Government Priorities

Provincial Priorities

Federal Priorities

Municipal Priorities

Provincial Priorities

Priorities for the Provincial Government

Grain Farmers of Ontario is the province’s largest commodity organization, representing Ontario’s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean, and wheat farmers who grow food for Ontario and people around the world on six million acres of farmland across the province.

Ontario’s grain and oilseed industry contributes over $27 billion in economic output and is responsible for over 92,000 jobs in the province.

Ontario’s grain farmers look forward to working with the Ontario government as a partner creating a policy framework for growth that:

reduces uncertainty and helps manage risks for grain farmers
maintains competitiveness with the U.S.
supports sector growth through investments and reducing red tape

Supporting Ontario’s grain sector supports sustainability, economic prosperity, and food security.

It’s a simple fact — Agriculture is the best investment for Ontario.

The following outlines the policy priorities that Grain Farmers of Ontario has identified to strengthen food security and benefit all Ontarians:

1. Ongoing support for Ontario’s Risk Management Program
Ontario’s Risk Management Program (RMP) helps farmers manage risks beyond their control including fluctuating costs and market prices.

The new RMP program features an additional funding raising the provincial RMP contribution to $250 million. Grain farmers in Ontario welcomed these changes and the ongoing support for the program.
We ask the Ontario government to continue this support for the ongoing program as well as the entire risk management suite.

2. Keeping Ontario grain farmers competitive by protecting markets & imports of farm inputs
Grain farmers in Ontario rely on important products needed to grow crops: including seed, fertilizer, machinery, and natural gas, and an economy that exports $6 billion in exports into the United States.

We ask the government to protect grains and oilseed export markets and the importation of inputs. We urge the government to take all possible measures to protect grain and oilseed farmers from the adverse effects of tariffs imposed by the current U.S. administration.
Farmers are relying on the Ontario government to act as a strong advocate with the federal government to protect Ontario’s grain export markets and to consult Grain Farmers of Ontario before enacting any retaliation measures that could directly impact farmer-members.

3. Accelerate the use of grain-based renewable fuels
Ethanol is part of the solution for Ontario’s economy and for improving the environment.

Increasing the contribution of ethanol in gasoline and biodiesel and renewable diesel from soybeans in diesel lowers the carbon footprint of transportation fuels, supports local rural economies, creates new opportunities for grain farmers, and promotes increased domestic renewable fuel production.

4. Providing relief on carbon tax for grain drying
The Carbon tax is a financial burden on farmers.

Farmers were pleased to see the elimination of the Cap-and-Trade system in Ontario but the federal Carbon Tax is an ongoing burden and expense for grain farmers. Farmers need relief from costs of the carbon tax on grain farming especially on fuels used for grain drying.

5. Reducing red tape and investing in grain & oilseed processing
Investing in grain and oilseed processing, as well as downstream food, feed, and agri-product manufacturing, will generate new value-added opportunities, create more jobs and increase the sectors contribution to Ontario’s GDP.

We ask that the Ontario government continue to invest in value-added processing and the value chain for grains and oilseed.
The removal of red tape and unnecessary costs will help the grains value chain grow.

6. Reducing red tape and costs of trucking farm products
There is a critical shortage of truck drivers in Ontario and costs to maintain trucks have increased. Farmers in Ontario are paying more than they ever have to transport grain to buyers and inputs to the farm.

The cost of insurance, training, and annual safety certifications is a financial burden for farmers and a deterrent for new drivers. Insurance premiums for commercial trucks have increased 75 per cent cent over the last decade a cost that is unique to Ontario and not felt by competitors in other provinces and in the United States. Safety certifications have drastically increased in costs and created a red tape burden with annual requirements that are unrealistic for farm equipment. We urge the government to reduce these burdens and find ways to help reduce costs associated with insurance.

7. Review the reach of conservation authorities
Land management is a essential to growing food on farms.

Ensure that conservation authorities do not overreach their authority and that the ability to farm is prioritized in land use discussions is essential.

8. Prohibit municipalities from charging stormwater fees on agricultural properties
Municipal Stormwater charges on agriculture lands are unfair to farmers. Grain farms provide environmental benefits to municipalities, such as filtering contaminants, slowing peak flows, and replenishing aquifers. This fee not only unfairly taxes farmers but puts them in a competitive disadvantage.

We are asking the Ontario government for a provincial exemption of agriculture lands from stormwater fees.

9. Increase investment in research and innovation
Innovation drives farm productivity meaning farmers can grow more on the same amount of land. Grain farmers increased investment in research as well as post-secondary education to strengthen the future of agriculture.

Increased investment in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness–University of Guelph Alliance Agreement to enhance training, education, and science-based innovation will drive innovation, boost productivity, and help address environmental sustainability.
Investments in the University of Guelph–Ridgetown Campus as a world-class research centre will maximize the role of Ontario’s grain and oilseed industry in the circular economy, advance low-carbon solutions, and enhance Ontario’s food security.

Federal Priorities

Priorities for the 45th Federal Government

Ontario grain farmers are facing extreme uncertainty in the global marketplace. The federal government needs to get the following policy priorities right, so farmers can get back to doing what they do best – produce food for Canadians and people around the world.

Some quick facts about grain farming and the grain industry in Ontario.

Grain Farmers of Ontario represents the province’s 28,000 farmers who grow barley, corn, oats, soybeans and wheat. Ontario’s grain farmers provide versatile products that generate:

Food, renewable fuel, and fibres used around the world
Over $27 billion in total economic output
Employment for more than 91,000 people across Ontario
Strength to local economies through business investment in rural communities
Annual Tax revenue for government of:
- Federal – $1.07 billion
- Provincial – $857 million
- Municipal – $391 million

Grain Farmers of Ontario – Policy priorities for the federal government

Maintain the free trade between the U.S. and Canada that grains and oilseed farmers rely upon
- Ensure that the following critical products imported into Canada for planting grains and oilseeds crops remain tariff free
  - Fertilizer including nitrogen, phosphate, KMAG potassium-based products
  - Equipment for planting, growing, harvesting and moving a crop
  - Barley, corn, oat, soybeans, and wheat seed
  - Crop protection products including herbicides, insecticides and fungicides
  - Energy including natural gas, propane, fuel for gasoline, diesel
- Ensure that the exports of Ontario grain and oilseed commodities and products remain free of tariffs and non-tariff trade barriers
- Provide Ontario farmers ad hoc funding equivalent to the funding the U.S. Administration provides U.S. farmers
- Return any tariff money collected from Ontario grain farmers directly back to Ontario grain farmers
- Direct stimulus funding to protect domestic processing and creating new markets
Protect and grow opportunities in China, the Asia Pacific Central and South America and the EU and UK as trade relationships change
Create tax fairness for grain and oilseed farmers
- Exempt grain farming from the carbon tax
- Exempt grain farmers from the Capital Gains Inclusion Rate
- Maintain the pause on Bare & Blind Trust
- Reinstate the Capital Cost Allowance and Accelerated Investment Incentive Program
Protect grain farmers from escalating input prices and market volatility by providing 60 per cent funding for the RMP program for price stability during volatile times and stability during tariffs and make programming equivalent to the U.S. business risk management suite
Return Ontario grain farmers to an even playing field with U.S. farmers by removing the fertilizer tariffs and sanctions on Russian fertilizer imports
Recognize the significance of all renewable fuels particularly corn-based ethanol as both a market for Ontario grain and a low-carbon fuel source, and increase investment to build this market for further future growth
Establish an equitable distribution of research funding to support innovation in the Eastern grain sector and restore funding in plant breeding
Raise Advance Payments Program funding from $250,000 to $350,000 permanently
Return agriculture and agrifood funding to BRM programs where it is most important, including removing and halting efforts to introduce environmental cross compliance
Invest in Ontario’s food and beverage processing and export capacity to support new grain utilization opportunities

Municipal Priorities

Priorities for the 2023-2027 Municipal Government

The number one issue for us heading into the municipal elections is making sure agriculture is understood as a critical economic driver, not an afterthought in local decision-making.

Municipal governments have a direct impact on the ability of Ontario grain farmers to keep producing food, support rural communities, and run competitive farm businesses. Decisions made locally on infrastructure, land use planning, drainage, roads, bridges, taxation, conservation policies, source water protection, stormwater fees, and economic development all show up directly on farms. Safe, reliable roads and bridges are especially important for moving farm equipment, transporting grain, and keeping farm businesses connected to markets.

Farms are also important economic engines in rural communities. When farms are strong, they support local businesses, equipment dealers, processors, transportation networks, input suppliers, restaurants, and main streets across Ontario.

Ontario grain and oilseed farmers are facing increasing global competition, especially from the United States, where governments continue to invest heavily in agriculture and rural infrastructure. That is why it is important for municipalities to recognize farming as a critical economic driver and a strategic industry for Ontario.

Ontario’s grains and oilseeds sector contributes approximately $27 billion annually to the provincial economy, supports more than 90,000 jobs, and pays almost $1 billion annually in municipal taxes across the province. Grain and oilseed farming is also foundational to Canada’s food security, supporting domestic food production, livestock feed, renewable fuels, and food processing across the country.

Grain Farmers of Ontario encourages municipal candidates and councils to work collaboratively with farmers, support practical and balanced policies, and avoid a patchwork of local rules that add cost, time, and uncertainty to farm businesses. We also encourage municipalities to keep rural infrastructure investment a priority and to work with farmers on practical approaches to source water protection and stormwater management that recognize the realities of agricultural land.

Ontario farmers are committed to sustainability, innovation, and strong rural communities. We look forward to working with municipal leaders who understand agriculture, value the contribution farmers make, and want to help maintain a competitive and resilient agricultural sector for the future.