by BETTER FARMING STAFF
And we thought 2010 was a busy year in Ontario agriculture. That’s before we experienced 2011’s two elections, a soggy spring and the introductions of a risk management plan to protect against market fluctuations as well as a proposal for a mega quarry in Dufferin County’s Melancthon township.
Not to mention the federal decision to dismantle the Canadian Wheat Board. The decision didn’t directly affect Ontario farmers but did generate uncertainty about the federal Conservatives’ commitment to supply management. A November announcement that Canada wanted to join trans-Pacific trade talks created even more worry about supply management’s future. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz subsequently alleviated these concerns by affirming his government’s commitment to supply management.
Many other issues surfaced in 2011, including a building uneasiness about Ontario’s Green Energy Act’s impact on rural communities. Human health has been at the centre of concerns about wind power development. Meanwhile, Ontario’s small-scale solar power developers have struggled with changing promises and surprise hurdles over connecting to the grid.
There have been events other than the dismantling of the Canadian Wheat Board that cast doubt on Ontario’s supply-managed commodities, such as three egg-industry cases before Ontario’s courts spurred on by material collected by Norm Bourdeau, a self-described industry whistleblower. And then there has been the ongoing debate about the safety of raw milk with Grey County raw milk advocate Michael Schmidt continuing to seek reform by filing for leave to appeal his September conviction of selling and distributing raw milk.
Yet there have been many highpoints for the industry over the past twelve months too: solid crop yields despite all of the rainy weather, strong prices for grains and oilseeds as well as for most livestock and a World Trade Organization ruling that supports Canada’s claim that U.S. mandatory Country of Origin Labelling, universally known as COOL, is unfair.
Now, as 2011 draws to a close, we’re asking you to weigh in on two questions: WHAT was this year’s top story in Ontario agriculture? And WHO was the top agriculture newsmaker in the province? BF
Comments
The story, and newsmaker, of the year, has to be Prime Minister Stephen Harper's decision to seek membership in the Trans Pacific Trade Partnership, with potential benefits to those 90% of Canadian farmers not in supply management, far-exceeding any costs to the 10% who are.
The sub-story is that instead of 90% of the TPP story being about potential benefits for 90% of farmers not in supply management, 100% of the dialogue, and 100% of the hand-wringing, was about 10% who are.
Stephen Thompson, Clinton, ON
the biggest story of the year is a story which didn't surface in the press at all - and that has been the growing resentment of supply management by non-supply managed farmers of all ages, especially after government fell all over itself to pander to supply management following the announcement, in November, to have Canada seek membership in TPP.
The headline of this story, of course, is the end of any pretense of the "we're all in it together" mantra. That "movie" is definitely over.
Stephen Thompson, Clinton ON
Fair payment is needed for all farmers not tearing down sectors that are doing well. The government has divided and conquered for too long with their cheap food policy.
Farmers should be able to make a decent living too.
its easy Michael Schmidt, no other farmer in Canada recieved the national or international attention he did....
Bourdeau without question because if he can prove what he says then some important people should go to jail, consumers will eventually hear about this and then could and should launch a class action against the big processors and the producers and everyone involved in the egg industry and indeed the whole quota system should be very worried about their way of life. If on the other hand it turns out that he made all this stuff up then it would mean he painstakingly made up what must be some kind of a record number of emails and other records and documents--still quite newsworthy!
I agree that Michael Schmidt deserves to be named the top farm newsmaker of 2011.
No other farmer has so publicly said he is prepared to die for his cause. No other farmer has been so viciously attacked over so long a period for what essentially amounts to religious beliefs -- that people are entitled to make their own informed choice about what they put in the temple that the Holy Bible says their body is. No other farmer has been denied access to government (for 37 days!) while slowly starving to death. No other farmer has received absolute intransigence when trying to make reasoned dialogue with health authorities.
Not since Percy Schmeiser stood up to Monsanto has such an agricultural story reached into the daily headlines to compete with whatever Justin Beiber was singing or Lady Gaga was wearing.
Michael Schmidt is, without doubt, agriculture's pop star of 2011.
Not since Percy Schmeiser stood up but the CFA/OFA shunned him will Michael Schmidt be be given the same treatment!
I believe the top agricultural story of the year for Ontario was the impact the anti-wind turbine advocates had on the October 6, 2011 Provincial Election.
Their intervention in their local ridings had a direct impact on the lack of at least ten MPPs and three Minister's to not get re-elected.
I think Michael Schmidt however, was the top newsmaker of the year for Ontario.
It will be a crime going on 5 more years worrying about which story is the best when farmers are being wronged by other farmers and government with programs that are used in capitalization of assets. The best story is nobody has the guts to speak truth exposing decades old problems that produces constructive legislative and program results righting these wrongs other than Mr Thompson on suply management etc.
The proof is all available but unprintable
Farmers dont need a Top Agricultural story and newsmaker
farmers need to bring people, leaders, govt,organizations, press etc etc to justice
It is going to be interesting to see if the court judge bench is up to standsrd on this Egg case
I think the top story is the proposed mega quarry in Melancthon Township. Thousands of acres of prime farmland will be destroyed and freshwater for crop irrigation (not to mention drinking water for over one million Ontario citizens. FOODSTOCK saw 28,000 people come together to show support for stopping the proposed quarry. Let's hope it gets shelved asap.
The unprinted big story Why are not the farm leaders having no vision and actons that farming is due for an economic down turn cycle
I agree that Michael Schmidt as an individual is the top newsmaker.
However, the top story should be wind turbines and the upheaval they are causing in the country side. Family not talking to family, neighbours upset with neighbours and people who used to be friends are not longer on speaking terms. The GEA has run roughshod over rural Ontario. Even George Smitherman, the man in charge of the ministry at the time of the inception of the GEA, is having some second thoughts on the legislation which allows all of this to happen.
The wind turbine issue influenced the outcome of the Oct. 7/11 election. ONE issue caused this to happen. Therefore I think this issue should be the top news story.
I agree with your comments and how it is distroying neighboure
how do we say without it being edited that we need the birth of "for the people, non self serving Premiers" We would like to see one good premier before we die!
I think there are lots of top news stories not just one. I keep hearing: supply man. is bad, that farmers are making too much money, Should we get rid of it and import the produce or make them work for nothing?
The green energy polices are good for farmers. They make lots of money at 80cents per kw. government sell for 6-10 cents to consumers or less to the USA.
Buying made in China is not good for the country. Consumers can buy a lot more and use credit cards but it creates no manufacturing jobs.
If you want to buy local however and help farmers they won,t take credit cards like they do when you go to the store to buy produce from India , China ,etc.
We are stripping the resources in Canada so the rest of the world can make the produce to sell back to us with all the money we make. The Headline should be the working people of Canada are getting screwed while the few are getting rich off of the world's,s big companies and governments while we sit back and bitch about this group of farmers have a way to make a living without the big guy taking everything they makes.
The story should be Ontario farmers are riding high on the mountain that is for grain farmers, becoming cocky and self serving. farmers seem to have short memory of past economic cycles. Is the US economy going to do a double dip into recession 2012? How will the ECU countries solve their debt crisis? What will the Canada Ontario govt cut to improve their debt % to GDP?
i think that, better farming should do a story about raw milk farmer michael schmidt and award him with the ag news maker of the year for 2011. I cant think of any other farmer who has been willing to stand up for his conviction, as much as schmidt, secondly i dont know of any other farmer who has fought as long and hard as he has, he is a great man and we need more farmers like him.
Its no different letting people selling raw milk or selling pot , its not good for you period.
The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.
—Albert Einstein
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