This column is to keep you informed about the key issues that OFVGA is tackling on behalf of Ontario’s fruit and vegetable farmers.

 

Ontario Bill 132

 

The legislature resumed sitting in October and the provincial government announced its Better for People, Smarter for Business Act, legislation designed to reduce red tape across numerous provincial ministries. The OFVGA worked with its members and other associations to review and submit comments on a wide variety of proposed changes.

 

Fourth-generation grower Kyle Horlings is questioning the way things have always been done. Since 2015, he’s taken about 10 acres of carrots and onions out of production every year for restorative cover plantings. His experiments near King, Ontario garnered him the Healthy Soil Award from the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority in November.

The Prowl herbicide label is now expanded for control of labelled weeds on garlic, shallots and transplanted leeks in Canada

The Delegate insecticide label is now expanded for control of spotted wing drosophila on grapes and other pests in fruiting vegetables in Canada.

Hon. Marie-Claude Bibeau retains her post as minister of agriculture and agri-food.

The California company that has engineered an edible covering for fruits and vegetables is opening offices in key countries: Mexico, Netherlands and Peru.

USDA now requires Canada to inspect tomato and pepper fruit to ensure it is free of disease symptoms prior to export to the United States. The federal order is effective Friday, November 22, 2019.

The 28th annual Ontario Produce Marketing Association Gala shone a light on four of the industry’s brightest and best on November 15. One of them was Steve Bamford who won the Cory Clack-Streef Produce Person of the Year Award.

Former farmer Blaine Pedersen is the new minister of agriculture and resource development.

Passionate and politic – that’s the best way to describe this year’s crop of Canadian Young Speakers for Agriculture who competed at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair on November 2. This year’s senior champion was Ellie Stauffer from Alberta. The junior champion was also an Albertan: Ryley Mappin.