Sweet program for Ontario farmers

There’s a major agricultural election issue in Ontario that Prairie farmers don’t fully appreciate. The province of Ontario has developed a Risk Management Program for all its non-supply managed agriculture sectors. The program provides revenue insurance based on prices that are related to cost of production. On March 29, Ontario announced a budget of $150 million for the Risk Management Program and the province is going after the feds for cost sharing. The program has a lot of support among Ontario farmers and there’s a lot of pressure being applied to have the feds come on board. So far the federal Conservatives say they won’t support the program, but the Liberals say they will. For the Liberals, this is good politics, but it’s probably bad policy. Observers say the program design is likely to lead to countervail action. Beyond that, there’s the issue of fairness. Should Ontario grain, oilseed, beef and pork producers receive federal support for a program that’s dramatically different than what is available in other provinces? Watch for this issue to come up during the Agriculture Leaders Debate which is scheduled for Monday, April 11 starting at 9:00 am Saskatchewan time. The two-hour event will be webcasted live on the Canadian Federation of Agriculture website.

I’m Kevin Hursh.

DynAgra, an independent Western Canada-based Company, is dedicated to providing growers with the tools to manage the risk and maximize the profitability of their farm business through the continued innovation of agricultural products and services. We are committed to developing and providing growers with the latest in precision agronomics, variable rate technology, soil fertility, crop protection, fertilizers, custom application and financial solutions.