Tribunal to tackle chicken quota allotment, proposed dairy plant Thursday, October 13, 2011 by SUSAN MANNChicken Farmers of Ontario and a group representing the province’s dairy processors will be involved in two separate hearings at the Ontario Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal next month.Chicken farmer Max Burt of Gore Bay is appealing a decision by Chicken Farmers of Ontario denying his request for allotment of basic quota for chicken production and marketing based on historic chicken production by his father during the qualifying period. The hearing is scheduled for Nov. 1 in Sudbury.Burt couldn’t be reached for comment. Chicken Farmers communications coordinator Megan McCune says the board doesn’t make comments on anything that goes to the tribunal.The other hearing involves the Ontario Dairy Council, which is appealing a decision by the director of OMAFRA’s food industry branch who granted a permit to Esskay Dairy Ltd. to construct or alter a building intended for use as a plant. That hearing is scheduled for Nov. 8 in Guelph.Dairy council president Tom Kane couldn’t be reached for comment. In a Sept. 13 letter to the tribunal requesting the appeal, Kane says the director’s opinion is the plant is necessary but the council and dairy processing industry disagree.Due to the limitations of the milk supply management agreement, which OMAFRA is the provincial government signatory, there is only a limited volume of milk available to all industrial milk processors. The milk that will be delivered to the Esskay Dairy plant will be taken away from other existing cheese, butter, and powder plants in Ontario, Kane writes. Kane notes the director says Esskay Dairy will be providing products for a growing ethnic market but fails to mention that there are a number of processing plants that are already servicing that market. The director didn’t provide any evidence that granting this application will expand the total demand for milk. The fact that the application is for a small volume of milk is of no consequence, he says. BF Barn party crackdown Canadian Dairy Commission chair retires
Wheat Output Decline Projected for 2025 Wednesday, September 10, 2025 Statistics Canada’s latest modelled estimates suggest that wheat production in Canada will decline slightly in 2025, driven primarily by weaker yields across several regions. National output is expected to edge down 1.1% to 35.5 million tonnes, with yields forecast to fall 1.2% to 49.6... Read this article online
Research Projects and Companies Supported Through OAFRI Tuesday, September 9, 2025 The governments of Canada and Ontario have announced an investment of up to $4.77 million to strengthen the province’s agri-food sector. This funding, delivered through the Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative (OAFRI) under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable... Read this article online
Two-pass Weed Control Critical in Managing Herbicide-Resistant Waterhemp in Ontario Monday, September 8, 2025 Dr. Peter Sikkema of the University of Guelph recently shared insights into the growing challenge of multiple herbicide-resistant water hemp at the 2025 Great Ontario Yield Tour final event in Woodstock Ontario. Dr. Sikkema research highlights both the biology of the weed and practical... Read this article online
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
Manitoba Farmers Defend Their Whisky Roots Amid Ontario Backlash Thursday, September 4, 2025 As most reader will know by now, on August 28, beverage alcohol giant Diageo announced it will be closing its Amherstburg, Ontario bottling plant. Located just 25 kilometres from the nearest U.S. border crossing, the company says the decision is part of a strategy to streamline its supply... Read this article online