Listowel farmer, milk board at odds over direct payment policy Wednesday, October 16, 2013 by SUSAN MANN Dairy Farmers of Ontario and a Listowel area dairy farmer have made little headway concerning a conflict over organization’s switch to direct deposit banking more than a year ago to pay farmers for their milk. Don Verner, 74, is the only Ontario dairy farmer who hasn’t signed up to have the twice-monthly milk payments deposited directly into his account. And the organization won’t provide the money to him by any other means. “All producers should be treated the same,” explains Graham Lloyd, general counsel and communications director for Dairy Farmers. Verner is now owed nearly $300,000 in milk payments. Lloyd says they want to pay Verner and haven’t refused to pay him. “I am in regular contact and have reached out on several occasions over the last two months.” Verner, a milk producer for nearly 60 years who milks about 30 cows and holds 22 kilograms of quota, says: “I don’t like to be blackmailed into having it (the milk payments) put into my account.” He’s critical of the supply-managed commodity organization. “It (the milk board) wasn’t brought in to help the farmer. It was brought in to take control.” Dairy Farmers switched to direct deposit in 2012. Before that farmers received their milk payments once a month by cheque mailed to them from the organization. Verner continues to milk his cows and the milk is still being picked up. Asked how he is getting by without his milk payment income, Verner says he was taught how get along “with what we have without having machinery. We were taught never to owe a man one cent, only for a mortgage.” BF Ontario Cattlemen's Association now Beef Farmers of Ontario Buchanan takes the reins
Inflatable Wedges Make Lifting Large Objects a Breeze Friday, October 18, 2024 Byline: Zahra Sadiq The hardest part about moving farming equipment, tools, and other items on the farm is the initial lift off from the ground. The traditional wedge has been the go-to solution to solving problems like this; however, there is a new alternative that might just take... Read this article online
Calhoun super structure ranks among top growing Canadian companies Friday, October 18, 2024 Calhoun Super Structure Ltd. is proud to announce its ranking of No. 342 on The Globe and Mail’s 2024 Report on Business magazine's list of Canada’s Top Growing Companies. This achievement marks the third consecutive year that Calhoun has made this prestigious ranking, which... Read this article online
5.5% values rise in Canadian farmland - FCC Report Friday, October 11, 2024 FCC reports strong increase in Canadian farmland values According to Farm Credit Canada (FCC), Canadian cultivated farmland values experienced an average increase of 5.5% in the first half of 2024. Over the 12 months from July 2023 to June 2024, farmland values rose by 9.6%, although... Read this article online
OP-ED: Happy Agriculture Week from Minister Flack Thursday, October 10, 2024 Rob Flack, Ontario's minister of farming, agriculture and agribusiness, provided the following message to celebrate Ontario Agriculture Week: Happy Ontario Agriculture Week! Every year during the week before Thanksgiving Monday, we celebrate the 871,000 people across the food supply... Read this article online
Helping farmers become more resilient to extreme weather and climate change Thursday, October 10, 2024 Funding supports 213 projects for resilient agricultural landscapes The governments of Canada and Ontario have announced over $12.2 million in funding to support 213 agricultural projects across Ontario. These projects aim to make farmland more resilient to extreme weather and... Read this article online