Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker is thrilled the government has extended planting dates for crop insurance to assist farmers struggling with this year’s unusually wet planting season.
This week, the Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs announced that planting dates are being extended for corn, soybeans, coloured and white beans, and peppers. The extensions are significant in terms of areas and acres affected – over 2M acres of soybeans, 100,000 acres of coloured beans, and 1.6 million acres of corn.
“This is fantastic news for our farmers in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound and across Ontario. The wet spring we have experienced has delayed planting this year,” said Walker. “I wanted to thank Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Ernie Hardeman and his team for this assistance.”
Agricorp will be communicating the changes to farmers. Here are the details:
* Corn in Bruce, Dufferin, Durham, Grey, Hamilton, Huron, Northumberland, Oxford, Perth, Peterborough, Renfrew, Simcoe, Victoria/Kawartha Lakes, Waterloo, Wellington and York from June 10 to June 12
* Corn in Brant, Chatham-Kent, Dufferin, Durham, Elgin, Essex, Frontenac, Haldimand-Norfolk, Halton, Hamilton, Hastings, Hastings 2, Huron, Lambton, Lanark, Leeds & Grenville, Lennox and Addington, Middlesex, Niagara, Northumberland, Ottawa, Oxford, Peel, Perth, Prescott-Russell, Prince Edward, Renfrew, Simcoe, Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry, Toronto, Waterloo, Wellington and York from June 15 to June 17
* Soybeans in Bruce, Dufferin, Durham, Grey, Hamilton, Hastings 2, Huron, Northumberland, Oxford, Perth, Peterborough, Renfrew, Simcoe, Victoria/Kawartha Lakes, Waterloo, Wellington and York from June 20 to June 25
* Soybeans in Brant, Chatham-Kent, Dufferin, Durham, Elgin, Essex, Frontenac, Haldimand-Norfolk, Halton, Hamilton, Hastings, Hastings 2, Huron, Lambton, Lanark, Leeds & Grenville, Lennox and Addington, Middlesex, Niagara, Northumberland, Ottawa, Oxford, Peel, Perth, Prescott-Russell, Prince Edward, Renfrew, Simcoe, Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry, Toronto, Waterloo, Wellington and York from June 30 to July 5
* Coloured and white beans in Bruce, Dufferin, Durham, Grey, Huron, Manitoulin, Northumberland, Oxford, Perth, Peterborough, Simcoe, Victoria/Kawartha Lakes, Waterloo and Wellington from June 20 to June 25
* Coloured and white beans in Brant, Chatham-Kent, Durham, Elgin, Essex, Haldimand-Norfolk, Halton, Hastings, Huron, Lambton, Middlesex, Niagara, Northumberland, Oxford, Peel, Perth, Prescott-Russell, Prince Edward, Simcoe and Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry from June 30 to July 5
* Peppers (banana and bell peppers) and speciality peppers from June 15 to June 22
“I know it has been a tough and stressful spring for farmers across Ontario. The wet and cool conditions have made it difficult for farmers to get out on the field and plant their crops. That’s why we have extended the planting date extensions for crop insurance. Although we can’t control the weather, I am pleased to say that we are supporting farmers and helping them work around the weather conditions,” said Hardeman.
source: media release, MPP Bill Walker
