National ag ministers’ meeting

By Drew Spoelstra, OFA

To The Haldimand Press

When the federal, provincial, and territorial agriculture ministers gather in Quebec City this week, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) wants to ensure Ontario’s Minster Hardeman addresses our key issues with his colleagues.

Invest in rural infrastructure – Farming and our agri-food industry rely on transportation, access to services, broadband, labour, and infrastructure to operate in rural areas across Ontario and Canada.

With the right public investments rural communities can attract new local investments and new residents to provide a necessary skilled labour force. Our industry can drive the economy, but only with workable infrastructure.

Update Business Risk Management programs – Immediate and long-term improvements to the Business Risk Management (BRM) programs are needed to enable the programs to address the risks Canadian and Ontario farmers are facing, including volatility and increased risk from global trade disputes, declining commodity prices, and competitive disadvantages.

OFA supports commodity organizations in calling for immediate improvements to the AgriStability and AgriInsurance programs.