New federal program encourages private solutions to farm risk management Wednesday, June 19, 2013 by SUSAN MANN The federal government is resurrecting an old idea to encourage the farming industry and the private sector to develop new risk management tools for farmers. On Monday, Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Pierre Lemieux announced that up to $15 million is available for developing and adopting new private sector or producer-funded agricultural risk management tools. The money will be made available under Growing Forward 2’s AgriRisk Initiatives program. Al Mussell, George Morris Centre senior research associate, says before the initial Growing Forward program was introduced in 2008 there was a program called private sector risk management partnerships. It was designed to provide resources for developing insurance-type programs and other options for industries to mitigate risks that were complimentary to existing business risk management programs, such as crop insurance. Mussell says at the time of the private sector risk management partnerships program there were “quite a number of pretty innovative projects that came out.” He notes he can infer from the government introducing the AgriRisk Initiatives program that “there is renewed interest on behalf of governments in having programs like that again. I think it makes good sense.” The government press release says the AgriRisk Initiatives program is to facilitate industry-led research and development along with the implementation and administration of new insurance-based tools for the agriculture, agri-food and agri-products sectors. Applications are now being accepted. The government will allocate a total of up to $3 million a year over five years for the program to fund research and development projects on potential new industry-led risk management products and services. Approved projects can be eligible for up to $500,000 annually. The money under the program can be used for: Research and development costs. Data collection and analysis. Legal and actuarial costs. Consultations. BF Marsh flood ruins farmers' growing season Farm owners fear a long-running pipeline project will damage soil
Inside the Collapse of Monette Farms and What It Signals for Big Agriculture Friday, May 8, 2026 The restructuring of Monette Farms is raising hard questions about how large is too large in modern agriculture—and whether today’s risk tools are keeping up. (Read the article: Monette Farms Seeks Court Protection as Mega-Farm Restructures Amid Financial Pressures) For years, Monette... Read this article online
Ontario Grain Farmers Open 2026 Legacy Scholarship Friday, May 8, 2026 Applications are now open for the 2026 Grain Farmers of Ontario Legacy Scholarship which supports students pursuingpost-secondaryeducation related to the future of Ontario’s grain andagrifood industry. The program aims to encourage education and leadership development among young people... Read this article online
Grain Bin Emergencies Turn Deadly in Seconds, but Training Can Save Lives Thursday, May 7, 2026 Would you know what to do if someone you loved was trapped in a grain bin? The reality is sobering. Compared to a flowing mass of grain, a person is only several bushels in volume. When grain begins moving, escape becomes nearly impossible. In most cases of full grain engulfment,... Read this article online
Applications open for GFO 2026 Legacy Scholarship Thursday, May 7, 2026 Applications are now open for the 2026 Grain Farmers of Ontario , an annual program designed to support students pursuing post‑secondary education that contributes to the future of the province’s grain and agri‑food industries. Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) represents 28,000... Read this article online
Farmland Rents Lag Land Values Thursday, May 7, 2026 Farm Credit Canada (FCC) has released a new economic analysis highlighting a growing gap between farmland values and rental rates across the country, a trend that will likely reshape expansion decisions for Canadian producers. According to the analysis, Canada’s average farmland... Read this article online