OFA Gets the Ear of Premier-Designate Wynne on Four Key Agriculture Issues

Feb 01, 2013

Ontario Federation of Agriculture Sets Agriculture Priorities for 2013

Ontario’s largest general farm organization, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) recently had the opportunity to speak with incoming Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne on the four key issues that the OFA will be focusing on for this year.

The OFA acknowledged that Wynne provided some frank answers on each issue, but the organization is looking forward to continuing the dialogue with Wynne on agriculture issues over the next year.

The four issues that the OFA will be tackling this year include – Ontario’s agriculture and food strategy, energy, regulatory modernization, and investing in rural Ontario.

Moving forward, OFA representatives have been meeting with all the other political parties and sharing the OFA’s agenda. In the coming months, OFA hopes to grow a stronger presence at Queen’s Park and is looking forward to introducing some new lobby tools to encourage OFA members to play an active role in advocacy in their own communities.

Ontario agriculture and agri-food industries contribute $33 billion annually to the Ontario economy and represents 10-percent of the province’s entire workforce.

Video: How Can We Grow More Food With Less Impact?

For over two decades, Dr. Mitloehner has been at the forefront of research on how animal agriculture affects our air and our climate. With deep expertise in emissions and volatile organic compounds, his work initially focused on air quality in regions like California’s Central Valley—home to both the nation’s richest agricultural output and some of its poorest air quality.

In recent years, methane has taken center stage in climate discourse—not just scientifically, but politically. Once a topic reserved for technical discussions about manure management and feed efficiency, it has become a flashpoint in debates over sustainability, regulation, and even the legitimacy of livestock farming itself.

Dr. Frank Mitloehner, Professor and Air Quality Specialist with the CLEAR Center sits down with Associate Director for Communications at the CLEAR Center, Joe Proudman.