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June 5-11 is Local Food Week! It’s an opportunity to celebrate and recognize the abundance of fresh, healthy, affordable local food that we are privileged to have access to across the province.
The Dundas Federation of Agriculture (DFA), along with Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO), the Dundas Dairy Producers Committee (DDPC), and the Dundas Soil and Crop Improvement Association (DSCIA) recognizes that many within our community need support and especially as the cost of living continues to climb with inflation. The DFA, CFFO, DDPC and DSCIA are helping to increase access to local food by giving back to our community. Today’s donations are of $500 from each of the local agriculture groups to Community Food Share. This $2000 donation is helping our community increase their access to local food while improving local food literacy. Our agricultural community encourages all to support local and encourage an increased use of local food by public and public sector organizations when possible, supporting our agricultural community today and into the future. Community Food Share would like to also remind our local producers that they accept fresh produce and will work with our farmers for any donations of meat. By Louis Roesch, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture This week is Local Food Week in Ontario – an annual event where Ontarians are encouraged to eat local and enjoy the many different types of foods produced close to home. Although it’s often marked with photos of freshly picked asparagus or strawberries that are now in season, it’s an opportunity to celebrate the incredibly wide range of food we are able to produce right here in Ontario. Did you know that Ontario farmers produce more than 200 different foods, from a wide range of meats and field crops like grains and soybeans to dairy, eggs, fish, honey and more? Whether fresh, frozen, processed, Ontarians can enjoy a large variety of healthy, high-quality food that is grown by Ontario farmers and processed locally. I’m proud to be one of those local food producers. I farm with my family in southwestern Ontario between Chatham and Thamesville, where we raise our own livestock and grow crops. We have our own on-farm further processing meat plant, which is where we obtain all cuts of pork, beef and poultry. We also have our own government inspected on-farm egg grading station. As well as our own eggs, we also sell Ontario-made cheese, a whole range of canned goods and even popcorn grown in our area. I’m also proud that we don’t sell anything that is not a product of Ontario. We started our store to sell our own products to local consumers, and over the years, it’s also become a way for us to support other farmers and food producers by carrying their products too. You’ll find many local food businesses just like ours or farmers markets across Ontario where you can pick up everything you need for a local Ontario-grown meal all in one spot. As you can probably tell, local food is very important to our family, but to us, it also means community. Through our store and our catering business, we get to know and interact with a wide range of people both locally and a little further afield – brought together by a shared appreciation for good, local food. We appreciate the public’s interest in local food, which has been and continues to be a cornerstone of success for Ontario agriculture. At the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), we encourage Ontarians to shop locally and enjoy local food all year round. Shopping local means you’re supporting farms and businesses in your community, which in turn means jobs in the agri-food sector and in rural Ontario, and the economic growth and prosperity they contribute to our entire province. Consider this: our agriculture and agri-food sector contributes an estimated $47 billion to the provincial economy every year, and employs more than 10 per cent of Ontario’s workforce. That makes local food a big deal in Ontario, and every local food product that Ontarians buy supports farm and food businesses of all sizes across our province. Our local federations of agriculture also play a key role in promoting local food as well and helping connect consumers with farmers and food businesses in their areas. In my region of Chatham-Kent, for example, I was part of an initiative by our local federation of agriculture to create Buy Local! Buy Fresh! maps and a website to introduce and guide consumers to local food and farming businesses to help them enjoy a true farm-to-table experience. You can find out what’s available in your area through a quick Internet search or by visiting the websites of Farm Fresh Ontario or Farmers’ Markets Ontario. At OFA, we also believe strongly in helping the next generation of Ontario consumers get to know and appreciate local food. Our Six by Sixteen initiative helps teach young people to find local food, make healthy food choices and learn how to cook – with the goal of being able to prepare six nutritious meals by the age of 16. In honour of Local Food Week, keep an eye on our social media channels this week to learn more about Ontario’s local food system and the great food products grown and produced here in Ontario. For more information, contact: Rachelle Kerr Communications Coordinator Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-803-4957 [email protected] By Ethan Wallace, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture The belief in the strength of community and of giving back runs deep in Ontario, particularly in rural areas of our province. Two years ago, when many farming and rural communities were struggling under the burdens and impacts of the pandemic, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) created its Revive Fund. It’s a program that provides funding to help our 51 county and regional federations plan, develop and launch projects and initiatives in support of agriculture and their local communities – and our local organizations have stepped up with many impactful ideas. Over the past two years, OFA has invested more than $200,000 to support projects in 36 counties and regions across Ontario. These run from farm and road safety signage and training to teaching people about farming, promoting local food, supporting food banks and more. I farm in Huron County and our local federation of agriculture partnered with agricultural businesses in our region to do a Slow-Moving Vehicle signage campaign. We replaced faded or missing signage and stickers on farm equipment to help raise awareness among both farmers and motorists on how critically important road safety is, especially at busy times of the year like planting or harvest when there is more equipment on the road. And this year, we’re taking advantage of our unique position near Lake Huron’s cottage country to promote food and farming to cottagers and tourists on the way to the lake. We’ll be handing out insulated OFA Farms and Food Forever bags to long weekend grocery shoppers with information about Huron County as well as a copy of the popular Real Dirt on Farming publication to give them some insights into what agriculture is all about. Other Ontario projects this year will focus on agritourism, bus tours for local municipal leaders or food influencers, signage to help passersby identify crops, events that focus on the future of farming, and even a weather station program that will help the local community benefit from more detailed weather forecasting. I’m proud of how our local federations of agriculture have embraced this fund and have identified needs in their communities that they can help address with their innovative project ideas. It’s also great seeing OFA as a provincial organization support more investment into initiatives like the Revive Fund that will help bridge the gap between urban and rural residents. Farming is most often thought of something that happens far from our urban centres, relegated to small towns and rural areas with few connections to towns and cities. After all, less than two percent of Canada’s population is involved in farming and the closest many Ontarians ever get to a farm is shopping at a local farmers’ market or visiting an agri-tourism attraction near an urban area. We all need to eat, but farming and food production also support and influence every major aspect of life in our province, from jobs and food security to health care and the environment, which makes agriculture in today’s world as much urban as it is rural. When I think of the cottagers that come to Huron County for the weekend, for example, where we live and what we do might be quite different, but there is more that connects us than we might think. We share many common values like family, community, a love of food or a desire to protect the environment so we can leave a better world to our children. You can learn more about the many impactful local projects that have been supported through the Revive Fund on the OFA website. For more information, contact: Rachelle Kerr Communications Coordinator Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-803-4957 [email protected] By Cathy Lennon, General Manager, Ontario Federation of Agriculture Experts agree that in today’s connected world, it’s a matter of when, not if, a business will face a cyber security problem. Breaching incidents of all kinds, whether it’s compromised information, financial fraud or data that is held hostage until a ransom is paid are on the rise, and agriculture is not immune to these threats. Recent incidents in our sector have affected Quebec’s general farm organization, the Union des Producteurs Agricoles, and Ontario crop input retailers who had customer lists and credit card information held for ransom. Business was severely interrupted – and the path to not just regain access to data, but the trust and confidence of customers, employees or other stakeholders is a long and costly one. Outdated, unmaintained systems running old software no longer being updated is one of the most common vulnerabilities – and is widespread, especially in small businesses. Research by Professor Ali Dehghantanha, a University of Guelph Canada Research Chair in cyber security and threat intelligence, shows that the last software update in 90% of farming systems was years ago, and most farms don’t have a software patching or updating policy. Lack of data backup leaves a business particularly vulnerable in a security breach, and can also be a serious problem in case of computer or server failure, or a virus, for example. People also represent a cyber security risk. Lenient approaches to who has access to on-farm systems, such as sharing passwords, using a single login for all users or not removing system access from employees who no longer work for the business can leave a business vulnerable. As well, a lack of awareness amongst farmers, their families or their employees of scams like phishing emails, where fake messages encourage users to click on potentially damaging links or share information, is also a challenge. It used to be easy to pick out a phishing email through a strange sender address, poor grammar or content that didn’t make sense. Now, cyber criminals are getting more and more sophisticated, such as, sending a clear, concise message to the HR department from an email address that is incredibly close to an employee email address and advising of an address or bank account change with a request to “update the employee records”. If the person reading that email doesn’t notice any inconsistencies or a business or organization doesn’t have a multi-step authentication policy, this can easily lead to a non-recoverable financial loss if a payroll deposit goes into an incorrect bank account, for example. There is no such thing as 100% security, but with cyber criminals looking for weak or vulnerable targets, experts suggest taking steps to minimize risk as much as possible. A few simple steps include:
Yes, it can be tedious and there is some cost involved, but every day, week or year that we protect our businesses and prevent problems is invaluable. 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 Together with Ontario livestock organizations, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) has identified the critical shortage of veterinarians, especially those active in large animal medicine, as one of the biggest problems facing farmers in this province. Veterinarians play a critical role in promoting and protecting livestock health, and limited veterinary capacity ultimately leaves people, animals and our food system at risk. That’s why the recent announcement by the provincial government, that they’re funding expanded access to veterinary care in remote and northern Ontario communities, is such welcome news to farmers. It’s particularly exciting for those of us who farm in the north. My family and I raise livestock and run a freezer meat business near Thunder Bay, and I know first-hand how challenging it is for farmers in this part of Ontario to access veterinary services – and for veterinarians to provide the care that livestock need. Northern Ontario spans a vast area, and with both farmers and veterinarians spread out widely across the region, it’s not uncommon, for example, for a veterinarian in New Liskeard to serve a farmer in Cochrane, which is a two-hour drive away. The newly announced partnership between the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph and Lakehead University in Thunder Bay will expand its program to train more veterinarians and offer a new provincial grant program for recent graduates that will provide incentives to work or establish practices in underserviced areas such as rural, northern and remote communities. These types of investments are critical to making our region an attractive destination for young people, businesses and families to live and work, and to help the growing agriculture sector in northern Ontario realize its untapped potential. In addition to expanding funding and support for veterinary services, the provincial government has also announced a consultation to modernize the Veterinarians Act. This is the legislation that governs the practice of veterinary medicine in Ontario, and sets the framework for veterinary licensing, accreditation, and oversight. It’s the first substantial review of the Act in 30 years, and the government is proposing changes in four key areas: scope of practice, oversight and authority, quality assurance and the complaints and resolutions process. The practice of veterinary medicine has evolved significantly over the past few decades requiring modernization of regulations to better reflect today’s practices. Under the current Act, only a licensed veterinarian can engage in the practice of veterinary medicine, and the legislation requires clarity on what is and is not within their scope of practice. The newly proposed scope would provide an updated definition for the practice of veterinary medicine and would include provisions for other veterinary professionals including veterinary technicians, Registered Veterinary Technicians (RVTs), and veterinary technologists. A list of accepted activities performed by veterinarians and veterinary professionals along with those that can be delegated are also part of the proposed changes. OFA has been a long-time advocate of expanding the use of veterinary professionals, such as RVTs, to provide specific services to decrease the demand on veterinarians, help increase access to essential medical care, and help reduce the costs of animal health services to farmers. We believe in a whole-healthcare approach to animal care, with competent professionals working together to address the critical shortage of veterinarians and access to veterinary care. The provincial government discussion paper detailing the proposed changes is open for comment until May 30, and OFA will be submitting a response on behalf of the farming sector. This response document will be available on the OFA website once it has been finalized and submitted. While modernizing the Veterinarians Act is an important step forward in addressing the critical shortage of veterinarians in Ontario, it is important that farmers, stakeholders, government, academia and veterinarians work collaboratively to find solutions to this ongoing challenge. Timely access to veterinarians and essential medial services for livestock is paramount to a successful agri-food system. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 [email protected] By Paul Maurice, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture It’s springtime in Ontario and after the long winter months, Ontarians everywhere are heading outside – for recreation, gardening, or in the case of farmers, for planting crops. That means you’ll see more large tractors and farm equipment on the roads as farmers travel from field-to-field and farm-to-farm to work their land and get crops in the ground. Many of those roads are also used by trucks and cars, which makes road safety for both farmers and motorists essential to help all of us prevent accidents. I farm in Simcoe County, but as a board member with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), I also represent farmers in York and Peel Regions. In all three of these municipalities, large urban centres are located near or next to working farms, so road safety revolving around farm equipment for farmers and motorists, from commuters to cottagers, is even more of a priority here. Last year, the OFA launched a province-wide billboard campaign, accompanied by audio ads played during radio traffic updates, to draw attention to slow-moving farm vehicles and how motorists can safely share the road with large equipment. Many local federations of agriculture, including York Region, have also provided Slow Moving Vehicle (SMV) signs for farmers to properly identify their equipment and vehicles. Farm equipment in general is much larger than it used to be, and many rural roads have narrow shoulders. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, for farmers to pull off to the side safely and let motorists pass. Space between a slow-moving vehicle and an ongoing car can close very quickly, so we urge drivers to pay attention to indicator lights – and to remember that passing cautiously is important to keep everyone safe. This past month, the Simcoe County Federation of Agriculture hosted an agricultural road safety information day for elected officials, staff and local first responders in Innisfil Township. The goal was to help participants gain a better understanding of the size and scope of modern farm equipment and just what it means to share roads safely with motorists. We also engaged in good conversations around what is needed to safely accommodate farm equipment when the municipality is designing new roads and bridges. The event was a pilot project that was very well received, and we hope to extend it to other municipalities in the future. Spring doesn’t just mean an increased need for road safety, though. It’s also a time that farm families need to be vigilant about safety on their own properties, especially when it comes to keeping children safe. That’s why my local federation of agriculture in Simcoe County offers a program called Keep Kids Safe. It’s been on hiatus for the last three years because of COVID-19, but it came back this spring with close to 70 children taking part in the event. The event was held at Huron Tractor in Stayner. Through six different stations, kids learned about being safe around tractors, lawn mowers and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). Local paramedics and firefighters reviewed tips on what to do in case of a fire or an accident and when to call 911, and Hydro One gave demonstrations around proper electrical safety. Although designed for children, Keep Kids Safe has become a multi-generational event over the years, as some parents who attended when they were young are now bringing their own kids out for the safety training as well. Farm safety is important for everyone on the farm, not just children. For adults, it means being aware of how to avoid accidents and injuries – especially during a busy and stressful time like planting. This includes things like keeping equipment fixed and up to date, taking a break when you’re tired or fatigued, and not cutting corners when in a rush. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 [email protected] By Peggy Brekveld, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture As an organization representing farmers, Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) needs to know both the realities of the current situation as well as look forward to the kind of future we want for our sector and for Ontarians. Knowledge is critical when you’re taking positions on issues for the farming sector and our rural communities and that’s why we support and invest in research. Unlike many other agricultural organizations, the research OFA funds, is less about determining the best crop to grow or looking at better ways to feed livestock, and more about processes and issues that play a key role in developing the policy positions we will take to government on behalf of our members. Much of this research happens behind the scenes so, two years ago, we started hosting Research Day – an event where OFA’s Farm Policy Research Group shares outcomes on the various research initiatives OFA is involved with and presents updates on other key issues the team is working on. Our 2023 event took place at the end of March and engaged closed to 200 people, including farmers, researchers, consultants, agricultural organizations, government and municipal representatives, and media. Here are some highlights of the day: Deadstock: An issue the livestock sector grapples with is finding solutions to what the industry calls deadstock – properly handling and disposing of animals that die unexpectedly on the farm. Jennifer MacTavish presented an update on a project she is leading for Livestock Research Innovation Corporation (LRIC) that is taking a new look at the issue from an international and innovation perspective, in hopes of uncovering practical new solutions the Ontario industry might be able to adopt. A final report is to be released soon. Agri-tourism: Last year OFA partnered with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) and the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO) on the 2022 State of the Ontario Tourism Industry Report. We also conducted a local food and agritourism survey, and overall, we learned that the Ontario farms engaged in direct-to-consumer sales range in size and scope as well as offer a diverse range of products – and that agritourism is an industry ripe for growth and economic opportunity. Cyber security: As farm businesses adopt more smart technology and connected systems, they also increase their exposure to cyber security risks. Abbas Yzadinejad of the University of Guelph’s Cyber Science lab explained three common threats:
Environmental practices: Dr. Michael Drescher from University of Waterloo has been studying environmental best management practices – windbreaks, on-farm forests and buffer strips – and what motivates farmers or hinders farmers from adopting these practices. He found that over 70% of farmers maintain forests or wooded areas on their farms, 64% have planted windbreaks and just under half maintain riparian buffer strips. Leading motivators for these decisions were their own convictions, social pressures, and government. Agriculture in northern Ontario: OFA has been a strong advocate for supporting agriculture in northern Ontario and OFA senior farm policy analyst Ben Lefort gave an overview of agriculture’s economic footprint in the north and how that has changed in the last decade. The number of farms has increased, and the revenue per acre of farmland has almost doubled, with much of the growth coming from field crop production. Funding for tile drainage and land clearing has played a key role in supporting this growth, but northern Ontario also needs infrastructure investments like roads and highspeed internet, as well as more access to farming support services like veterinarians. Speakers also provided updates on OFA’s slow moving vehicle road safety campaign, mental health research, fertilizer use, and soil health benchmarking in the Greenbelt. For anyone interested in more information, recordings of all the sessions will be available on our YouTube Webinar channel and shared across our communication platforms in the coming weeks. 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 April 22 is Earth Day. It marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement and efforts to raise awareness of the need to protect the Earth and its natural resources for future generations. And while most Canadians are increasingly aware of how important our environment is, there are few people who know our soil, air, and water more intimately than farmers. Afterall, those natural resources are foundational to our livelihoods and our ability to feed people – and we know firsthand how important it is to maintain and nurture them for future generations. I farm with my family near Maxville, about half an hour north of Cornwall, where we grow field crops. I’m also a Certified Crop Advisor, which means I help farmers with advice and decision-making about the crops that they grow. I work as a crop consultant with many different farmers across our region, so I see first-hand the kind of work that they put into being good environmental stewards, encouraging soil health and protecting water quality. Preventing soil erosion is driving most of the commonly seen environmental best management practices on farms in my area. Buffer strips, for example, help keep soil and fertilizer out of water courses. Many farmers plant crop mixes that not only have fibrous roots that give structure to the soil, but also serve as excellent pollinator habitats when they’re in bloom. Cover crops are a popular tool to keep the soil healthy and on the field instead of blowing away. They are secondary crops that are planted after farmers have harvested their main field crops, so that the ground always has a living green cover. I also see farmers expanding their crop rotation, which means they’re finding other crops to plant in addition to corn and soybeans, such as grain crops like wheat or rye. This helps with keeping soil healthy and fertile. And there is less tillage than there used to be as farmers increasingly move away from plowing and use methods like minimum- or no-till to keep soil disturbance to a minimum and avoid erosion. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) has long been a strong advocate for soil health, land stewardship and environmental programming for farmers. To help develop new environmental policy and program recommendations, OFA recently worked with other farm organizations and Dr. Michael Drescher, an associate professor in the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo, on research to gain better insights into what motivates farmers to adopt environmental best management practices (eBMP) on their farms. Drescher gave an overview of the study results at the recent OFA research day. His work focused on three practices: windbreaks, farm forests and riparian buffers, which are areas of permanent vegetation between farmland and water courses. All three practices support reducing soil erosion, providing wildlife habitat, and protecting water quality to varying degrees. He found that over 70% of farmers maintain forests or wooded areas on their farms, 64% have planted windbreaks and just under half maintain riparian buffer strips. Many farmers also rent farmland from other landowners to grow crops, and few reported investing in these practices on land that they don’t own. As well, farmers closer to urban areas are more likely to rent farmland owned by developers. In fact, for every kilometer closer to a city, the odds of a landlord being a land developer increases by 12% and they generally don’t maintain or even encourage removal of eBMPs, Drescher noted. His study also found that about two-thirds of respondents were driven to adopt these practices of their own conviction. Other motivators were outside pressures, like government encouragement and other farmers in the area adopting similar practices. The most frequent barrier to adopting all three of these practices is labour, including maintenance, just as regularly managing and cleaning up branches when trees in a windbreak get too big for example. Agriculture in particular struggles with finding enough workers to fill available jobs on-farm. Finding the funds to implement and maintain farm forests, windbreaks and buffers is also a challenge for some farms, and over 85% of study participants expressed a desire for government programs to help offset at least half of eBMP costs. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 [email protected] By Crispin Colvin, Vice President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture Canada is in the midst of a housing crisis and different levels of government are introducing various measures to try to ease the pressure. For the federal government, one of those measures is the Underused Housing Tax Act that became law last year. It is a one percent tax on the value of vacant or underused housing, and the new federal legislation requires that individuals who aren’t Canadian citizens or permanent residents, as well as private corporations and partnerships – which includes farms – who own residential housing to file an Underused Housing Tax return even if they don’t have to pay any tax. The legislation was designed to address urban homes, condominiums and apartments that have been purchased for investment purposes, often by foreign buyers, and are now unused or not used to their full extent. Farmers don’t play a meaningful role in Canada’s rental housing market, but they’re now forced to deal with the unintended consequences of these new rules. That’s because many farmers do in fact own more than one residence, but not because they’re keen to be landlords or residential investors. Rather, their interest lies in the land, and they’ve bought additional farmland over the years to expand their business or, for example, make it possible for a son or daughter to become part of the farm. Much of that farmland often includes a farmhouse and as those older, smaller farms are absorbed into larger ones, farmers inadvertently become the owners of multiple residences. And regardless of whether those homes are subject to the new tax or not, the new legislation requires that farmers must now file a return under the Underused Housing Tax Act. A separate return has to be filed every year by April 30 for each property a farm corporation owns, and if that return isn’t filed, the penalties are substantial – up to $10,000 or more. As farmers, we are in the business of farming, not real estate, and although most of us are exempt from paying the actual tax, many may still be unaware of the new legislation, its requirements, and its penalties. The paperwork is onerous and time consuming, and the information available on government websites is not terribly detailed or easy to understand. That’s why the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), along with the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and other farm organizations, has been actively advocating for the federal government to exempt farmers from having to file an Underused Housing Tax return. We’ve been raising awareness and meeting with elected officials and government staff to explain the issue of multiple dwellings in rural areas when farmers buy farmland, and the unintended consequences this legislation now has for the farming community. Late last month, the federal government announced it is delaying any fees or penalties until October 31, giving affected property owners an extra six months to file their first return under the new act. Although this is a welcome reprieve to give us more time to make sense of the legislation, it doesn’t address the greater long-term impact and burden it places on farm businesses. Farmers are caught in the middle of governments trying to find housing solutions and the unique realities of farm businesses who unintentionally find themselves with multiple dwellings through the purchase of additional farmland. OFA and our partner organizations will continue to advocate strongly for a filing exemption for farmers, but while we do, we encourage all farmers to make sure they file their Underused Housing Tax return in order to avoid the substantial penalties, and to contact their accountants with any questions. There are also resources available on the OFA website, including a webinar we hosted last month in partnership with BDO to give background and answer questions on the issue. 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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