Bring on the Love: 2013 Food Freedom Day falls on Valentine’s Day

Feb 08, 2013

Ontario Federation of Agriculture commentary focuses on importance of Food Freedom Day

This week’s Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) commentary highlights the importance of the upcoming Food Freedom Day. This year, Food Freedom day falls on the most romantic day of the year – Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 2013.

Food Freedom Day is the day in the year by which the average Canadian would have earned enough income to pay their grocery bill for the entire year. According to Statistics Canada, in 2012 Canadian’s spent 12.3% of their disposable income on food, which also includes beverages and tobacco.

Food Freedom Day should be a celebrated day not only for consumers but farmers as well. It’s an opportunity to be thankful for the safe, affordable food that Canadian farmers produce across the country. In Ontario, the agri-food sector contributes $33 billion annually to the local economy and represents 10% of the province’s workforce.

The OFA, which is the largest general farm organization in the province works with policy makers advocating for the agriculture industry to ensure that the agriculture sector remains a profitable business for Ontario farmers.

Video: LALEXPERT: Sclerotinia cycle and prophylactic methods

White rot, also known as sclerotinia, is a common agricultural fungal disease caused by various virulent species of Sclerotinia. It initially affects the root system (mycelium) before spreading to the aerial parts through the dissemination of spores.

Sclerotinia is undoubtedly a disease of major economic importance, and very damaging in the event of a heavy attack.

All these attacks come from the primary inoculum stored in the soil: sclerotia. These forms of resistance can survive in the soil for over 10 years, maintaining constant contamination of susceptible host crops, causing symptoms on the crop and replenishing the soil inoculum with new sclerotia.