OFA president and Bruce/Grey incumbent face zone elections Thursday, July 14, 2016 by SUSAN MANNTwo incumbent directors on the Ontario Federation of Agriculture board, including president Don McCabe, are facing elections this year.Crispin Colvin is running for the director’s spot in Zone 6 (Lambton/Middlesex), as is McCabe.In Zone 2 (Bruce/Grey), incumbent Paul Wettlaufer is facing Pat Jilesen, who is currently a director at large on the board.Directors were acclaimed in the other three zones with elections this year. They are: incumbent Larry Davis in Zone 3 (Brant/Haldimand/Norfolk), incumbent Drew Spoelstra in Zone 5 (Hamilton/Wentworth/Niagara North/Niagara South) and Steven Brackenridge in Zone 10 (Durham/Peterborough/Kawartha Lakes/Haliburton). Brackenridge will replace director Bruce Webster, who decided not to run again.All directors take their positions after the federation’s annual meeting in November.For the election in zones 2 and 6, the federation will mail ballots to all members in the zones holding membership early next month, says general manager Neil Currie.There are about 2,500 members in zones 2 and 6.Voting begins Aug. 15 and concludes at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 9. Voters can submit completed ballots by mail or by phone using a person PIN number that will be included in the letter sent to them. Each member will be given a unique PIN number.If there’s a mail strike, Currie says the federation is looking at other options to distribute the ballots. “We can extend the voting period,” he notes.If there isn’t a mail strike and voting concludes Sept. 9 the results will be announced a week later, Currie says. BF Why are you removing our negotiating power? Dairy Farmers of Canada ingredient strategy won't affect Ontario's, says DFO spokesman
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