Consider This (https://consider-this.ca/tag/agriculture/)
Farming and related issues
The show:
Take a drive out into rural Northumberland. You will see all kinds of farms. It is easy to assume most of those are family farms. Yet, the family farm is on the decline in Canada. Well over 90 percent of farms are family-owned and operated. Barely half the farms are sole proprietorships. The rest are either partnerships or corporations, according to Statistics Canada in 2016. Continue Reading →
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The show:
The full interview with bonus material:
Farmers are busy preparing to put crops into the grounds. This time around, they have a year of the pandemic under their belts. A lot has changed. Then again, not a lot has changed. The supply chain issues have settled. Continue Reading →
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Full interview with bonus material below:
Six months ago, I spoke with this same group of farmers from the Northumberland Federation of Agriculture. The lockdown had just started. Some grocery store shelves were empty. Everyone was buying toilet paper. You could not find yeast to save your soul because people started bake bread at home. Continue Reading →
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It is one thing to slow down to go around a tractor on a backroad. But it is certainly another when you get 70 tractors, trucks, sprayers and other vehicles lined up. That is what happened recently. It was a tractor parade to pay tribute to frontline workers at Northumberland Hills Hospital and the Golden Plough Lodge. It was organized by the Northumberland Federation of Agriculture. Continue Reading →
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Close to 100,000 migrant workers from the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America come to Canada each year to work in the agri-food industry. Hundreds come to Northumberland to help, especially on the fruit and vegetable farms. Many apple growers will tell you, it is an essential part of their business. But with travel bans and concerns over the spread of COVID-19, there were big questions marks about what was going to happen this spring. Farmers lobbied hard and got exemptions, along with a financial aid package. So, these workers were given a choice to stay home with their families or come and earn money working on farms. For some, it is not really a choice since this money is more than they would ever make at home. Continue Reading →
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You can’t say it is an everyday sight to see a group of field tractors surrounding Northumberland Hills Hospital, along with a line of pick-up trucks following close behind. But that was the scene recently during a tractor parade organized by the Northumberland Federation of Agriculture to thank all the frontline staff at the hospital. It is a rare sight to see farmers being so public. Usually, they toil away quietly making sure we all have food in front of us. And, while you may see the odd billboard reminding you that Farmers feed Cities, these are not the type of people who take a bow. Continue Reading →
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Once more local farmers find themselves in a precarious position, drawing into question the sustainability of agriculture in Northumberland County and across the province. Members of the Northumberland Federation of Agriculture came before county council asking for a tax break to offset skyrocketing increases in the land assessment last month, only to be turned down. Bruce Buttar, a long-time farmer and member of the Federation, said some farms are facing increases of 123 percent, far above the provincial average of 64 per cent. This is placing a huge burden on local farmers, he said. Farmers already get a break. Continue Reading →
Northumberland farmer Bruce Buttars, a local director with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, explains concerns over the request for a tax break from county council, land assessments and the future of farming during Consider This Live, part of the Drive Time on Northumberland 89.7 FM. Continue Reading →
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If famers are not having a hard enough time dealing with this summer’s incredible drought, the Ontario government decided to hurt them some more. Changes to the Farm Products Marketing Act, recently proposed by the Farm Products Marketing Commission, wants to gut the role of one of the marketing boards, effectively wiping out the authority of the Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers. This means the body in charge of negotiating price contracts for 14 of the province’s vegetable crops, including carrots, beans and tomatoes, will be completely transformed. Until now, the system has maintained a pretty equitable deal between farmers, processors and retailers. Like all marketing boards, it provides stability of prices, allowing farmers to plan and invest. Continue Reading →
By Robert Washburn
If every household in Northumberland County spent just $10 per week on locally produced food, it would put an extra $16.4 million into the county’s economy each year, says a food advocacy organization. Considering the amount each family spends on groceries weekly, it is not much. But, the impact is profound. Now, the provincial government wants to make every hospital, school, municipality, university, college, long-term care facility and other public institutions promote the use of local food. Let’s hope this will mean these institutions will also be encouraged to purchase local food, not just talk about it. Continue Reading →