The Ontario Government’s $2-million investment in the Fertilizer Accelerating Solutions & Technology Challenge is welcomed by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) as a made-in-Ontario solution to an international problem.

The preservation of farmland is a very critical issue in Ontario. According to figures from the Census of Agriculture released in the spring, Ontario is losing 319 acres of productive farmland every day. That’s the equivalent of 58 city blocks, nearly 800 hockey rinks or 4,785 tennis courts. In terms of food, that is enough acreage to produce more than 23.5 million apples, 1.2 million bottles of Ontario VQA wine or 75.6 million carrots.

A telehealth line that makes mental wellness support available to all Ontario farmers and farm families is now live. It is part of the Farmer Wellness Initiative (FWI), which addresses growing mental health concerns in the agricultural sector by offering more accessible mental health and wellness support to farm families across the province.

It’s not an official season in the calendar, but kicking off in mid-August and running through mid-October, it is fall fair season in Ontario.

The Chair of the federal Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food is spending the next two days in Niagara Region. Kody Blois, Member of Parliament for the Nova Scotia riding of Kings-Hants, will be touring farms in the area and meeting with industry leaders to learn more about the issues and priorities of Ontario farmers.

The successes, issues and priorities of Northern Ontario agriculture are in the spotlight today as Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honorable Marie-Claude Bibeau tours farms and agri-businesses in northeastern Ontario and meets with local industry leaders.

Corn has been part of Canadian agriculture for hundreds of years and has long been considered one of the most diverse food items that can be added to any dish for extra sweetness or crunch. Ontario — with three sweet varieties that are used in recipes all over Canada: super-sweet, normal and sugar-enhanced — is one of the top provinces for corn production in the country.

There’s nothing like peaches in season; fresh, local peaches are truly one of summer’s greatest, most delicious gifts. Sweet and juicy peaches not only taste great but, with their beautiful golden blush colour, look fantastic sitting in your kitchen’s fruit bowl.

July brings with it more than the best of the summer weather — it is also the time of year when Ontario cherries are ripe and ready for harvest.

It’s strawberry season! The arrival of summer also means the arrival of Ontario’s fresh, sweet and juicy strawberries. Not only do they tickle your tastebuds, but strawberries are full of antioxidants. A fat-free, sodium-free delicious snack, the amount of recipes strawberries can be packed into is only limited by the imagination.