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.

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) and farmers across the province welcome the return of several ministers in key ministries most relevant to the agriculture industry and rural communities.

Ontario is losing 319 acres of farmland every day. That is the average daily loss of farmland, according to data from the latest Census of Agriculture that was released last month. It is a steep climb from the 175 daily average loss that was recorded in the 2016 Census of Agriculture.

With an election that essentially returned the status quo to Queen’s Park, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is looking forward to continuing to work with the provincial government and opposition Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) to build a stronger agriculture industry and rural Ontario.

Canada’s farms are increasingly sustainable and high tech and they’re modernizing rapidly to adapt to the changing world. The latest Census of Agriculture data released by Statistics Canada shows more widespread use of sustainable farming practices, higher rates of technology adoption and renewable energy production on-farm, and a rise in direct marketing to consumers.