Norwich couple win egg quota competition Wednesday, November 16, 2011 by BETTER FARMING STAFFMichael and Gwen Van Gurp of Norwich are the first recipients of the New Entrant Quota Loan Pool (NEQLP) program. Their selection was announced Tuesday at Egg Farmers of Ontario's (EFO) Annual Councilors' Workshop.Picked by a selection committee from among 84 applicants, the Van Gurps will be loaned two units of quota, up to 5,000 units, for every unit they buy. After 10 years, the loaned quota will be returned to the NEQLP program in five installments of 20 per cent each year over five years.To be considered for EFO's new entrant program, an applicant must be a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant and be a permanent resident of Ontario. Applicants cannot hold quota of any type in the supply-managed sector (egg, pullet, chicken, turkey, dairy, or hatching eggs) and not have held quota, currently or in the past, of any type in the supply-managed sector. Priority is given to persons between the ages of 18 and 45.The program was announced in March at the annual meeting of the EFO. The EFO will allocate 50,000 units of egg quota over a 10-year period into the program and, each year, up to 5,000 units of egg quota will be loaned. EFO general manager Harry Pelissero said the program is designed to be self-perpetuating and is expected to continue indefinitely. When loaned quota is returned to the program, it will go out to new recipients. At today’s prices, each unit of quota is worth between $230 and $240. BF Greenbelt poll questioned Farmland prices are on a roll
Saskatchewan Startup Unveils Portable Device to Detect Crop Diseases in the Field Friday, May 29, 2026 With global crop losses from pests and diseases reaching as high as 40 percent annually, a Saskatchewan-based startup is working to equip farmers with faster, more practical tools to protect their yields. PathoScan Technologies, founded in Saskatoon, has developed a portable... Read this article online
Falling Behind on Direct Alcohol Shipping Deadline Friday, May 29, 2026 Canada’s small alcohol producers are growing increasingly frustrated as a promised timeline for direct-to-consumer (DTC) alcohol shipping reforms approaches with little visible progress. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is calling out federal and provincial... Read this article online
Rural Canada Is Critical to Trade, Food Security and Economic Recovery Friday, May 29, 2026 Canada is facing global instability, affordability pressures and growing urgency to rebuild its economic foundations. Rural Canada is one of the country’s most important economic assets. Although only about 16% to 18% of Canadians live in rural communities, leaders say those regions... Read this article online
Feds say Provinces Need to Act on Interprovincial Alcohol Sales Friday, May 29, 2026 Canada’s federal government is intensifying pressure on provinces and territories to complete negotiations and implement direct-to-consumer alcohol sales, a move expected to benefit agricultural producers, small businesses, and consumers across the country. The statement comes out... Read this article online
$15.1M to Scale Whole-Cut Plant-Based Protein Wednesday, May 27, 2026 Protein Industries Canada has announced a $15.1 million co-investment in a multi-partner project aimed at scaling advanced manufacturing technology for whole-cut protein alternatives and strengthening Canada’s domestic agri-food value chain. The initiative brings together NS/TX... Read this article online