John Wise funeral service set for Monday Wednesday, January 9, 2013 by BETTER FARMING STAFFFormer federal agriculture minister John Wise died Wednesday in a London hospital. He was 77.Wise, a St. Thomas native, was first elected to Parliament as the MP for Elgin in 1972 and held his seat through five consecutive elections until 1988 when he did not run. He served as agriculture minister in two conservative governments, first under Joe Clark from 1979 to 1980 and later under Brian Mulroney from 1984 to 1988.A fifth-generation dairy farmer, Wise was active in farm organizations and municipal politics for 15 years before he turned to federal politics.A funeral service is set for 1 p.m. Monday at Knox Presbyterian Church, St. Thomas. Visitation at the church begins at 11 a.m. Monday. BF Canada's dairy farmers consider consolidating programs Phosphorus reduction funding targets Lake Simcoe, southeastern Georgian Bay
A new front in the repair access debate Friday, March 13, 2026 Iowa lawmakers have pushed the right‑to‑repair conversation into new territory with House File 2529, a bill that focuses specifically on diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) systems—the single most common cause of emissions-related downtime on modern farm machinery. The bill would require... Read this article online
Senators examine Canada’s food system firsthand during southwestern Ontario fact finding mission Thursday, March 12, 2026 A delegation of Canadian senators conducted a full day fact finding mission on Friday, March 6, 2026, visiting several major food system organizations and research facilities across Southwestern Ontario. The tour supported the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry’s ongoing... Read this article online
Middle East conflict pushes fertilizer costs higher, forcing Ontario growers to rethink corn acres Wednesday, March 11, 2026 Ontario farmers are bracing for a turbulent spring as fertilizer and fuel prices surge in response to the escalating conflict involving Iran, a development that analysts say could reshape planting decisions across North America. The spike in nitrogen costs—the most critical and... Read this article online
March 8 is International Women’s Day Friday, March 6, 2026 Across the United States and Canada, women are taking on increasingly visible roles in agriculture—managing farms, leading ag-tech startups, advancing research, and strengthening the rural economies that feed both nations. Their work reflects a shift in an industry once defined... Read this article online
Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry to Visit Toronto and Southwestern Ontario Tuesday, March 3, 2026 The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry will be in Toronto and Southwestern Ontario later this week as part of its ongoing study on the role of Canada’s agriculture and agri‑food sector in strengthening national food security. The fact‑finding mission is scheduled for... Read this article online