Gary... - Gary Martin

Lunch and Learn: Marketing Boards

Few consumers are aware of the system in place which gets the raw materials for food from the farmer to them.

Even fewer still are aware of the number and variety of marketing boards that run the system which exists in Ontario.

The roots of the marketing board system may be traced to the development of the co-operative movement in the early part of this century.

Co-operatives were promoted as a means of enabling producers to band together to improve their strength in the market place.

There has been a recognition, for a very long time, that producers of agricultural products, by reason of their relatively small individual size and large numbers, are at a distinct disadvantage in dealing both with buyers of their products and sellers of their supplies.

Co-operatives were aimed at correcting this perceived inequity.

Through this mechanism, producers could gain the advantage of volume purchasing in buying their inputs and, hopefully, reduce the number of sellers of agricultural raw products, thereby, reducing the ability of dealers, wholesalers and others to play one farmer off against another to drive down farmers’ prices.
A History of Agricultural Marketing Legislation in Ontario

Approximately 60% of the value of all agricultural products produced by Ontario farms is marketed through 22 provincial marketing boards and 3 representative associations.

Marketing Boards can be categorized by ‘levels’, each with increasing regulations and authority:

Promotional Boards
Price Negotiating Boards
Price Establishing Boards
Supply Management with marketing quotas

Promotional Boards are restricted to organizing and financing research and promotional projects aimed at stimulating demand for the particular agricultural product.

For example, the Grain Farmers of Ontario (Level 1) was created in 2008 as a merger of:

Ontario Corn Producers’ Association (former Level 1: Promotional Board)
Ontario Soybean Growers Marketing Board (former Level 2: Negotiating Board)
Ontario Wheat Producers’ Marketing Board (former Level 3: Price Establishing Board)
and Barley and Oat Growers (Level 1) were added in 2015.

Videos from the Grain Farmers of Ontario (Promotional Board):

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Ontario Grain Farming 101 Trailer

Ontario Grain Farming 101: What is Ontario Grain Farming?

Ontario Grain Farming 101: Growing a Grain Crop Overview

Ontario Grain Farming 101: Farm Business Structure

Ontario Grain Farming 101: The Grain Farming Team

Ontario Grain Farming 101: Farm Equipment

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Lunch and Learn: OMAFRA Appeal Tribunal

The Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal is an independent, quasi-judicial appeal body set up to hear appeals concerning matters in the agriculture and food industry.

The Tribunal can hear a multitude of types of appeals under their mandate but the majority of ones heard are Drainage Act appeals.

Drainage Act appeals are allowed in the categories of assessment, benefits and costs, construction and design, legal and procedural, and other appeals in the following bodies:

Court of Revision (Municipal)
Ontario Drainage Tribunal (Provincial)
Drainage Referee (Provincial Court)

Below is a list of the types of Drainage appeals and the body that hears those appeals:

(click to expand)

Source: Drainage Act appeals

Lunch and Learn: Ag Nuisance legislation in other jurisdictions

Nuisances and Normal Farm Practices in Kansas

Land use conflicts are often present in urban, residential and commercial areas. However, they also occur in rural areas.
When Is an Agricultural Activity a Nuisance?

YouTube player — Roger McEowen, interviewed by Greg Akagi, Kansas AG Network / 580 WIBW, April 18, 2022.

State-level Right-to-farm Laws

Every state has enacted a right-to-farm law that is designed to protect existing agricultural operations by giving farmers and ranchers who meet the legal requirements a defense in nuisance suits.

The basic thrust of a particular state’s right-to-farm law is that it is unfair for a person to move to an agricultural area knowing the conditions which might be present and then ask a court to declare a neighboring farm a nuisance.

Lunch and Learn: Normal Farm Practices and Permitted Uses

Nuisances and Normal Farm Practices:

Getting Along with the Neighbours

Normal farm practices:

Are consistent with proper and accepted customs and standards as established and followed by similar agricultural operations under similar circumstances.
Include the use of innovative technology used with advanced management practices

Best Management Practices:

Ontario Soil and Crop Association InfoSheet #12

Uses Permitted in Prime Agricultural Areas:

an overview of provincial policies and guidance on permitted uses in prime agricultural areas, to inform those new to the topic or to provide a refresher.
an opportunity to hear about municipal best practices from municipalities.
information on tools that will make it easier to support diversified uses in municipalities.

Balancing Growth and Compatibility:

Lunch and Learn: Property Assessment and Taxation

Municipal Property Assessment Video Playlist

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How Your Property Tax is Calculated

How to read your Property Assessment Notice

How MPAC Assesses Property

How MPAC Assesses Farm Properties

How MPAC Assesses Business Properties

Understanding Phase-In

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Lunch and Learn: Provincial Planning

The Impacts of Bill 23 on Agriculture and Planning Webinar:

A background on agricultural land use planning and farmland loss in Ontario, the challenges, opportunities, and impacts of Bill 23.

Farmland loss statistics in Ontario are reviewed, as well as learning about recent provincial housing initiatives and how these impact agriculture.

Background and changes to farm loss and urban development
Third-party appeals
Development charges
Conservation Authorities

Changes to Bill 23 After Lobbying Efforts

Bill 136, Greenbelt Statute Law Amendment Act, 2023

The Bill amends the Greenbelt Act, 2005 to restore the 15 parcels of land that were redesignated or removed from the Greenbelt in late 2022. The Greenbelt Statute Law Amendment Act, 2023, ensures any future boundary changes are made through an open, public and transparent legislative process.

Bill 150, Planning Statute Law Amendment Act, 2023

The Bill reverses provincial changes made in November 2022 and April 2023 to official plans and official plan amendments in 12 municipalities: the cities of Barrie, Belleville, Guelph, Hamilton, Ottawa, and Peterborough, Wellington County, and the regional municipalities of Halton, Niagara, Peel, Waterloo and York. The reversal includes changes to urban boundaries while maintaining protections for the Greenbelt.