OFA to submit ideas for Ontario’s Long-Term Energy Plan

Oct 21, 2016

Organization says farmers need access to sustainable energy

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture is set to submit its ideas for the province’s Long-Term Energy Plan (LTEP).

The Ministry of Energy is looking for public input to help develop the plan, which will outline the government’s strategies for maintaining reliable, clean and affordable energy.

“Energy is a hot topic these days,” Pat Jilesen, OFA director, wrote on the organization’s website. “We depend on affordable energy to grow our farms, businesses, communities and the Ontario economy.”

Jilesen said the OFA’s official submission will focus on three key issues:

Rural Ontario’s need to access natural gas and renewable natural gas systems to reduce energy costs and help stimulate the rural economy.
The need for a combination of fuel solutions that address rural needs and climate change.
Rural Ontario’s need for effective smart metering and smart grid technology to manage energy generation, distribution and load use.

“For agriculture, and OFA’s 36,000 farm business members, energy represents a vital farm input,” Jilesen wrote. “OFA is asking the Ontario government for a strong rural focus in the next LTEP, balanced with reliability, conservation and community considerations that will benefit all Ontarians.”

The public can give their input about the next LTEP until December 17, 2016.

Video: Sweetener Effects on Gut Health - Dr. Kwangwook Kim

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Kwangwook Kim, Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, discusses the use of non-nutritive sweeteners in nursery pig diets. He explains how sucralose and neotame influence feed intake, gut health, metabolism, and the frequency of diarrhea compared to antibiotics. The conversation highlights mechanisms beyond palatability, including hormone signaling and nutrient transport. Listen now on all major platforms!

“Receptors responsible for sweet taste are present not only in the mouth but also along the intestinal tract.”

Meet the guest: Dr. Kwangwook Kim / kwangwook-kim is an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, specializing in swine nutrition and feed additives under disease challenge models. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Animal Sciences from the University of California, Davis, where he focused on intestinal health and metabolic responses in pigs. His research evaluates alternatives to antibiotics, targeting gut health and performance in nursery pigs.