Farms at Work

05/15/2026

Are you following the ALTO High Speed Rail planning process?

If you're interested in joining the conversation, here are two pages where rural landowners are talking about the impact on their communities.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1221598969402398/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/889881053966615/

Farmers and others have started receiving letters requesting access to their property for drilling of test holes.
If you are concerned, MP Scott Reid has started a petition which you can find here: https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-7203&fbclid=IwY2xjawRwLYNleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFwNTlRV1YxMUhjbGtpcmtUc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHiiHal0p3e3ZanOhgHc6kUgDtAZmI4VdGA0KM92cwXxCsySrTwGJT1GaXuTF_aem_2qaBYgQmFFbCsnxMVIkYvw

There is no obligation on the part of the House of Commons or any Member of Parliament to authorize the publication of an e-petition or to present an e-petition or a paper petition to the House of Commons. Neither the House of Commons nor any Member of Parliament authorizing the publication of an e-...

04/27/2026

Fair Food Prices? Fair for who? Check out this important report from NFU Canada.

"This report identifies the causes of food price inflation by examining the farmers’ share of retail food prices in relation to consumer inflation. The evidence reveals that farmers have experienced stagnating prices for their products while consumer prices have increased. Ultimately, corporate profiteering is the primary reason for the widening gap between the farmers’ share and the grocery sticker price."

Through the Conclusions and Recommendations outlined in Section 3, the NFU of Canada is "...seeking nothing less than a food system that truly advances individual, community, and national food sovereignty."

https://www.nfu.ca/publications/fair-food-prices-the-declining-farmers-share-and-food-inflation

04/21/2026

Good News for Ontario farmland!
Ontario has just announced upcoming legislation to restrict foreign ownership of farmland. This promises to be a great step forward towards ensuring Ontario land feeds Ontario and reducing pressure on farm prices, which have reached unsupportable levels for farming. Consultation will begin April 22.
Read the full release here:

Province Protecting and Expanding Ontario Farmland | Ontario Newsroom

04/20/2026

Amanda from Belmont Farmstead has spent 15 years building and expanding a diversified horticultural operation, and she’s opening the doors to share what she’s learned.

Bring your questions and dig into greenhouse seedling production, native plant propagation, and the realities of starting, managing, and scaling a farm-based business.

https://3common.com/event/sustainable-seedlings-and-seeds-at-belmont-farmstead/69ceb52f9848f1e9e11b5fc7

04/15/2026

Link in bio!

04/09/2026

University of Guelph Looking for Farmer and Rancher Survey Participants

Click to participate in this survey investigating the relationships between stress and resilience, and to gather important information about the mental health of farmers and ranchers in Canada.

https://uoguelph.eu.qualtrics.com/.../SV_41PZdeZqT9WEcGG

Are you a farmer in Canada? Researchers at the University of Guelph and Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing are looking for participants to complete an online survey.

https://uoguelph.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_41PZdeZqT9WEcGG

Êtes-vous un agriculteur canadien? Des chercheurs de l'Université de Guelph et du Centre canadien pour le bien-être agricole recherchent des participants pour répondre à un sondage en ligne.

https://uoguelph.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0Bp1DUwUhYS38Pk

04/07/2026

New Farm Tour! Join us on April 24th at Belmont Farmstead!

Operating her business now for 15 years, Amanda is an experienced horticulturalist dedicated to soil health, biodiversity, and sustainability. She grows thousands of seedlings each season, offers individual support to ensure thriving gardens, creates beautiful botanical displays for local businesses, and has recently purchased a seed business to further grow her impact and scale.

Ask your questions on the ups and downs of farm-business development, management and growth, learn about native seedling propagation and how you can balance the needs of your business, community, and environment for positive impact.

Get Tickets: https://3common.com/event/sustainable-seedlings-and-seeds-at-belmont-farmstead/69ceb52f9848f1e9e11b5fc7

03/27/2026

If you are considering increasing your herd or purchasing replacement females, you will want to come out to learn more about the Central Ontario Beef Breeder Co-operative that is being established for cattle producers in Peterborough, Northumberland, Victoria & Durham Counties.

The Co-op is designed to help farmers grow their herd with quality stock by providing a competitive financing program. We look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming meetings to learn more.

There are two scheduled meetings, so you can attend the meeting date and location that is most convenient for you.

April 8th - Kawartha Lakes Community Sales Barn, Woodville

April 15th - Hoards Station Sales Barn, Campbellford

Both meetings will have refreshments available at 7PM, followed by the meeting starting at 7:30PM.

For more information send an email to [email protected]

Come on out to Hoards Station on Wednesday, April 15th at 7pm for some refreshments and to learn about the new Central Ontario Beef Breeder Co-op!

This program will provide farmers across Central Ontario with easier access to loans to purchase beef breeding females and start/expand their operations!

03/25/2026

Apply by Friday March 27th at 5pm for this Part-Time opportunity with Farms at Work.

Hours:19 hours per week.

Employment Timeframe: April 2026 through March 2027

Compensation: $ 30.00/hour plus MERCS

See full job description here: https://farmsatwork.ca/community-farm-planner/

Farms at Work is a part-time Community Farm Planner for our Peterborough Community Farm initiative over the coming year.

The vision for the Community Farm initiative is to support new small farm businesses through creating an inspirational learning hub, grounded in Farms at Work’s charitable commitment to building secure and resilient community food systems. The Planner will build on and flesh out critical elements identified in an existing business plan.

Go to: https://farmsatwork.ca/community-farm-planner/ to view the full position description and to apply.

03/21/2026

Farmers are speaking up about Alto High Speed rail project!
Public consultations on the project have been ongoing recently in areas along the proposed corridor. Meanwhile, farm organizations have understandably issued cautionary policy statements, concerned about serious long term economic, social and environmental impacts.

Read two of them here.
OFA: https://ofa.on.ca/newsroom/farmers-call-for-responsible-agriculture-first-planning-in-alto-high-speed-rail-development/
NFU-O: https://nfuontario.ca/news/national-farmers-union-ontario-policy-position-on-the-alto-high-speed-rail-project/

The National Farmers Union – Ontario (NFU-O) is deeply concerned that the current approach to the Alto high-speed rail project treats prime farmland, farm livelihoods, and ecologically sensitive lands as expendable. Based on concerns raised by members, communities, and our own policy review, NFU-O cannot support the project in its current form without clear, enforceable protections for farmland, farmers, farm businesses, water systems, and affected Indigenous and rural communities. Given these concerns, the NFU-O calls for a pause to further planning and demands proper consultation and a clear plan for farmland preservation and farmer compensation should lands be expropriated.

Read our position here: https://nfuontario.ca/news/national-farmers-union-ontario-policy-position-on-the-alto-high-speed-rail-project/

Then join us for an online event on Monday, March 30 from 7pm to 8 pm EDT to discuss the Alto High Speed Rail Line, and how to mobilize around responsible transportation without farmland sacrifice.

Open to non-members, registration is required.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/nfu-o-town-hall-alto-high-speed-rail-line-tickets-1985372109424