It's time for a new approach to farm property assessment says OFA Wednesday, December 18, 2013 by SUSAN MANN The Ontario Federation of Agriculture recommends the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation use a different model to determine farm property values. Currently there aren’t enough farm sales in many areas “to get a real value on land,” says president Mark Wales, who met with MPAC board chair Dan Mathieson earlier this week. The federation also made the same presentation to the parliamentary assistant for Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa. Farmland in Ontario is assessed based on farmer-to-farmer sales and according to the farmland’s productive value. MPAC is the organization in Ontario that does property assessments across the province. The assessments are used by municipalities to calculate property taxes. “We’re proposing some different models on how they can get more of an average value rather than values that are all over the map,” says Wales, noting the presentations to various officials is in preparation for the pre-provincial budget submission both the federation and MPAC will be making. Wales says many of the changes the federation is suggesting are “operational changes.” Wales says he can’t get into more details about what they’re suggesting because it first has to be presented as part of the pre-budget process. BF Bee expert joins University of Guelph Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission releases long awaited egg industry report
Ontario Promotes Local Food to Boost Economy and Jobs Tuesday, June 3, 2025 Ontario is celebrating Local Food Week from June 2–8, 2025, honoring the people behind the province’s strong and self-sufficient food supply. From farmers and food processors to retailers and restauranteurs, these individuals contribute to the economy and food security. The agriculture... Read this article online
Artificial Intelligence Aiding Operations, But Not Without Concerns Tuesday, June 3, 2025 Artificial intelligence is increasingly being deployed to optimize food production in Canadian greenhouses, offering promising efficiencies in crop management. However, Dr. Rozita Dara, director of Artificial Intelligence for Food (AI4Food) at the University of Guelph, cautions that the... Read this article online
First Ministers and Prime Minister Pledge Action on Trade Growth Infrastructure - Including Agriculture Tuesday, June 3, 2025 Canada’s First Ministers met in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, aiming to strengthen the national economy. They discussed the federal plan to boost major projects through new legislation, called . These projects aim to build a strong and resilient Canada by strengthening security, economic... Read this article online
Canadian Farm Income Sees Sharp Decline Monday, June 2, 2025 In 2024, Canadian farmers experienced a significant financial setback, with realized net income dropping by $3.3 billion, or 25.9%, to $9.4 billion according to Statistics Canada. This marks the steepest percentage decrease since 2018. When cannabis is excluded, the drop stands at... Read this article online
Ontario Crops Progress with Cool Stress Monday, June 2, 2025 Ontario field crops are progressing despite challenging spring conditions, according to OMAFA's FieldCropNews.com. Winter wheat has reached the heading stage in the southwest, with T3 fungicide applications beginning. Fields in the north and east are at the flag leaf stage. This is a... Read this article online