I am pleased to announce the year and a half process of hiring a new Executive Director for the provincial OSCIA has been completed. Andrew Graham, who has served the OSCIA for a very long tenure, announced in June 2021 that he would like to retire (respectfully). This sent into motion a hiring committee which culminated in hiring Mr. Harry Stoddard to replace Andrew, starting January 16, 2023. Andrew Graham will stay on board to “shadow” Harry Stoddard until June 30, 2023, to ensure consistency in activities. Harry grew up in Lindsay ON and was formerly the General Manager for the Lindsay Agricultural Society, bringing their activities to provincial recognition over the past 15 years. Harry brings to OSCIA considerable consulting experience, agri-food business strategy and policy design, and has proven expertise in leading teams of employees and volunteers. Welcome Harry!
One of Harry’s first major jobs was to attend the OSCIA AGM held February 7th. There was a successful “hybrid” meeting held whereby the Provincial Directors attended in person while members joined virtually. During the AGM an announcement of a positive operation profit/loss was made, which is a culmination of many of the changes made. Harry will have his work cut out for him to balance the budget in the coming years. We have all the confidence that this will happen, given his experience with the Lindsay fair board.
The “On Farm Climate Action Fund” (OFCAF) had received 450 applications for the January 2023 intake with over 85% of applications submitted online through the OSCIA portal. These projects will need to be completed before Dec 1, 2023.
At long last the federal and provincial governments have negotiated a Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) for Ontario that will see upwards of $1.77 billion in support for the agri-food sector over the life of the agreement. Through Sustainable CAP, $569 million will be invested in strategic initiatives, which is a 25 percent increase over the previous funding agreement. There will also be roughly $1.2 billion for continued, demand-driven, business risk management supports for farmers.
Sustainable CAP will also boost investments in research and innovation and other strategic areas to strengthen the sector. The agreement will include the launch of the new Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program (RALP), a funding initiative to mitigate climate change and support the agricultural sector in better addressing sustainability outcomes. More details will follow, but the announcement can be found in the link below: https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1002765/governments-reach-landmark-agreement-to-strengthen-ontarios-agri-food-sector
Bruce County SCIA expressed their interest in the development of a province wide youth membership and OSCIA is currently investigating which options are available. Details are to follow.
E-Tractor Pilot Program (TruEV) Electrification makes sense for agriculture, offering a more efficient and manageable source of torque, less noise, and creating much fewer emissions around our food supply and in our atmosphere. TruEV (a Toronto-based company) is hoping to drive the change to electrification with the provision of an electric utility tractor for Ontario agriculture. Their parent company, TREV Enerji Otomotiv, has developed a fully electric, high horsepower farming tractor in Turkey and they are introducing it to Ontario farms with the intention of commercializing it in North America.
Working with the OSCIA through a pilot project in 2023, TruEV is bringing 10 e-tractors to a diverse group of Ontario farms to perform research on the capabilities of the 130-horsepower tractor, receive real-time feedback, produce a report in partnership with OSCIA, and use the project to develop and manufacture an enhanced version of the vehicle ready for the North American market. This project will also identify the work that cannot be done by an electric tractor, from which TruEV will prioritize modifications and future technology developments. OSCIA is proud to be a part of this leading-edge technology.
A reminder that there is a new mental health support Line 1-866-267-6255. Please don’t be afraid to give it out or use it yourself.
Stay safe everyone!
Andy van Niekerk, P.Ag. Provincial Director, Georgian Central
Cell: 705-446-5080