By Crispin Colvin, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture For an advocacy organization, informed decision-making is critical and you’re often only as credible as the facts and figures supporting your position. For the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) as an organization representing the farming sector, it’s important to have solid, fact-based information that reflects the current realities of farmers and rural communities. At the same time, this must be balanced with a strong vision for the kind of future we want for agriculture and for Ontarians. That’s why we support and invest in research into the processes and issues that play a key role in developing the policy positions we take to government and other stakeholders on behalf of our members. This work most often takes place behind the scenes in support of our more public-facing activities, so it’s also important that we share it with our members across the province, so they are aware of what their farm membership organization is doing on their behalf. For the OFA, our annual Research Update is a chance for our members to take a bit of a deep dive into the topics that are part of our advocacy agenda, as well as learn more about issues – whether those that are up-and-coming or ones that have been in progress for some time. Not only will this help inform decision-making in their own communities and farming businesses, but it also supports their advocacy efforts at the local level. Many of the OFA’s county and regional federations regularly meet with their elected provincial and federal government representatives as well as members of their municipal governments on the issues that matter in their areas. This year, our Research Update has held both online and live in Orangeville in conjunction with the OFA’s first Federation Forum. Here are some highlights of the topics covered that day: Healthy soils for sustainable farms: The Greenbelt Foundation and the Soil Health Institute are supporting a four-year project to sample soils across the Golden Horseshoe. The goal is to evaluate and monitor soil health on three different types of land: sites with frequent or high tillage, sites with low tillage and cover crop use, and sites like hay fields, fence rows, pastures, orchards or fallow land that are rarely disturbed. Each farm participant receives a customized report showing how their fields score compared to others along with recommended short and long-term practices to try as well as any available cost-share opportunities. In 2024, participation is open to farmers with a grain/oilseed crop rotation in York, Durham and Niagara Regions. Farmers and fertilizer: Fertilizer is a critical resource for farmers to grow healthy, plentiful crops. It has also come under scrutiny for its environmental impacts when nutrients aren’t used by plants but instead are lost into the air or water courses. The 4R Nutrient Stewardship program is a valuable tool to help farmers with nutrient management planning for crop production in ways that also reduce nutrient loss. By applying the right nutrient source in a form that plants can use, at the right rate that plants need, and at the right time of year to the right place where plants can best access them, farmers can minimize impacts to the environment while still maintaining crop yields and quality. PFAS: Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are a large category of chemicals that are widely used in consumer, commercial and industrial products, and are found in low levels in people, animals, water, air, fish and soil around the world. Although there are still many unknowns, efforts are underway in Europe and the United States to ban the use of all PFAS, regardless of their composition, characteristics or impact. For farmers and municipalities, for example, this would affect the use of biosolid pellets as a nutrient source on farmland. Ontario research has shown so far that the soil health benefits of applying biosolids, which are a human waste by-product, are higher than risks stemming from the potential addition of PFAS into the soil. And if biosolids cannot be used as fertilizer, the current alternatives are incineration or landfill, which also pose environmental risk. More research is underway to get a better understanding on this issue and what it means to farmers, consumers and the soil. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 [email protected]
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By Andrea McCoy-Naperstkow, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture Even though the weather hasn’t caught up to the calendar just yet, we’ve just turned the corner into spring. It means a new planting and growing season will shortly be upon us – but it also signals a wind down of winter or what farmers often jokingly call “meeting season”. Farm work keeps us busy for most of the year, so it’s during the winter months that we have time to attend agricultural trade shows, commodity organization meetings, educational conferences and other farm-related events. As farmers, this is our opportunity to meet with suppliers, learn about the latest research, check out new equipment and technologies and connect with fellow farmers and others who work in our sector. There is no shortage of events to attend – and while they can be specific to a commodity or agricultural sector or a geographic region, there are also quite a few farm-focused events that are of interest to the broader farm community in general. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) represents close to 90 per cent of Ontario’s farmers, so it’s only natural for our organization to have a presence at most of these events over the winter. This year, this included Grey-Bruce Farmers’ Week, the National Poultry Show, the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Conference, the Northern Ontario Ag Conference, the London Farm Show, Grain Farmers of Ontario’s March Classic and the Ottawa Valley Farm Show to name just a few. I farm in the Eastern Ontario county of Lanark, where I’ve been involved in my local federation of agriculture in various roles for the past 25 years. Last fall, I became a director on the provincial OFA board, so this winter marked my first season attending farm shows on behalf of the organization – including the big show in our area, the Ottawa Valley Farm Show, which took place earlier in March. For me as a director, it’s a great opportunity to connect with the people I represent at the OFA board to find out what’s on their minds and share what OFA is doing to raise awareness of the issues they’re facing. Even for others in the agriculture sector who aren’t OFA members, it’s a chance for them to tell me their story and let us make a person-to-person connection – something we all sorely missed during the COVID years. That’s also the goal of the OFA as a whole in attending these events: engaging with our membership to let them know what we’re working on and getting their feedback on our activities on their behalf. Over this winter’s events, the OFA team fielded questions on a wide range of issues, including how they could join our organization, what member benefits we offer, and how they could access our latest resources, like our annual report or newly released information about the MTO farm guide. There is also ongoing interest in the Farmer Wellness Initiative, a service that provides access to free, unlimited mental health counselling for farmers, their families and farm employees and their dependents by people trained in the unique stresses and challenges of the agriculture industry. OFA continues to play an active role in promoting this valuable resource, which has long been desperately needed in our industry, and we receive ongoing feedback from farmers about how they appreciate its availability. Of course, OFA is an advocacy organization, and our primary mission is to make sure that farmers’ voices are represented on the issues that are affecting their farms and businesses. This winter, we heard from a lot of farmers concerned about the impact of high input costs, unpredictable markets and prices, trespassing in rural areas, and increasing taxes, including the federal carbon levy, for example. We appreciate the feedback and support of our members as we continue to work on behalf of Ontario farmers and rural communities. Agriculture, after all, is one of the most important industries in Canada, and like we’re seeing in Europe and other regions, we need to make sure we protect our ability to produce the food, fuel, fibre and flowers the world needs by keeping farms profitable, competitive and thriving. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 [email protected] By Drew Spoelstra, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture Agriculture as a sector often has unique needs when it comes to accessing services, such as banking, financing, and even telecommunications and energy, to name just a few. Insurance is another area where farmers and farm businesses have special requirements that aren’t necessarily covered by more generally available solutions. This is not new; in Ontario, this challenge for farmers dates back to at least just after World War II – and it is likely to continue in the future as our changing climate makes farms in particular more vulnerable to weather related disasters, for example. I’m a director with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) board, where one of my appointments is also as a farmer representative to Co-operators, an insurance company that also happens to be an OFA benefit program partner. The two organizations share a long history, dating back to the 1940s. That’s when farmers were having trouble accessing affordable insurance for farm activities like livestock transit. So, they decided to form their own insurance company in 1946, the Co-operators Fidelity and Guarantee Association, with the OFA joining as a partner a year later. Following a reorganization in 1950, Co-operators Insurance Association was born with the OFA, the Ontario Credit Union League and the United Co-operatives of Ontario as principal shareholders, and in 1978, amalgamations led to the formation of Co-operators we know today. That original drive for farm insurance expanded over time to fill other insurance and financial services gaps for farm families. An excellent example is the OFA and Co-operators working together to design a family health, medical, dental and life insurance program for farmers. It’s a program that is still in place today and meeting a valuable need for farm families who can’t access employer benefits the way many other Ontarians do. One of the OFA’s biggest assets is our ability to advocate for the needs of our members across Ontario and ensure that the farmer voice is represented where decisions are being made. In the case of insurance, I believe it’s important for us as farmers to bring forward perspectives on how agriculture operates, what modern farm businesses look like today and what we anticipate they’ll look like a decade or two from now. Agriculture is very different now than it was even 20 years ago, and as we adopt new technologies, automate processes and become increasingly digital, the types of risks that we’ll need to protect ourselves against will change too. That’s why it’s important for the insurance industry to keep in sync with farming and agricultural businesses. At Co-operators, OFA is able to keep those lines of communications open through a seat on their board, currently held by Jack Wilkinson, and by Keith Currie and I, who serve as farmer delegates to the company. That’s how we can bring forward feedback from our members about the types of products they’d like to see, and where there are current and potentially future gaps in coverage. There is a keen interest and focus, for example, on climate change adaptation and how to mitigate effects on the farm, for example. Ultimately, their goal and ours is to identify and lower insurance risks for farm businesses – and we appreciate the ongoing collaboration with Co-operators, which has been in place in various forms for over 75 years. It’s not just around insurance that OFA takes a leading role in identifying and helping to address needs in the farm community, though. The Farmer Wellness Initiative is another, perhaps more recent example. Almost a decade ago, various research studies confirmed what farmers already knew anecdotally – farming is a high stress sector, but farmers and their families had little to no access to mental health and wellness programs in rural areas. OFA and many other farm organizations worked together to champion the development of this type of programming for Ontario’s agriculture sector, and support from Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs Lisa Thompson and her ministry, as well as Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada helped make the desperately needed Farmer Wellness Initiative a reality a couple of years ago. Today, this means Ontario farmers, their families and employees can access free mental health counselling any time and any day of the year from individuals knowledgeable about the challenges of the agricultural sector by calling 1-866-267-6255. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 [email protected] By Tracey Arts, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture With the weather warming up, farmers start to become eager to hit the fields and get spring planting underway. That’s still a few weeks away, though, so now is a great time to give some thought to staying safe and healthy as we go about our daily jobs and lives on the farm. After all, for us the farm isn’t just a workplace, it’s also where we live and raise our families. It’s particularly relevant right now because March 10 to 16 is Canadian Agricultural Safety Week, an annual event that focuses on increasing awareness of farm safety, sharing resources and promoting the importance of developing best practices and farm safety plans. My husband and I are dairy farmers in Oxford County. A farm can be a hazardous workplace so it’s important to know where the dangers are. For us that means not just being careful ourselves, but also making sure our employees have the training they need, whether it’s safely disposing of needles in a sharps container, or knowing where the blind spots are when driving a tractor or a skid steer. We also have two young boys, so we’ve taken great care to teach them about safety as they grow but in a way that lets them be involved in the activities on the farm and doesn’t stifle their natural curiosity about our animals and equipment. The older they get, the more they want to help so it is critical for us to teach them how to do things properly and safely – and to ensure they have respect for the hazards that livestock, tools and machines can represent. At a high level, farm safety is about knowing what to on the farm to avoid accidents and injuries – and not just during busy times like planting or harvest but anytime you’re working with equipment or livestock. That means keeping equipment fixed and up to date, taking a break when you’re tired or fatigued, and not cutting corners when you’re in a rush. When working, shut down equipment before making adjustments or dislodging a blockage, keep safety guards in place and don’t let kids play around work sites or near equipment. Have a first aid kit and emergency contact numbers handy and take a charged phone with you when you head out for the day. On our roads, there are too many accidents involving vehicles and farm equipment every year, and both farmers and motorists have a role to play in keeping our roads safe. Farm equipment is larger than it used to be, and many rural roads have narrow shoulders, making it difficult if not impossible for farmers to pull off to the side and let motorists pass safely. Road safety is a shared responsibility, but anyone driving slow moving vehicles should be alert for drivers anxious to pass you at unexpected times. Watch carefully when turning onto public roadways and making left turns across traffic, and use your slow-moving vehicle sign, lights, taillights and signals to make your equipment as visible as possible to other motorists. It’s not just physical safety that matters, though. As our farms become more connected, it’s critical that we also think about the safety of our data and our online systems. There is no such thing as 100% security, but using current software and systems, training employees to recognize threats, backing up data and using strong passwords that aren’t shared will help minimize risk. Finally, research has helped draw attention to the high levels of stress that farmers face and the importance of emotional and mental health. The Farmer Wellness Initiative is a key resource that can provide when it’s needed most. If you’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed, you can access support at 1-866-267-6255, with additional resources available at farmerwellnessinitiative.ca. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 [email protected] By Vanessa Renaud, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture Historically, agriculture in Canada has been a male-dominated industry, but women have always played very pivotal roles in farm businesses – just mostly behind the scenes or in a supportive rather than leading capacity. This is now changing. Along with the general demographic shift in agriculture as older farmers are facing retirement and a new generation is taking over the management and ownership of farm businesses, there are also more women stepping into leadership roles in farms of all types and sizes. I know first-hand that this is happening as I work with my father on our family farm near Green Valley in Eastern Ontario. As a Certified Crop Advisor, I also work as a crop input consultant with farmers in our area. But it’s not just based on my own experiences. The latest Canadian census numbers show that women represent a greater proportion of our farmers than in the past. About 30 per cent of Canada’s farmers are women, and in 2021 we saw the first increase in the number of female farmers in Canada in 30 years. According to Statistics Canada, this is due almost entirely to the fact that more women are now farming on their own. The numbers also illustrate that women are running larger farm businesses than in the past. For young women in particular, it’s not always easy to step into roles in this sector, whether it’s part of a farm business or in a wide range of other jobs and careers, from agronomists and animal nutritionists to equipment operators and more. Now there’s a new agricultural mentorship program designed specifically for women that can help provide some additional support. AgriMentor offers individual, one-on-one mentorship coaching nationwide in English or French for women working in agriculture. The program was first launched last year as a pilot project by the Agricultrices du Québec, Quebec’s organization of farm women, through a program called Dimension E, which offers services to female entrepreneurs in the agriculture and forestry sectors. Funding for Dimension E is provided by the federal government through Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. The success of the Quebec pilot, combined with the identified need across the agriculture sector for more training opportunities for women led to the expansion of the program Canada-wide and the launch of the AgriMentor program for 2024. It is led in Ontario by the Union des cultivateurs franco-ontariens (UCFO), with the support of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), where I serve as a member of the board of directors. UCFO will match mentors and mentees who each must commit to at least one monthly meeting whether virtual or in-person for a period of six months. The program is open to Canadian women who are both looking for a mentor and those who wish to serve as one. It is free for mentees; an honorarium of $500 is offered to women who serve as mentors. Mentorship is about sharing experience and knowledge and having someone you can use as a sounding board when you are in need of advice or different perspectives. Being able to have some outside feedback is so beneficial both mentally and emotionally, especially when it is delivered in a constructive and thoughtful way. Knowing you’re not alone and being able to draw on the experiences of someone who has been in your shoes offers encouragement and empowerment. Having a mentor is also very motivating as it can help you increase your confidence in yourself, your business and your career. Mentorship is something I couldn’t access earlier in my career, and although I had colleagues in similar situations that I could lean on, we weren’t able to give each other the type of guidance and insight a more experienced mentor can offer. That’s why I’m so passionate about this program and I would encourage any woman in agriculture to consider participating in this opportunity, whether as a mentee or someone who can fill that critical mentor role. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 [email protected] By Mark Reusser, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture This week, farm leaders from across Canada are gathering in Ottawa for the annual general meeting of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA). It’s our opportunity once a year to get together as farmers from across the country and share our concerns and priorities on issues that are national in scope – like trade, climate change or soil health to name just a few – in hopes of coming up with solutions that will work for everyone. I farm in Waterloo Region and am a director on the board of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). Our organization is an active member in the CFA, and I’ll be one of the delegates participating in that conference in Ottawa. Just like our provinces and regions differ from each other, so does farming in each of those areas; the west is more heavily cattle and field crop-focused, from canola and wheat to peas, lentils and more, whereas eastern Canada is stronger in soybeans, corn, dairy, poultry and fruits and vegetables. Knowing and understanding each other’s differences is key to being able to work together for the greater good of our entire sector, and the opportunity to make those connections face-to-face helps strengthen those relationships. It’s at this meeting that we debate and approve resolutions that will help shape the direction of the CFA’s national advocacy priorities that make up the backbone of outreach activities with federal elected officials, political staff and bureaucrats. That’s also why gathering in Ottawa is strategically important; it’s where decisions on policy that impacts our sector are made and we use this opportunity to not only meet with some of those stakeholders, but also invite them to join us at our convention, whether it’s for a workshop, plenary session or informal social event. This year’s agenda, for example, features speakers from all four major federal political parties, including remarks from the federal minister of agriculture and agri-food, Lawrence MacAulay. Many of us meet with our own Member of Parliament locally, but we don’t often get the opportunity to speak directly with MPs from other regions – or to meet with members of the Senate, who’ve recently started taking on a much more prominent role in shaping Canadian legislation. This is our chance to make a connection and help raise their awareness of the importance of the farming sector to all aspects of Canadian society and our economy. In some ways, you could say that the CFA annual conference is all about the future. For example, joining the OFA at this national meeting this year are five young Eastern Ontario farmers who are actively involved in the industry and building their future in our sector. We’ve invited them to join us so they can see firsthand what the key issues are that affect farm businesses nationwide, how the sector is being proactive in trying to address them, and why advocacy and relationship building is so important. It’s also about addressing the issues that are important to the future of the agriculture sector. Interest rates, inflation and high food costs are top of mind struggles for Canadians currently, and they’re big challenges for farmers too. We also worry about trade agreements; federal policy directions on everything from carbon to plastics reduction; challenges with global and domestic supply chains; or the impact of world events on our export markets and cost of what we call inputs – the items we need to grow crops and raise livestock, like fertilizer or feed ingredients, for example. Other issues are more regional in nature, with drought in the west and urbanization pressures on farmland in the east as just two examples, but ultimately, they all highlight the need for a greater and more coordinated federal focus on agriculture. Our sector is unique – with the right supports, whether financial or legislative, agriculture has solutions that can help address many of society’s biggest challenges, from climate change and carbon sequestration to hunger and food waste reduction. That’s why it’s important that the farm voice is united and present at the national tables where discussions take place and decisions are made. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 [email protected] By Clint Cameron, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture Tax season is coming up and while it’s always important to stay on top of deadlines and new rules, there are changes to three specific federal tax filing requirements that farmers should pay particular attention to for 2024. Underused Housing Tax In 2022, the federal Underused Housing Tax (UHT) Act became law, putting a tax on the value of vacant and underused housing owned either directly or indirectly by people who aren’t Canadian citizens or permanent residents. For the farming sector, the UHT’s onerous annual filing requirements and steep penalties for non-compliance, which ranged from $5,000-$10,000, were a major concern. Following advocacy from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) and other organizations, the federal government announced the following proposed changes in its 2023 Fall Economic statement:
The proposed changes, which would apply for the 2023 tax year and beyond, still need to be introduced and passed through legislation in order to come into effect. Key takeaway for farmers: UHT still applies for the 2022 tax year, so any farmers who were required to file a UHT return for 2022 but have not yet done so, should file by April 30, 2024 to avoid penalties and interest. T3 reporting rules for federal trusts The federal government has introduced new reporting requirements for trusts, including those used in farm business and estate planning, that will take effect for taxation years ending after December 30, 2023.
Key takeaway for farmers: Farm businesses who use family trusts to hold private company shares, such as a farm corporation, as well as trusts used for estate planning or holding personal-use assets must now file an annual T3 return. Not sure if these rules apply to your farm? Consult a professional who is knowledgeable in farm trusts; filing unnecessarily can complicate estate planning and impose unintended legal and financial challenges. Electronic filing for HST returns becomes mandatory The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has implementing new electronic filing requirements for GST/HST returns starting in 2024 for anyone with a GST or HST number, with the exception of charities and a few listed financial institutions. For CRA purposes, electronic filing options include:
Key takeaway for farmers: for those without access to a computer or a reliable Internet connection, filing by phone using GST/HST TELEFILE is a valid electronic filing option. It can be a bit overwhelming to keep on top of the evolving tax landscape, so OFA has put together an easy-to-follow fact sheet that summarizes these key changes and where to go for more information. It’s downloadable on the OFA website. In addition to farming and running a business that offers services to farmers, I have also spent a large part of my career in the corporate world. So I’m no stranger to the paperwork that comes with being in business. Here are a few tips to make things easier at tax time:
For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 [email protected] By Sara Wood, Vice President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture For any business owner, planning for the future involves serious decision-making about what will happen to the business. Whether transition to a next generation family member or sale to a new owner, the process requires careful thought and planning. For farmers, business transition or farm succession planning comes with some added layers of complexity. Most farmers live where they work, so it’s also about the family home, and in the case of a farm that’s been in the same family for multiple generations, an emotional attachment to the land and to family history can also be at play. It’s a daunting task, making it tough to know where to start and let’s be honest – most of us are uncomfortable facing the thought of our own mortality and of handing over control of what we’ve built to someone else. That’s why the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) has teamed up with Farm Life Financial again this year to offer a Financial Literacy and Farm Succession Planning Roadshow for farmers with seven in-person education days across southern, central and eastern Ontario, as well as a virtual session. It’s a topic near and dear to my heart – having gone through a farm family succession process, I know firsthand how important it is, how hard it can be, and why proper planning is essential to keeping both the business going and the family together. My husband and I farm west of Stratford near the town of Mitchell where we raise broiler chickens and grow crops. We’ve taken over the day-to-day farm operations from my parents, but my mom is still involved in the business as an advisor and helps out when my other activities, like being a Vice President with the OFA, take me away from the farm. Our transition process started when my mom heard a presentation by a succession planning specialist in the U.S. who suggested farmers have to decide whether they are a business-first family or a family-first business. This means focusing on the future with a solid plan versus relying on tradition and assumption and hoping for the best. Together and individually, our family met with lawyers and accountants to figure out what our long-term vision and goals were for the farm; for my parents it was about the legacy of what they had built and for us as the next generation, it was about what we wanted to accomplish. This helped us build a solid plan that has served us well and although our son is only six, we are already thinking about what a future on the farm might look like for him – and how we might handle another transition if he decides farming isn’t where his heart lies. For the older generation of farmers looking to retirement, start your conversations early with both your kids who want to farm and those who don’t, and have a vision of how you want to see the future of the farm and how involved you want to continue to be in decision-making. Don’t just leave things in the will and hope for the best. The younger generation has to be willing to listen and come into the process with open ears and minds. Although you may have big plans for the future and how you want to put your stamp on the family business, you should respect that you’re taking over a legacy and the first cheque you write every year should be to the people who’ve made it possible for you to farm. Above all, both generations have to be flexible and willing to embrace change – and a certain amount of creativity may be needed to pull it all off. Succession plans take time, and they are emotional. As farmers, much of our identity is wrapped up in what we do and where we live, and it can be hard to think about a life that doesn’t involve running the farm. That’s why I believe it’s important to look to transition planning specialists for help and workshops like the OFA roadshow can be a great opportunity to start thinking about the process. More information on workshop dates and locations is available at ofa.on.ca. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 [email protected] By Drew Spoelstra, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture Much is always made of the high average age of Canadian farmers, but there’s a quiet shift happening in agriculture that is changing the face of our industry. Quite literally, farming is in transition – and I’m one of many farmers right in the middle of it. Family farms are still a huge part of what Ontario agriculture looks like, but like so many Canadians, a growing number of farmers are facing retirement. That means they’re now following succession plans to turn the management and ownership of their farm businesses over to a new generation. That’s exactly the situation that I find myself in. I’m 37 and I’ve been involved in our family dairy and grain farm my entire life. My wife and I and my parents have recently worked through our farm business transition plans as we look to set our family farm up for a better future. Farm succession is an onerous and challenging task, but one that is absolutely necessary for the sustainability of farm businesses as many farmers enter the later stages of their careers. With a plan in place, we can now make investments – like a state-of-the-art dairy barn – that we hope will help make it possible for our young daughters to farm when they grow up if that’s what they’d like to do. My family is also reflective of another new reality for many farmers and that’s farming close to an urban area. Our farm is near the town of Binbrook in a rural part of the City of Hamilton and while that brings opportunities, it also often means that the needs of farm businesses get lost in the larger urban issues that dominate the agendas of local decision-makers. In addition to farming, I’m also heavily involved with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). I believe it’s important to give back to the industry that sustains us, and late last fall, I became the youngest OFA president in the organization’s history. What you see in me is a lot of what you’ll see across agriculture in Ontario now – older farmers following succession plans and a next generation stepping up with visions for the future of their farm businesses and in some cases, also the broader farming sector. You’ll also see that reflected in a growing number of my fellow OFA board members and in the leadership of other agricultural organizations where a new, young generation of farmers is starting to take an active role in representing their industry and helping to shape its future for the decades to come. Agriculture’s next generation is bringing fresh ideas and raising different perspectives on everything from sustainability and climate change to public trust, mental health and wellness and more. We look forward with optimism and while we are making investments in the future of our businesses and our industry, it’s a road we can’t go alone. We need to know that Canadians see benefit in strong farms and rural communities, value a local food supply system that brings the sustainability and environmental stewardship benefits that farms provide, and support us by buying local. And to meet the ambitious goals of the province’s Grow Ontario strategy and to protect our future ability to continue to produce as much food, fuel and fibre right here at home, we also need government to step forward and support our sector. That support can come in various ways, whether through sound, forward-thinking policies and legislation or with financial investments into much-needed infrastructure, resources and programming that will support farming’s long-term sustainability and profitability. We’ve brought some of these ideas directly to government by participating in the provincial budget consultations that are currently happening across Ontario: Supporting home grown food production by encouraging government and public sector agencies to buy more local food and beverages, increasing funding to the provincial Risk Management Program that helps farmers manage uncertainty, and addressing the agri-food sector’s chronic labour shortages. Modernizing farm tax programs and development charges to support continued farm business transition, growth and expansion. Investing in rural and social infrastructure, such as rural roads and bridges, affordable energy and high-speed broadband, and education, healthcare and community hubs for rural communities. Improving soil health and water stewardship by continuing funding for the Ontario Agricultural Soil Health and Conservation Strategy and the Ontario Drinking Water Stewardship Program. Strengthening Ontario’s veterinary sector by investigating additional short- and long-term strategies to help solve the lack of veterinary capacity in Ontario. Agriculture has a long, proud history in Ontario and I’m excited be part of shaping its next chapters. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 [email protected] By Bill Groenheide, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture Issues around food security, rural infrastructure and responsible long-term land use planning were front and centre at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) annual conference this past week. These are all issues that are challenges for Ontario’s rural communities – but they’re also issues that deeply concern and impact Ontario’s agriculture sector. With the majority of Ontario’s 444 municipalities being either rural or bordering on rural communities, the annual gathering of municipal leaders and stakeholders is one that representatives from our organization, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), have participated in for many years. We’ve always been there to advocate for issues that matter to farmers like farmland preservation, rural infrastructure and economic development that is distributed more evenly across all regions of the province. This year, however, the issues that we care about and that matter to our members were also on the agenda for rural municipal leaders. A headline panel discussion focused on Feeding the Future of Ontario included topics like the critical importance of food security and planning for land uses with a long-term lens, and OFA’s president, Drew Spoelstra, was one of the panelists. I farm in northern Ontario just outside of Thunder Bay, and in addition to being on the OFA board of directors, I’m also a municipal councillor in our area. So I’m very familiar with the issues facing rural communities like housing, infrastructure and health care – many of which are even more acute in northern Ontario. For many municipalities, agriculture and food production is not formally represented in their policies and plans – which often means there can be unintended negative consequences for farm businesses when legislative or bylaw decisions are made. A big reason why OFA attends this event every year is to help raise awareness of our sector by making connections and building relationships with decision makers to help bring issues that impact the farming community to the forefront. The ROMA conference attracts not just municipal leaders but also provincial politicians and last week, OFA representatives had the chance to meet with different cabinet ministers as well as representatives from all major provincial political parties. This was my first time attending the ROMA conference and it was gratifying to see the interest from fellow delegates in the agriculture industry and the important role we play in the provincial economy. With nearly 50,000 farms across Ontario, the agri-food sector contributes $47 billion a year to the provincial economy, employs about 10% of Ontario’s workers and exports $20 billion in agri-food products annually. To keep this sector profitable and productive, we need to ensure rural communities remain healthy, vibrant and viable. This can be done through: Improving rural infrastructure and services. This means continued and expanded investments into rural roads and bridges, high speed internet and reliable cellular services, and affordable energy. It also means increased social infrastructure including local schools, healthcare and community hubs that will attract workers and their families to rural Ontario and help alleviate critical labour shortages. Planning for housing affordability and responsible long-term land use. This includes developing and implementing policies that limit the loss of agricultural land, intensify residential development in Ontario’s existing urban footprint, and encourage smart growth and development that will meet the current and future needs of Ontarians and the provincial economy. Boosting rural economic development. Foster economic development in all areas of Ontario by supporting more agri-tourism and local food offerings in our communities, which in turn will create jobs. This includes, for example, encouraging the broader public sector, such as long-term care facilities and educational institutions, to include more locally grown food products in their purchasing decisions. Attending events like ROMA gives farmers the opportunity to share our messages, but it also gives us a better understanding of what elected officials and administrators are facing when making difficult decisions and enacting policy. By working collaboratively, we can help ensure Farms and Food Forever, which will benefit all Ontarians today and for future generations. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 [email protected] |
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