Loblaw Partners With Cattle Feeders To Offer Ontario Beef

Rodney Koning

Loblaw Companies and the Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association have teamed up to boost sales of Ontario Corn Fed Beef across the province.

Several Loblaw executives and members of the OCFA were on hand to officially introduce the new partnership during an event on May 25, at Tremblett’s value-mart in Toronto.

The deal involves more than 150 Zehrs Markets, valu-mart, Your Independent Grocer and Bloor Street Market grocery stores in Ontario.

“While we have always supported Canadian beef, this new partnership means the vast majority of beef available in these 150 stores will be produced by farmers from Ontario,” said Rodney Koning, vice-president of Meat and Seafood Procurement for Loblaw.
“Consumers will now be able to easily identify and purchase Ontario beef.”

Koning said the Ontario Corn Fed Beef program offers several benefits for both the retailer and consumers.

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Showing Up Against The Conflict Industry

Bruce Vincent

A logger from Montana has a word of advice to help Ontario livestock farmers deal with those who are opposed to their type of business.

Bruce Vincent believes that “activism” should appear on a line in the farm business plan.

He made the comment during his keynote presentation at the 2011 Beef Industry Convention in London (Jan.6).

Vincent has become a well-travelled speaker on the impact of the “timber wars” between loggers and environmentalists in the United States.

Sharing his experience as the co-owner of a family logging company in Libby, Montana, he said people in the timber industry lost their social licence to operate.

“We’re crossing the thin line between environmental sensitivity and environmental insanity,” said Vincent as he explained how “eco-activists” are wielding more influence in the political discussions in rural America.

Not only did opponents of the timber industry build legal and regulatory cases that protected wildlife and the environment, Vincent said the provisions put logging companies out of business.

Agriculture’s Time To Shine

Alastair Summerlee

The president of the University of Guelph says it’s time for agriculture to take centre stage to face the significant problems of a changing world.

Dr. Alastair Summerlee was the keynote speaker at the Southwest Agricultural Conference in Ridgetown Jan. 5.

Summerlee says food production must increase by 100 per cent in the next 50 years to meet the demands of a growing population.

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Furthermore, he says the challenge to double food production comes at a time when urban growth is reducing the amount of agricultural land available for growing crops and raising livestock.

Summerlee says seventy per cent of the new food will have to come from innovation as well as increasing production and yields across the world.

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He says farmers, the agriculture industry and universities will have major roles to play in meeting the challenges.

Summerlee also says agriculture is ushering in a new era as people are realizing the importance of farming in the developed world.

In Ontario, he says agriculture is a key economic driver, surpassing manufacturing and health care as the province’s largest employer.

Exciting Lineup for 2011 Beef Industry Convention

The 13th Annual Ontario Beef Industry Convention features a dynamic lineup of speakers.

Hosted by the Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association, the event will be held January 6-8, 2011 at the Best Western Lamplighter Inn in London.

The Convention is renowned for bringing all sectors of Ontario’s beef business together to celebrate the industry while providing valuable insight into the challenges ahead.

Bruce Vincent

 

The  list of speakers includes Bruce Vincent, a third generation logger from Libby, Montana. Bruce helped form and is currently serving as President of Communities For A Great Northwest, Executive Director of Provider Pals and is co-owner of Environomics.

In Praise of Farming & Local Food at IPM

Laureen Harper officially opens the 2010 IPM

Praise  for farmers and local food production highlighted the opening ceremonies of the 2010 International Plowing Match that was held in September in St. Thomas.

While the event celebrates Ontario’s farmers and the province’s  rural heritage, it has also become a venue for Ontario’s political leaders to discuss farm policy.

“This is an all too rare opportunity for us to give thanks to and to celebrate the extraordinary quality of life to be found in rural Ontario and how farming and farmers are such an important contributor to that quality of life.

“And we’re pleased and proud to continue to work with farmers,” said Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty as he spoke to the media during the opening day of the 2010 IPM in St. Thomas.

Farmer Finds Market Stability With Organic Pork

Ridgetown-area farmer, Rock Geluk

“I always knew I wanted to farm; I just had to figure out how to do it.”

That’s how Rock Geluk of the Ridgetown area sums up his decision to go into organic pork production.

 Geluk operates Gelro Farms with his wife Stephanie.

 The mixed grain and livestock farm was part of the Kent Federation of Agriculture’s Round the County Agri-Tour on Sept. 12.

Geluk – a second-generation farmer – has been working on his own farm since completing his education at the University of Guelph in 1995.  His parents immigrated to Canada from the Netherlands in the 1960’s.

“My parents live down the road. My dad and I share equipment and we help each other out. So it’s a true family farm,” said Geluk. 

Ignatieff Talks Farm Policy at Ag Fair

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff at the Comber Fair

Federal Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff says he wants to partner with Ontario to design farm risk assurance programs.

He made the comment during a brief stop at the Comber Agricultural Fair August 8.

Ignatieff and an entourage including Quebec MP Justin Trudeau visited the fair as part of the Opposition Leader’s bus tour that has been going across Canada this summer.

“We want to design risk assurance programs from the farm gate up, as opposed to from Ottawa,” he said. “The thing I keep saying across the country is we need flexibility.”

Besides the RMP, Ignatieff said the country needs a national food policy “that puts more Canadian food on Canadian plates.”

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Ignatieff’s informal visit to the Comber Fair lasted about an hour before the tour moved on to Windsor.

Besides the customary routine of chatting with the crowd and posing for pictures, Ignatieff started a heat for the demolition derby and presented ribbons to 4-H competition winners.

Beef Producer Wins Premier’s Award

Scott Bothwell, a technician from Beef Improvement Opportunities, performs ultrasound scans on the herd at Buis Beef Ranch

Putting ultrasound technology to good use has earned a Chatham-Kent beef farm a Premier’s award for innovation.

Mike and Joanne Buis have been using the ultrasound to determine the best marketing dates for their on-farm beef retail business.

The system allows a “best before” date to be assigned to each animal at birth, and this knowledge is helping the producers increase control of their product at all times.

It has also enabled the farm to reduce overall feeding costs and inefficiencies and boost retail sales and customer satisfaction.

Progress In Talks Over Abattoir Concerns

Dr. Deb Stark addresses the Class of 2010 at the U of Guelph's Ridgetown Campus

The province’s chief veterinarian is pleased with her recent discussions with a group of small abattoir owners.

Dr. Deb Stark, who is also the interim Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs,  met with eight operators last Thursday (June 3) over their concerns about new Ontario regulations covering small abattoirs.

Stark says they reviewed the group’s suggestions on how they could effectively comply with the new rules.

Among other things, she says they’re looking at ways of reducing paperwork and minimizing the regulations without compromising food safety.

The small abattoir operators have been asked to respond to the agriculture ministry’s plans within the next few weeks.

The group has also been invited to take part in working groups with members of Ontario’s association of Independent Meat Processors on the issue.

Meanwhile, Stark says she is excited about the chances of the discussions resulting in something good for the industry.

She made the comments after her keynote speech to the 58^th annual graduating class of the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown Campus on Friday.

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Westag Presents First Lifetime Achievement Award

Peter Twynstra accepts Lifetime Achievement Award

A southwestern Ontario farm and agri-business leader is the first person to receive the Westag Alumnus Lifetime Achievement Award.

The honour was presented to Peter Twynstra at Friday’s (June 4) graduation ceremony at the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown Campus.

Twynstra, who graduation from Ridgetown in 1960, was recognized for his successful business career and for his volunteer efforts.

He is best known for founding the Great Canadian Bean Company of Ailsa Craig  in 1978.

The company was sold in 2003 and is currently owned by Hensall District Co-op.

He was the founding president of the Ontario Farm Safety Association in 1973 and was the first junior president of the National Farmers Union.

In 2002, Twynstra was the chairman of the International Plowing Match in Middlesex County.

After the ceremony, Twynstra said he was humbled by the award presentation.

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The award was created by the Ridgetown Agri-Food Foundation to recognize the achievements of former graduates.

Past Chairman of the foundation Ken Monteith says choosing the first recipient was a difficult task.

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As part of the award presentation, Farm Credit Canada donated $5,000 to the Ridgetown Agri-Food Foundation.