Minister's review was more than producer asked for Monday, March 22, 2010 by BETTER FARMING STAFF Glencoe pork producer Rein Minnema and his agent, Elbert van Donkersgoed, wanted the Agriculture Minister Carol Mitchell to change the Farm Product Appeal Tribunal’s ruling on pork marketing. They got more than they expected. “We wanted a small review, not the whole thing . . . It creates some discomfort for us,” says van Donkersgoed, who represented Middlesex pork producer Rein Minnema, Glencoe, at a Tribunal hearing into pork marketing late last year. But he’s not going to take the blame for opening a can of worms. It’s in the minister’s powers to review a controversial Tribunal ruling, and van Donkersgoed says “she was already headed in this direction.” A comprehensive three page critique of the Tribunal’s mid-February decision released by agriculture ministry staff on Wednesday “was some weeks in the works.”He concludes that the ministry’s staff doesn’t want organized pork marketing in the province. “I think we have to be concerned that there is some level of bias in the ministry about the existence of a marketing structure in pork.”Van Donkersgoed supplied a copy of the letter he sent to the minister of agriculture March 15. The letter reads: “We request that you vary the decision of the Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal (Appeal Tribunal) in one very specific way while confirming both the legislative principles cited by the Appeal Tribunal and the mandate given to Ontario Pork to complete its strategic planning process and give all producers an opportunity to participate in the final decision.” Van Donkersgoed says the opposite has happened. The minister’s letter challenges the legal findings in the Farm Products appeal tribunal ruling, describing the Tribunal’s interpretation of the Farm Products marketing Act as “too narrow.”On top of that, it’s now unclear if producers will get to vote on the future of their industry. The Tribunal put the issue of pork marketing in the hands of producers to sort out over 18 months, Van Donkersgoed says, and that has now changed.“We are not going to be looking for a consensus. Instead, everyone will be looking to put forward the best possible argument for their specific position” in their submissions to the minister April 14. BF White bean board rejects Grain Farmers' wooing Trade investigation launched against Dutch pepper imports
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
Be ready for your next flat tire Friday, May 30, 2025 By Braxten Breen Farms.com Intern The Andersen Hitches Rapid Jack is a three-in-one tool - a tire jack -- that can also be used as a post block or a wheel chock. Its main purpose is to help change tires on trailers, and this cool tool is made in the USA. It is an innovative Tire Jack... Read this article online
An Ontario Foodbelt? Two MPPs want to see it happen Friday, May 30, 2025 Ontario has a Greenbelt and a Whitebelt, and if two MPPs are successful with a piece of legislation the province’s future will include a Foodbelt. Green Party of Ontario Leader Mike Schreiner (Guelph) and independent MPP Bobbi Ann Brady (Haldimand-Norfolk) tabled Bill 21, the Protect Our... Read this article online
Livestock Research Innovation Corporation welcomes new board members Thursday, May 29, 2025 Two new board directors have joined the leadership of Livestock Research Innovation Corporation (LRIC). Mohamad Yaghi with Farm Credit Canada (FCC) and Sonya Fiorini from Burnbrae Farms both fill appointed director positions on the LRIC board. Yaghi replaces Franco Naccarato from Meat and... Read this article online
Did you Know you can Experience IPM 2025 in the Comfort of Your RV? Thursday, May 29, 2025 The International Plowing Match and Rural Expo (IPM) is making a grand return to Niagara this fall for the first time in nearly a century. Visitors can now stay close to the excitement by booking a spot at the official IPM 2025 RV Park. Located just steps away from the main action, the... Read this article online