OFVGA Statement on COVID-19

The OFVGA board and staff have been and will continue to work with urgency to address the impacts of the extraordinary measures being taken to address the COVID-19 pandemic, namely the international travel ban that were announced by the federal government earlier this week. We recognize that not having access to workers this season is extremely worrisome for growers and the industry in general.  The OFVGA is working with government to determine ways in which growers can access workers without putting the health of Canadian citizens and foreign workers at risk, and maintain domestic food security. 

 

OFVGA stakeholders are being updated via email as new information becomes available. The sector appreciates the support of all those working to achieve a workable solution to ensure that fruit and vegetable growers can have the necessary workforce to protect the 2020 growing season. Thegrower.org is another place for news on how COVID-19 is impacting the fruit and vegetable sector.

 

Although the OFVGA office is closed during this time, staff are accessible by email and phone, and continue to work diligently on behalf of Ontario’s fruit and vegetable growers.

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.