CFFO: New Ontario Premier Will Be Faced with Rural Issues

Jan 25, 2013

Christian Farmers of Ontario Believes Rural Ontario and Farmer issues are Becoming Even More Important

As the Ontario Liberal leadership race begins today and with the likelihood of a provincial election to be held sometime in the near future, the organization Christian Farmers of Ontario (CFFO) is saying that the issues in rural Ontario are becoming increasingly important.

The CFFO highlights some of those issues in its most recent blog, noting that issues such as weather conditions will lead to pressures to provide infrastructure and investment in areas such as water management as farmers deal with drought. Another issue that was outlined is the concerns over renewable energy projects, noting that there needs to be some changes made and communities need to be given more control over energy projects.

CFFO’s blog clearly underscores that there are policy issues that are distinctly rural, and that these rural issues will be something the new leadership will need to consider carefully as it create its new platform moving forward.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.