Helping Ontario Food Processors Grow Their Businesses

TOKYO - Beginning in November, Ontario food processors and other businesses can apply for support under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (the Partnership). This is part of a commitment to help the agri-food sector grow and support projects that boost innovation, economic development, environmental stewardship and food safety.

 

The application intake, which opens November 4, is tailored for agri-food businesses looking to increase food safety, develop new markets and expand their operations. More information, including program materials, will be available on the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs website by November 4, 2019.

 

Ernie Hardeman, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, made this announcement while in Tokyo leading a trade mission to connect Ontario farmers and food processors with key importers and buyers. This funding, along with the trade mission, adds to the strong action taken by the Ontario government to help sectors affected by ongoing trade disputes and challenges to access new markets. Minister Hardeman has also been meeting with government representatives and grocery store chains to promote the high quality of Ontario products, including pork, beef, soybean and other agri-food products.

 

"Our government is committed to helping food processors and other important contributors in our agri-food sector be even more competitive and grow their businesses," said Hardeman. "Investing in these projects will boost innovation, enhance productivity and increase sales for our food processing sector and open the doors to new markets for the incredibly safe, high quality foods they produce."

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.