Ontario Announces Successful Applicants from the Rural Economic Development Program

Feb 24, 2021

WOODSTOCK - The Ontario government is helping communities diversify their economies, retain skilled workers and create jobs by investing nearly $800,000 through the Rural Economic Development (RED) program. Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, today announced the 16 local projects that were selected.

"This new targeted funding is just one of the many ways our government is supporting job creation and economic development across the province," said Minister Hardeman. "We're encouraging local economic growth by supporting projects that help expand businesses and provide skills development and training for employees. These kinds of investments are particularly important as we lay the foundation for our recovery from COVID-19."

This funding supports projects designed to enhance economic development efforts, such as:

Mentoring, coaching and helping youth in northern Ontario communities with job searches, hiring and starting businesses.
Providing supports for business attraction, expansion and retention as well as succession planning in order to overcome rural economic development barriers.
Develop and support industry partnerships.
To recruit and coach Indigenous women in non-traditional jobs throughout Northeastern Ontario increasing participation in the skilled trades.
Introducing asset management strategies to 30 economic development officers representing rural, northern, and Indigenous communities in order to better operationalize potential investments and build economic development capacity.

The targeted intake was directed at upper-tier municipalities and not-for-profit regional organizations with a mandate of regional economic development. Qualifying projects were eligible for up to 70 per cent of total costs to a maximum of $75,000 in provincial funding.

Source : Ontario

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.