What We have been Working on for You: OFVGA Activities Update January 2020

Marie-Claude Bibeau was reappointed as Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his new cabinet last month and the ministers received their mandate letters before the holidays. OFVGA will be participating in the federal lobbying event being hosted by Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC) and Canadian Produce Marketing Association in February to ensure the interests of Ontario growers are represented. OFVGA will also be in Ottawa in mid-March to attend the Canadian Horticultural Council annual general meeting.

 

Latest status: OFVGA has written to the Minister and her parliamentary secretary Neil Ellis, as well as the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition and the opposition critics of federal ministries relevant to edible horticulture. Next steps include making contact with Ontario Members of Parliament to make them aware of our sector’s key priorities: financial protection for growers, crop protection and labour. 

Video: Season 6, Episode 12: Veterinarians’ Perspectives on Managing Swine Herd Health Across All Phases

Identifying challenges in swine production and turning them into solutions through research and team development is the focus of this episode. Dr. Christine Mainquist-Whigham of Pillen Family Farms and DNA Genetics shares insights on herd health, biosecurity and trial work to improve pig performance. She also discusses her team’s research philosophy, how they evaluate rate of investment and how they gather feedback from employees to address challenges and maintain herd health across all phases of production. Dr. Carlos Roudergue of Country View Family Farms discusses the growing complexity of swine production, especially as technology increases and employee interaction decreases. He also shares how their workforce is shifting toward more specialized roles to support herd health and efficiency.