OFA Pleased with New Horse Racing Agreement

Mar 11, 2013

Ontario Federation of Agriculture Applauds Wynne Government on Transition Funding Agreement

Ontario Federation of Agriculture released a statement saying that they are pleased that the Ontario government has reached tentative funding agreements with four new horse racetracks.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne made the announcement on Friday, in Elora, saying that the agreement will provide “long-term stability” for the horserace industry, but also notes that it’s going to be smaller.

The racetracks include: Clinton, Hanover, London and the Grand River track in Elora. Mohawk and Woodbine had already signed a three-year transition funding agreement. There are still eight race tracks that have yet to sign on.

“The horse racing industry is vital to Ontario’s economy, representing 60,000 jobs throughout rural Ontario,” Mark Wales, OFA president said in a press release. “The transition funding will provide much needed stability for the industry while a long-term sustainable model is developed that ensures the future of the Ontario horse racing industry.”

Ontario’s horseracing industry which employs 60,000 people, have been living in uncertain times since March 2012 when the Ontario Liberal government announced the end of the Slots at Racetracks program – a shared revenue agreement.

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.