by SUSAN MANN
The federal and provincial governments should fast-track their assessment to determine if drought-stricken Ontario farmers need aid in addition to existing risk management programs, says a spokesperson for the National Farmers Union-Ontario branch.
Coordinator Ann Slater made the request in an Aug. 3 letter to both Ontario Agriculture Minister Ted McMeekin and federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. Slater also acknowledged and thanked the ministers for their efforts to begin assessing the drought’s impact across Ontario by opening an AgriRecovery file.
Part of the business risk management section of Growing Forward, Canada’s agricultural policy framework, AgriRecovery is a disaster relief framework that enables the federal and provincial governments to coordinate their response to disasters. It fills in gaps not covered by existing programs. Started on July 30, the assessment process normally takes 45 days.
Mark Cripps, McMeekin’s press secretary, says they’re working as fast and hard as they can in conjunction with the federal government to do the assessment. “A lot of the information won’t be known until harvest time so it’s very difficult to do anything ad hoc at this point in time.”
Cripps says their message continues to be that farmers should take advantage of the suite of business risk management programs, AgriStability, AgriInvest and AgriInsurance. Ritz echoed those comments in his email, saying those programs are farmers’ first line of defense. The province, as administrator, is working to get advances on these programs out to farmers as soon as possible, Ritz notes.
Cripps says Ontario’s agriculture minister understands circumstances like this season’s weather requires a response that goes above and beyond the ordinary and that’s why he toured areas hit by drought in Niagara and eastern Ontario and requested that the assessment process begin immediately rather than waiting until after harvest.
Ontario Federation of Agriculture president Mark Wales, who also been touring drought-stricken areas across Ontario, says in the Arnprior and Lanark County areas he didn’t see one corn field “that I would put a combine in.” Wales plans to tour Renfrew County Monday.
He notes the most immediate question now is how to save the corn that can’t be used for grain for livestock feed.
Wales adds the governments’ AgriRecovery assessment should be done as quickly as possible because “people need to know where they stand and what their options are.” But “rushing a process to get to the wrong place doesn’t help either.”
Ritz says Ontario farmers “can be assured that officials always work as quickly as possible, especially in these kinds of difficult situations.”
Even though everyone would like to have the assessment completed by now, Ritz says it’s “still too early to know the full extent of the drought as the growing season is still underway.” The assessment process is essential to ensuring that any measures put in place are targeted to the specific needs of affected producers.
Slater says in her letter Ontario farmers rarely need disaster relief but this year growers across the province and across commodities are facing a disaster. “For some farmers, timely rains may divert the disaster, but for other farmers, especially livestock, some vegetable and market gardeners and grain farmers the disaster has already arrived.”
She also urged the governments to make disaster relief available to all farmers facing a disaster “whether or not they are enrolled in other programs.”
But Ritz says AgriRecovery has always been an application-based program where any farmer can apply as long as they meet the established program criteria, such as living in the designated drought area. They don’t have to be enrolled in other programs.
Cripps says AgriRecovery isn’t meant to replace business risk management programs but is designed “to supplement those programs.”
Slater notes the government decision to work on designating affected drought regions under the Livestock Tax Deferral program will provide a benefit to farmers deciding to cull animals because of feed shortages. But NFU-Ontario’s position is the two levels of government should be working towards food sovereignty in the province and Canada. That means giving family farmers the support they need to stay on the land and keep their herds and flocks intact so they can continue producing food for local markets. BF
Comments
The government is being wise here. I realize that this is tough for producers but there are too many farmers who will overestimate their losses at the expense of the taxpayer. We've seen it too many times where after the fact, we learn that many have been overcompensated and, at the same time, some people who underestimated their losses end up losing out of help they need.
THE FARMERS HAVE BEEN GIVEN PROGRAMS for risk management then the cash crop farmers have crop insurance , thats enough, but help the livestock farmers but dont spoon feed cash croppers they just buy more expensive machinery and land
Funny. I know a number of cow-calf producers who decided this year they'd rather use the crop insurance money to make payments on a new tractor. Ooops!
I know a few cow-calf producers with 40 plus year old tractors. Give them a break, it's time they bought a new tractor. Doesn't matter if it's crop insurance money or not!
You can not fix stupid
You can not teach common sense
The Practical Farmers of Ontario is the only farm organization that draws the line in the sand and says there should be zero production subsidizes. The only types of farm programs that there should be are matching programs that provides funds for infrastructure, to help make ontario farmers more competitive, hand outs and business risk managements programs havent worked in Canada or any where else in the world. We also believe that all programs should be capped, so that all the money isnt going to the biggest farms. Not only are these types of programs good for farms but there a huge help to rural ontario. they crate jobs at lumber yars, welding shops cement plants, gravel haulers, plumbers electricians, the list goes on and on. this would be the best use of tax dollars and would make ontario famrers far more competitive then business risk managaments programs. This type of funding would allow farmers to be able to increase there work load by being able to better manage there farms, with new cattle handling equipment, new grain bins, hay storages, fencing livestock pastures. We need to change our way of thinking to remain viable into the future as we face a mojor shortage of skilled farm labor.
Sean McGivern
President Practical Farmers of Ontario
I like what you are saying Sean...if you get certified I would support you as my farm organization -kg kimball
You can support them now. My son and I both sent in our $50 for a membership, because we like what they are saying too.
A shortage of skilled farm labor hell we have to much farm greed
you cannot fix stupid you can not breed commom sense unless you kill supply management
Young men speak of the future because they have no past....but old men speak of the past because they have no future" and in the last frame sagaciously summed things up with "Women speak of the present because they've learned from past experience not to trust men to get things done in the future."
Alot of people like to put their 2 cents into something that has nothing too do with it or never will. The majority of farmers work hard and long hours for what they receive in the end and put down what they make an hour is likely a lot less than the average Canadian makes. The weather is one thing that we cannot control , its one thing if you planted wrong or sprayed the wrong spray or whatever. When you hear people yell you should have insurance or no money I would like to know how many times they have collected on the insurance game over the last 10 years or more. We have never had drought like this before and I would never had collected on crop insurance even if I had it.
Granted crop insurance like fire insurance rarely pays out but when it does, it does so in a big way.
However, if you don't have crop insurance or fire insurance then you are by default "self insured" and had better be setting aside the insurance premium for such a disaster. Therefore, any drought aid for a designated geographic area deserves to be divided equally between those who have crop insurance and those who are self insured.
Totally agree that whether insured or not if assistance is going to be available all who are eligible should get it.
What does it matter. If farmers get assistance it will just be clawed back by RMP other another program, either this year or in 11 years.
Gov't calls it "double dipping" even if you pay premiums.
With this severe drought and crop failures in the corn belt I will make record profits with my soys and corn even though I expect less than 40% of my average yields. I ,as always bought 90% CROP ins. coverage with the float option, I also am enrolled in RMP and agri stability. With crop ins. I and todays prices I will gross over $1,000 acre on corn and $700 on soybeans. This will be my most profitable harvest in 30 years and will burn very little fuel harvesting or drying and trucking. And with a early harvest I will be in Arizona by the end of October. If you want to help somebody give it to cow-calf or beef-hog guys that have to buy feed. Only way you can help me is raise the level of income for incorporated minimum tax . Have a safe harvest, your next door neighbour.
Too much said in your post that tells us that you are NOT a farmer.
Dead give-away was rolling RMP into your profit delirium.
And part of the million dollar + in sales group. How can it be bad for grains and oilseeds this year,either selling crops at record prices or collecting record insurance payments. And for the record I have always participated in all risk management plans and I also buy fire,liability and lifr insurance. With government picking up a big share of program costs it is only prudent business management to make use of them. And I remember paying 23% interest on loans and selling corn for $2 and soys for $4.50. I do not need any added risk in my life. Your farming neighbour
I suppose you are likely a wolf in sheeps clothing. How can anyone sit there and say give all the money to a couple of groups and let every other group do without. Like I always said the big gets the money and the rest do without. How can any of the smaller cash croppers or the new younger ones afford to spend the winter down south. The goverment programs are another source of income just like the ones who works off the farm or unemploment Ins.
If you were smart you would have not broadcast to the world how you take the govt. The public wouldnt fell proud to subsidize farmers making so much money going to Arizona for winter, yea babyboomer greed, great example for young farmers . By the way is not Ontario govt in hugh debt?
Risk management is there for every farmer to use.After farming for 50 years I don't see much wrong with going to AZ. for the winter.Some old guys spend there money on quota or this $15,000 acre Kippen dirt. I chose to spend less than $100,000 on a southern home. Many retire after 30 years and spend twice that on a motor home. For young guys that want to just cash grain farm in Middlesex,Huron or Perth Counties unless you marry into it or family has an established farm it would be impossible to start . The advantage 50 years ago was with hard work ,livestock and land available you could at least try. It was tough then too , but it did not take the dollars to farm that it does today.
Teachers are 100% subsidized by public money. WHo complains when they go south for the winter after retiring at age 55 with a big public pension?
Doed anybody remember when an Ontario agr minister tried to survey the last drought he drove around Ontario good man then went to a provincial ministers meeting in western Canada and the Ontario Premier fired him while out there. What was the story?
he got fired because he had agricorp audited and was going a second audit.
Look at the price of eggs in the store $2.75 regular large ,rest is really crazy.
Down in the states in Michigan $1.00 dozen, so whats going on up hear.
People talk about the price of milk?
Up here we are getting the Royal ? Hard to tell whose making all the money.
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