 By Paul Maurice, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
Last week marked the annual conference of the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA). For an advocacy organization like the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), the ROMA conference is a key event on the annual calendar. It’s where rural municipal leaders, rural stakeholders and government representatives come together to meet, network and discuss issues of importance to rural Ontario. Although our members are farmers, OFA also advocates on behalf of strong rural communities. That’s because we know that in order to keep agriculture profitable and productive, we need the rural communities that support our farm businesses to be healthy, vibrant and viable. I farm with my family in Simcoe County, a municipality with both rural and large urban centres. As a member of the OFA’s provincial board of directors, I also represent farmers in Peel and York Regions – two municipalities that are very familiar with dealing with urban-rural pressures. Last week, I was one of the OFA representatives at the ROMA conference and it was an excellent opportunity to meet with elected officials and staff from provincial government ministries and municipalities across Ontario. We had many conversations on issues that matter to farmers and rural communities, including farmland preservation, agricultural policy and farmer mental health – but it was also a chance to be able to just generally talk about the agriculture sector and give people a greater understanding of what we’re all about. It is truly a valuable experience to be able to have these interactions and discussions in a less formal setting. After all, our industry contributes $47 billion annually to the provincial economy, employs 10% of Ontario’s labour force, and exports nearly $20 billion in agri-food products every year. Those are significant numbers that underline the critical importance of farming to the economic engine of Ontario – and why agriculture and rural communities need investments and distributed economic development to support continued strength and growth. A key component of that is improving rural infrastructure and services to create job growth, build affordable communities and ensure we have a sustainable food production system. Rural Ontario needs investments into rural roads and bridges, reliable and affordable high speed internet, access to affordable energy and increased social infrastructure like local schools, health care and community centres. All of these are essential to attracting and keeping people in rural communities. Growing the agri-food sector also means housing affordability and long-term land use planning. We encourage governments to do this by committing to farmland preservation, supporting smart growth in our urban centres, and ensuring that we are protecting the agricultural and environmental lands we depend on for local food production. Affordable housing can help businesses attract much needed workers, offer growth opportunities for our communities and positively impact the decision-making of young adults looking to make a purchase on their first home. And finally, we believe in improving economic development and community health. Increasing agritourism and local food offerings in our communities encourages more people to participate in outdoor activities, learn where their food comes from, improve their mental health and wellbeing, and increase their connection to the food, flowers, fibre and fuel grown right here in Ontario. It’s been a year since OFA, with the financial support of the provincial and federal governments, launched the Farmer Wellness Initiative. This program offers free mental health counselling and supports for Ontario farmers and their families – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. There’s long been a need for such a resource and given the level of interest I saw being shown by ROMA conference attendees, it’s one that is striking a positive chord. As a farmer, I was also pleased to see a new level of enthusiasm for agriculture from the many people I spoke to, why it matters, and what needs to be done to protect it. It’s been very important to me for many years to give Ontarians opportunities to learn more about farming and to have conversations that will help deepen that understanding. For OFA, that’s where the value lies in attending events like the ROMA conference: it gives us an opportunity to share our messages, but also lets us get a better understanding of where elected officials and policy makers are coming from. Working together will help us ensure Farms and Food Forever for the benefit of all Ontarians. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 tyler.brooks@ofa.on.ca
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 By Cathy Lennon, General Manager, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
Earlier this month, John Deere, one of the world’s largest farm equipment manufacturers, signed a “right to repair” memorandum of understanding with the American Farm Bureau. This means farmers in the United States now have the right to fix their John Deere tractors and other farm equipment either themselves or through an independent third party. This is a major shift for the agriculture sector, where Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in both Canada and the United States have long restricted farmers’ ability to access the technology embedded in their products, including diagnostic and repair codes and service manuals. By comparison, right-to-repair legislation has been in place for decades in the automotive industry, where independent mechanics have the same diagnostic software and service manuals as OEM dealerships. In Canada, without right-to-repair protection, farmers or someone not certified by the OEM who break a password or a digital lock to make a repair are in violation of the federal Copyright Act – and with digital systems and software increasingly embedded across a growing array of systems and equipment, this applies to more and more aspects of a farm business’ operations every year. Copyright law was never intended to prevent people from repairing their own devices. And even though copyright law is federal, Ontario needs a right-to-repair framework for agricultural equipment so that repair manuals, parts and tools are available, and manufacturers can’t deliberately make products unrepairable. Bill C244, An Act to Amend the Copyright Act (diagnosis, maintenance, and repair), was introduced in the House of Commons on February 8, 2022. It is currently before the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Industry and Technology for review. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) supports legislation that lets people make repairs, run diagnostics and conduct maintenance. We understand that farmers cannot afford to be dependent on a dealer schedule to fix what could be as simple as a faulty fuel sensor – especially during busy planting and harvest seasons where field work must be completed as quickly as possible. We need this legislation to ensure OEM-approved tools, replacement parts and repair manuals are available for Canadian electronic and farm equipment aftermarkets. Doing in-field repairs themselves or calling an independent technician can minimize costly downtime and avoid a lengthy trip to the dealership. Farmers also need assurance that equipment repairs done by non-OEM certified shops do not violate any warranties and want clarity about operator or OEM liability if an accident does occur on repaired equipment. At the same time, we understand that OEMs need to protect their intellectual property, and that safeguards need to be in place to prevent the modification of software in ways that would circumvent the original design and function of the equipment. That’s why farmers aren’t asking for the right to modify software or expose OEM intellectual property, but instead, support a framework that allows for decoding of digital locks for diagnosis, repair and maintenance. The new MOU signed by John Deere and the American Farm Bureau has the potential to serve as a model for other manufacturers and in other jurisdictions to enable a framework where manufacturers and consumers can work together to protect everyone’s rights and improve the playing field when it comes to repairs. The OFA supports a framework for farm equipment, as with other vehicles, that does not compromise safety and emissions standards, ensures products are repairable and that spare parts and tools are accessible. An amended federal Copyright Act that protects manufacturer technology copyrights, combined with provincial laws giving people the right to repair the things we own will help level the playing field in the agricultural sector and support the competitiveness and profitability of our industry. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 tyler.brooks@ofa.on.ca In 2022, the Canadian government-imposed tariffs on fertilizer sourced from Russia in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This has placed added financial burden on farmers who are already facing record high fertilizer prices and pressures from inflation and rising interest rates.
Since the tariffs were imposed, the OFA has been actively working on this issue on behalf of its membership and asking for a fair resolution to the tariff issue for farmers. OFA has participated in many meetings with federal government representatives, including federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau, MP Francis Drouin who serves as Parliamentary Secretary to Minister Bibeau, and MP Kody Blois who also chairs the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food. From the onset, OFA’s preferred solution has been the reimbursement of fertilizer tariff dollars collected by the federal government back to farmers who paid them. This is a similar position that other farm organizations have put forward. Minister Bibeau, Parliamentary Secretary Drouin and federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland continue to reiterate their commitment to working towards a fair resolution to the tariff issue for the agriculture sector. When the federal government made it clear that a refund of tariffs was not on the table, the OFA worked to develop and propose alternative ways to ensure these dollars were returned to agriculture. OFA has been actively promoting these options to the federal government, which include:
The founding principles of any method to return the fertilizer tariff funds to the agriculture industry must include: Simplicity. Any compensation program should be easy for farmers to apply to and simple for the government to administer. Palatable. The federal government has made it clear that any compensation can’t be directly tied to or perceived as being directly tied to farmers who paid the tariffs. Direct. Given the disproportionate impact on farmers in Eastern Canada, any program must return dollars directly to farmers in Ontario. Timeliness. Any compensation program should provide payments to farmers as quickly as possible. OFA continues to advocate on behalf of its members to the federal government and impress upon them the urgency of moving forward with a fair resolution for returning tariff dollars back to agriculture. For more information, please contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 tyler.brooks@ofa.on.ca  By Paul Vickers, Executive Member, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
A new year is upon us and for Ontario’s farmers, that means it’s time to renew their Farm Business Registration (FBR) for another year. It’s required by provincial law for any farm business in Ontario with gross income of at least $7,000 and brings with it a variety of benefits for farmers. These include access to the farm property class tax rate for agricultural land, being eligible for government funding or cost-share programs, and a membership in one of Ontario’s three accredited farm organizations. FBR renewal is available online and we encourage all farmers to consider taking advantage of this option. Not only is it faster and more efficient, but it reduces administrative costs which means more of your membership fees can be put towards doing good things for farmers and rural Ontario instead. For the OFA, a key part of the FBR renewal process is farmers’ selection of their general farm organization of choice for 2023 and their decision on where to allocate their membership dollars. I farm with my family in Grey County near Meaford and I’ve been a member of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) for about 35 years. For me, membership in the OFA gives me the assurance that there is an organization that is taking the time to thoughtfully look out for the best interests of farmers. It’s challenging for each individual farmer to have the time to understand the many issues that impact agriculture and to grasp the intricacies and implications of government policies and regulations on agriculture and rural communities. The OFA has the resources and a dedicated and knowledgeable team of staff that allows our organization to do the necessary background work needed to take informed positions on key issues. It’s something I didn’t fully appreciate the value of myself until I became a provincial OFA director in 2019 and become more widely immersed in the activities of the organization. Personally, I also value the role that OFA plays in helping urban Ontarians understand the challenges and needs of farmers and rural communities, whether that’s the importance of farmland preservation or the benefits of distributing economic growth and development across all regions of the province. The OFA is the largest general farm organization in Ontario, and we are committed to being an industry leader for our 38,000 farm business members and working to secure the growth, sustainability and profitability of our agri-food sector and rural communities in the province. We do that through influence, advocacy and collaboration: building relationships, strengthening existing partnerships and solidifying new connections with industry partners, stakeholders, government representatives, and members of the general public. Of particular priority is bringing the issues and policies affecting the agri-food sector and rural Ontario to the attention of industry stakeholders and the appropriate levels of government. This includes the importance of protecting farmland through responsible land use development, prioritizing our food security and domestic food production, addressing the challenges of mental health and wellness in agriculture, and highlighting the ongoing need for rural infrastructure investments and a strong and skilled labour force. We are particularly proud of the reach of our Home Grown campaign, which has attracted the support of over 56,000 Ontarians for local food production and farmland preservation, and of the launch of the Farmer Wellness Initiative (FWI), a free mental health counselling service for Ontario farmers and their families, regardless of farm organization membership that is funded by the provincial and federal governments. Our county and regional federations are also active in their communities to raise the profile of agriculture, from road safety awareness for slow-moving vehicles and emergency response to agricultural education, local food promotion and food bank support. We appreciate the loyalty of our members and the trust they place in our organization every year to be their voice, represent their interests and turn their concerns into action. Thank you for your support as we continue to work hard to ensure Farms and Food Forever. To renew your Farm Business Registration online, visit www.agricorp.com/fbr. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 tyler.brooks@ofa.on.ca  By Peggy Brekveld, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
The start of a new year is often a time for resolution and goal setting. Whether that goal is to walk more steps each day, grow a better tomato or win first place at the 4-H club show, each one requires us to look at what we want to achieve and find ways to get there. As we start 2023, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is doing that too – as we’re reflecting on the year that was and some of our achievements, we’re also looking to the year ahead and what we’ll be focusing on. For me personally, the most important accomplishment for OFA over the past year has been the development and launch of the Farmer Wellness Initiative. Research has shown that farmers suffer from stress and mental health issues more than average Canadians, and we now have support available specific to the agriculture sector. This includes a free bilingual helpline counselling service 24/7/365 by professional counsellors with agricultural backgrounds and training, available at 1-866-267-6255, thanks to a partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association – Ontario Division and financial support from the provincial and federal governments. In 2022, OFA was also very active in raising the profile of farmland preservation in Ontario. The newest census numbers paint a stark picture of the speed at which we’re losing prime farmland in Ontario – 319 acres a day – to development and urbanization. That statistic has been quoted hundreds of times this past year, and combined with our Home Grown campaign, has helped raise awareness of how important farming is to our province in terms of our communities, our economy, and the food that we eat. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of many people and organizations, including the OFA, the provincial government has decided to proceed with its plan to rezone thousands of acres of prime farmland in the Greenbelt to build new houses. We will, however, continue to advocate for the protection of farmland and the importance of maintaining our ability to grow food, fuel, and fibre here at home. At the same time, we recognize the importance of addressing Ontario’s housing crisis, and we will continue to work with government to propose workable alternative solutions to that issue. We will also continue to focus on addressing the labour needs of agriculture and rural Ontario and attracting people to an industry that has room to grow. Together, we can help create a more sustainable workforce by prioritizing skill development and training and promoting jobs in the sector. At the same time, Ontario needs continued investments in critical infrastructure like energy, broadband internet, roads, bridges, schools, and healthcare for rural communities so they can attract and keep new businesses and residents. As the federal and provincial governments roll out the next agricultural policy framework this year, the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, OFA will be looking to see how Ontario agriculture can continue to build on the environmental sustainability gains we’ve already made and help farmers more widely adopt the best management practices that have helped us achieve those gains. It’s a reality that the start of 2023 is very different from the start of 2022. Costs for fertilizer, packaging, fuel, energy and more have all risen as our economy grapples with inflation levels we haven’t seen in years. Interest rates are up, and I believe all farmers are feeling the pinch. OFA will continue to support the industry as we have in past economic tough times. We are looking forward to connecting again with you, our members. Winter is meeting season in Ontario, which means we’ll be attending many annual general meetings in our own sector, and also attending conferences and events hosted by other organizations, such as the Rural Ontario Municipal Association and the Good Roads Association. Each of these will present an opportunity to make new friends and engage with politicians and other stakeholders in more informal settings about the issues that matter to farmers and rural Ontario. So, as we start into 2023, I’d like to raise a glass and offer you our best wishes as you aim for your goals – and OFA will continue to work hard to help you reach them. To Farms and Food Forever. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 tyler.brooks@ofa.on.ca |
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