Ontario's RMP cap put to the test Wednesday, November 6, 2013 by SUSAN MANN The $100 million cap on the Ontario business risk management program for agriculture could be put to the test this year as it takes effect for the first time. Ontario Federation of Agriculture president Mark Wales says with the real drop in corn prices “everybody will be figuring out you won’t get what you were expecting based on the program design.” The working groups for the participating commodities – grains and oilseeds, beef, pork, veal, sheep and horticulture – have to work out how payments to farmers will be pro-rated “if there’s not enough money, especially given there’s more than one pay-out period,” he says. Wales says the challenge facing the working groups was likely the reason Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman, the Progressive Conservative agriculture critic, asked at Queen’s Park earlier this week for the government to explain how it can tell farmers there’s no money for them yet increase agriculture and rural affairs ministries’ salaries and wages. Hardeman says in a Nov. 4 press release that he was referring to a 2012 Liberal budget pledge to freeze public sector employee wages and salaries and to government figures that suggest the ministry will spend more on salaries and wages this year than it did last year. Ontario agriculture ministry spokesman Mark Cripps says the cap was negotiated with the participating commodity groups. The agriculture ministry is very efficient and ensures “as much money as possible within our total budget allocation goes to the programs that support farmers.” But he acknowledges that “maybe there’s some pressures with the cap this year.” Cripps also says management salary ranges across the public sector have been frozen since 2009 and there has been no wage increase negotiated with other employees’ union representation. However, employees’ salaries can still move up through existing pay grids, “while staying within the overall compensation envelope,” he notes. Hardeman based his assertion of an increase in wages and salaries on a comparison of the ministry’s actual 2012/13 expenditures of $86.2 million for salaries, wages and employee benefits to a 2013/14 estimate that the two ministries will spend nearly $92 million on the same categories, an increase of 6.7 per cent. (Agriculture, food and rural affairs became two ministries earlier this year but the ministries continue to share one administrative budget). Cripps questions the fairness of comparing estimates to actual expenditures. He notes last year’s actual total expenditure for ministry salaries and benefits was $86.2 million – 6.2 per cent less than the fiscal year’s estimate. “We fully expect that in 2013/14 we’ll again come in below the estimate,” Cripps says. Actual expenditures will be known at the end of the government’s fiscal year, March 31, 2014. BF Peppers mislabelled, produce dealer fined Price cut for Ontario egg farmers
First Northern Cohort Joins Ontario Vet Program Thursday, September 4, 2025 This September, the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) at the University of Guelph welcomed its inaugural Northern Cohort of 20 students through the Collaborative Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Program (CDVMP). This initiative, created in partnership with Lakehead University, marks a milestone... Read this article online
Manitoba Farmers Defend Their Whisky Roots Amid Ontario Backlash Thursday, September 4, 2025 As most reader will know by now, on August 28, beverage alcohol giant Diageo announced it will be closing its Amherstburg, Ontario bottling plant. Located just 25 kilometres from the nearest U.S. border crossing, the company says the decision is part of a strategy to streamline its supply... Read this article online
Global grain trade gets a shake-up: What it means for Canadian farmers Tuesday, September 2, 2025 The global grain and oilseed trading industry is undergoing a major transformation—and Canadian farmers should take note. A recently published study in the September 2025 issue of discussed how the traditional dominance of a few multinational giants is giving way to a more competitive,... Read this article online
Canadian Farmers Face Weaker Soybean Yields Ahead Tuesday, September 2, 2025 Statistics Canada forecasts that Canadian soybean production will decline in 2025, reflecting weaker yields across major producing provinces. Nationally, output is projected to fall by 7.3% year over year to 7.0 million tonnes. The decline is linked to a drop in yields, which are expected... Read this article online
Canadian Corn Outlook Shows Mixed Regional Trends Tuesday, September 2, 2025 Statistics Canada projects Canadian corn-for-grain production to grow slightly in 2025, despite drier-than-normal weather and high temperatures that have pressured yields. National production is forecast to rise 1.4% year over year to 15.6 million tonnes. This gain comes from higher... Read this article online