| This column was printed in The Grower, June 2008: This year, April 22 marked the beginning of a new era in Ontario. It was the official unveiling of Premier McGuinty’s province-wide pesticide ban – promised during last fall’s election and somewhat surprisingly both kept and acted upon by the government in seemingly record time. Basically, Bill 64 proposes to amend the Pesticide Act to ban the sale and use of a specific list of pesticides – a list that includes 78 active ingredients and over 300 products – for cosmetic purposes. Continue reading Banning pesticides not the answer  This week marked the start of my 14-month stint as Executive Director for AGCare.
AGCare provides science-based information and policy initiatives on environmental issues on behalf of Ontario’s 45,000 crop and horticulture farmers – efforts that are sorely needed to represent farmers’ interests relating to hot topic issues like pesticides, water, soil conservation and general environmental stewardship.
Continue reading A new gig with AGCare  A face familiar to Ontario agriculture is the new president of the Eastern Canada Farm Writers Association (ECFWA). Kelly Daynard, Program Manager and Communications Specialist with the Ontario Farm Animal Council, assumed the helm of ECFWA at its annual general meeting yesterday in Cambridge following a three year term as First Vice President. She took over from outgoing President Lilian Schaer, Executive Director of AGCare, who led the organization for the past three years.
Continue reading Farm writers elect president
Now safely ensconced at Queen’s Park for another four years, Ontario’s Liberal government seems keen to move ahead with its proposed cosmetic ban of pesticides. Out of the many promises they made during last fall’s election campaign, this one seems to be one of the least pressing. On the surface, a pesticide ban is probably relatively easy to implement and potentially popular with voters. But although there’s been talk of an exemption for agriculture, the ban does nothing for the farming community.
Continue reading Proposed ban needs farmer input Ontario’s farmers have put together an enviable track record of environmental achievements over the last twenty years. More than most, their farms, their businesses and their families depend on a healthy environment to thrive and flourish. In fact, farmers are often called pioneers of the environmental movement, caring for the land long before “going green” became [...] | |
