Ontario Providing Support for Ginseng Farmers

Mar 11, 2022

BRANTFORD — The Ontario government is supporting the creation of an industry-led pilot loan guarantee program to assist the province’s ginseng farmers in sustaining and growing their business.

“The ginseng industry is an important part of the agri-foods sector in Ontario, and the development of this programming is the result of months of discussions with our ginseng farmers about how we can help them given their unique growing cycle,” said Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “The new Ginseng Storage Loan Guarantee Pilot Program will help stabilize and strengthen ginseng operations, ensure their long-term economic viability and growth, and provide a boost for the communities where they grow this world-renowned crop.”

The $130 million, three-year commitment to back the Ginseng Storage Loan Guarantee Pilot Program enables participating farmers to borrow up to $1 million against the value of their stored crops with the government guaranteeing up to 25 per cent of any loan portion that cannot be repaid.

This financing will help farmers make investments to sustain and grow their business, and to cover operational costs during a challenging period in which the sector has seen its cash receipts decrease from $271.5 million in 2015 to $131.9, in 2020. This support comes following a difficult time where ginseng producers have been impacted by unfavorable weather conditions, trade barriers, COVID-19 and other factors that presented a unique set of challenges.

The program will launch on April 1, 2022, and will be delivered and financed by the Agricultural Credit Corporation which also delivers the Commodity Loan Guarantee Program.

Supporting this pilot program adds to the variety of actions the government has taken to assist Ontario’s farmers and to increase their capacity to manage business risks that are beyond their control. Ontario increased the share of compensation that the province pays to qualified farmers enrolled in the federal-provincial-territorial AgriStability program along with the removal of the Reference Margin Limit feature of this program.

Source : Ontario

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.