By Bill Groenheide, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
I’m a director with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, and we’re the largest advocacy organization for farmers and rural issues in the province.
Throughout the winter, we travel across Ontario attending farm shows, conferences and meetings — including OFA’s Policy Advisory Council and Northern Caucus — to hear directly from our members and bring their concerns forward to decision-makers.
As winter meeting season wraps up, a few clear themes have emerged.
The volatility in both the cost and availability of key inputs like seed, crop protection, fertilizer and fuel is an ongoing challenge. Rapidly rising fuel prices linked to global instability, alongside a spike in fertilizer costs just as planting season approaches, are weighing heavily on farmers. At the same time, ongoing trade uncertainty, particularly with the upcoming review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), continues to create concern across the sector.
Together, these two issues reinforce why strong government Business Risk Management programs are so important for farm businesses. The federal government’s recent decision to set the interest-free portion of the Advanced Payments Program at $250,000 for 2026 is welcome, and a permanent increase to $350,000 would even better reflect the realities of modern farm businesses.
Protecting our productive farmland also continues to be top-of-mind. In Eastern Ontario in particular, ongoing planning for Alto, the proposed high-speed rail corridor linking Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City is on the radar of farmers and rural communities alike.
The proposed rail alignment is currently planned to be built through areas that include some of the most productive farmland in Ontario and Quebec, and OFA has been actively meeting with Alto and bringing the urgent need for an agriculture-first approach that avoids prime agricultural areas into the public eye.
We’re also hearing concerns about the amalgamation of conservation authorities and the potential loss of strong agricultural representation in decision-making related to land use, water management and conservation. At the same time, federal cutbacks to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research stations and programs are raising questions about our ability to respond to climate change, emerging pests and diseases, and to remain competitive globally.
I farm near Thunder Bay, and I represent farmers across northern Ontario on the OFA board. We just recently held our Northern Caucus, where local OFA federation members come together for two days of updates and policy discussions around issues affecting northern Ontario farm businesses.
Many concerns are similar to what we heard from farmers in other parts of Ontario, but the geography and distances in the north do bring some unique challenges to agriculture in our region.
There’s no doubt that the north is growing, but that means infrastructure, from roads and bridges to communications and more must keep up with that expansion. It was a tough winter for road closures in the north, for example, due to weather and major accidents, and unlike in southern Ontario, there are often no alternate routes available.
Access to veterinary care is an ongoing challenge in our region, and we’re pleased to see various provincial government initiatives underway to ease the strain. We’d like to see continued roles for the Northern Producer Animal Health Network and Veterinary Service Committees to help local vets and clinics access available programs and supports.
And more than in any other region in the province, farmers in northern Ontario continually struggle with crop damage caused by wildlife, such as Sandhill Cranes and black bears, for example. The damage to corn, grain, forage and hay crops is significant and current management tools and insurance programs don’t adequately address these losses for farmers.
OFA has been pushing for government action on this issue, including giving farmers more tools to protect their crops, expanding compensation, and supporting the Canadian Wildlife Service proposal for a limited Sandhill Crane hunting season to balance conservation objectives with farmers’ need to protect their crops.
From strengthening risk management programs and protecting farmland, to investing in research, infrastructure and region-specific solutions, the decisions made today will shape the future of farming in Ontario. Farmers are ready to do their part, but we need policies that recognize these pressures and support our ability to continue producing safe, reliable, homegrown food for Ontarians.
Source : OFA