Overview

Ontario farmers face a wide range of risks beyond their direct control — extreme weather, pests and disease, market and input-cost volatility, trade and geopolitical uncertainty. A strong suite of Business Risk Management (BRM) programs is essential to protect farm businesses, support investment and enable growth in the agricultural sector.

How the BRM suite works

Ontario producers access several federal-provincial cost-shared programs designed to manage production and income risks:

• AgriInsurance: Administered in Ontario by Agricorp, this production-insurance program protects producers from yield reductions and crop losses caused by factors beyond their control.
• Risk Management Program (RMP): Also delivered by Agricorp in Ontario, RMP helps producers manage risks such as sudden input-cost fluctuations and adverse market conditions.
• AgriStability: A margin-based support program that provides payment when a producer’s current-year margin falls significantly below a reference margin. Agricorp delivers this in Ontario.
• AgriInvest: Delivered federally by Agriculture and Agri‑Food Canada, it is a producer-government savings account designed to help manage moderate income declines and supports investment in the farm business.
• AgriRecovery: A framework triggered after major natural disasters or extraordinary events to provide targeted relief for recovery (over and above standard BRM programs).

OFA’s Position

OFA believes that BRM programming must be timely, predictable, flexible and sufficient to enable Ontario farmers to manage the risks they face and plan for the future.

Position on AgriInvest

OFA supports the full modernization of AgriInvest to provide farmers with increased flexibility and liquidity. In line with the Board’s recent decision, OFA’s position is that Farmers should have the freedom to make full, tax-exempt withdrawals from their AgriInvest account regardless of timing or use.

By removing tax barriers, this change will maximise farmers’ ability to respond quickly to on-farm investment opportunities or proactively manage risks.

Position on AgriStability

While improvements to the program in recent years are welcome, substantial gaps remain. OFA’s principal ask is to Return the payment trigger to 85 % of historical reference margins.

An 85 % payment trigger better reflects the reality of volatility in agriculture and provides stronger, more reliable support for producers when income drops significantly.

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) welcomed the federal government’s announcement on February 25, 2026 that pasture-related feed costs will be recognized as allowable expenses under the AgriStability program, beginning in the 2026 program year.

This amendment represents a critical step forward in providing equitable support for Ontario livestock producers. Livestock producers who rely heavily on rented pastureland will now benefit from improved responsiveness from the program.

While this announcement is a positive milestone, the OFA remains committed to advocating for further enhancements to BRM programs. The OFA will continue to advocate for additional program enhancements including returning the payment trigger to 85% of producers’ historical reference margins and permanently increasing the maximum payment limit under the program to $6 million.