money for Hay East “will help bring hay to Ontario producers over the next several months until pastures are ready.”

A partnership of farm groups across Canada is delivering the Hay East program. It’s a follow up to the Hay West campaign in 2002 when Eastern Canadian farmers donated hay to help their Western counterparts who faced drought conditions at the time.

Private donations can still be made to Hay East 2012 at any Scotiabank branch across Canada or through the program’s website at: www.hayeast2012.ca . BF

Current Issue

September 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

First Northern Cohort Joins Ontario Vet Program

Thursday, September 4, 2025

This September, the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) at the University of Guelph welcomed its inaugural Northern Cohort of 20 students through the Collaborative Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Program (CDVMP). This initiative, created in partnership with Lakehead University, marks a milestone... Read this article online

Canadian Farmers Face Weaker Soybean Yields Ahead

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Statistics Canada forecasts that Canadian soybean production will decline in 2025, reflecting weaker yields across major producing provinces. Nationally, output is projected to fall by 7.3% year over year to 7.0 million tonnes. The decline is linked to a drop in yields, which are expected... Read this article online

Canadian Corn Outlook Shows Mixed Regional Trends

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Statistics Canada projects Canadian corn-for-grain production to grow slightly in 2025, despite drier-than-normal weather and high temperatures that have pressured yields. National production is forecast to rise 1.4% year over year to 15.6 million tonnes. This gain comes from higher... 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