Proposed Amendments to Regulation 440

Aug 17, 2016

On June 28th, the Ontario government posted a regulation amendment proposal to Regulation 440, which governs the Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers (OPVG) marketing board and its authority relating to 14 vegetable varieties for processing. In it, they proposed removing the negotiating powers of OPVG, and “moving to a free market system.”

The CFFO is very concerned about the proposed changes. Our concerns are twofold. First, the consultation process itself is short (45 days), poorly timed in the busy harvest season, and has given producers very limited information about the proposed changes and the reasons behind them. This leaves producers anxious about the details and implications of how a new free market system would operate in Ontario. This does not offer producers a fair opportunity to evaluate or comment on the changes proposed.

Second, we are concerned about the proposal to remove negotiating power from the OPVG marketing board which has been working effectively for producers in Ontario. Ontario processing vegetable producers have enjoyed the stability of the marketing regulation, where they are confident to invest in their farm businesses, and have predictable, fairly negotiated prices. These producers support the OPVG and its work on behalf of their interests, and for the benefit of the industry as a whole. Because farmers are marketing highly perishable crops, in a market that has a limited number of purchasers, a free market system is unlikely to effectively balance the power of processors with that of farmers for processing vegetables in Ontario.

Based on this, the CFFO does not support the proposed changes to a free market system for Ontario processing vegetable producers.

Source: Christianfarmers

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.