With summer starting up, we all look forward to the bounty of fresh foods coming in season over the next few months. Juicy strawberries, summer salads, and fresh green beans are just a few of the delicious foods that we have access to thanks to a variety of pollinators in our Ontario ecosystem.

By Jackie Kelly-Pemberton, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture Three years ago, Transport Canada updated its Grade Cross Regulations with new amendments that all public and private railway crossings in Canada must follow.…

We’re all feeling it. Whether fueling up at the gas pump or making a trip to the grocery store, increasing costs of these basic goods have never been more apparent. Putting food on the table and fueling transportation, while recovering from a global pandemic, has created serious financial strain on all of us. But the price spikes don’t end there. On top of groceries and fuel, farmers are experiencing a major increase in the cost of input supplies. Not only is this increasing financial pressure on farm businesses, but also impacting stress levels and overall mental health for the farming community.

With a diverse and extensive list of challenges to address across the agriculture industry, it’s important to have leaders that bring their own unique skills, perspectives and passions to the table.

Today, marks the kick-off of Local Food Week in Ontario. It’s an annual highlight for our industry and all the hardworking individuals that grow, nurture and harvest the food that nourishes Ontarians, the province and the world. This special week of recognition takes place from June 6-12 and is the opportune time to celebrate the abundance of fresh, healthy food that is grown, produced, and processed right here at home. It’s the perfect month to commemorate local food as the growing season gains momentum with early season favourites such as asparagus, field strawberries and rhubarb.

There is something exciting about all election campaigns. There’s the intense analysis, the microscope that looks at every candidate’s individual word, and activities. There’s the ups and downs of polls that inspire and discourage people as they cheer on their favourites. There’s the push to get people up out of their chairs to the local community hub to vote, vote, vote! All this ends with a result that potentially lasts for the next four years – are you engaged in this excitement?

We’re now into the final weeks of the provincial election, and Election Day will soon be upon us. Many Ontarians have already had a chance to engage with candidates to talk about the key issues and how their parties would address them.

Ontario’s provincial election campaign is now in full swing, and across the province, candidates are engaging with voters in hopes of capturing their support at the ballot box. In turn, voters want to know where candidates stand on the issues that matter most to them.

Throughout the last two years, farmers and farm businesses have worked hard to adapt to the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. That included ensuring Ontarians continued to have access to locally grown food and keeping farm workers and rural communities healthy and safe.

For decades, farmers have been losing prime farmland to urban sprawl. I have seen several productive farms turned into housing developments, soccer fields, shopping malls, movie theatres and highway extensions.