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OFA Commentary #4609
 
Stressing agriculture’s need for investment
 
By Bette Jean Crews, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
 
All of Ontario’s Members of Provincial Parliament will be hearing from representatives of Ontario agriculture in the coming weeks. It’s part of a campaign being staged by the Ontario Agriculture Sustainability Coalition.
 
In a letter to all MPPs, we point out that “a strong and diverse agriculture sector can sustain our rural communities, provide healthy locally produced food for Ontarians, contribute to an improved environment and reduce the environmental footprint of the food we eat while accelerating our economy to help make Ontario a stronger and more vibrant province.”
 
It won’t be a surprise if urban MPPs get back to us to report they don’t have farmers in their riding and therefore aren’t interested in the campaign. When this reason is given, all participants in the campaign will quickly remind them their constituents likely eat food, and if farmers aren’t given adequate public support, the local food supply will be in jeopardy. What other single issue affects every one of their constituents?
 
Coalition members will also remind our MPPs that today’s agriculture is so much more than food. Farming today provides opportunities for a cleaner environment, green energy sources such as biomass and wind, solar energy, and a vast supply of products capable of being converted to medicinal and consumer products.
 
The letter that went to MPPs reminds them that Ontario is losing its competitive position within Canada as other provinces introduce programs to help their farmers. “Without immediate action, our respective sectors will face irreparable harm that will snowball to significant and long-term impacts on our economy and communities,” the coalition warns.
 
Members of the coalition are Grain Farmers of Ontario, the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association, Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association, Ontario Pork, Ontario Veal, and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.
 
We want the MPPs to understand that these organizations have developed solutions to the industry’s problems. They must also appreciate that the solutions require government investments – “investments that will help Ontario’s economy to recover and become stronger. Without them, our economy will suffer further damage.”
 
Our presentation to the MPPs will assure them agriculture and its leaders are fully aware of the government’s deficit situation.
 
The coalition has also told MPPs: “a strategic investment in agriculture is known to pay significant dividends. Not only will it save our farming economy today, it will also sustain our communities and the critical mass of infrastructure needed to keep farming alive and healthy in the future.”
 
The value and importance of the “critical mass” needs to be highlighted for the MPPs.
 
This critical mass includes everything from the network of equipment dealers and repair shops, to the veterinarians, sales barns, abattoirs, grain elevators and grain handling facilities located throughout the province. Once this critical mass starts to disappear, it is the beginning of the end for agriculture, and ultimately the demise of our rural economy.
 
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