Ontario farmers laud bump in government support in the face of looming tariffs

Recently announced funding has given Ontario farmers some hope they’ll weather Trump's tariff storm. CTV London's Scott Miller has the details.

Farming is big business in Ontario

“It’s $50 billion in GDP We’re certainly leading the way for Ontario’s economy,” said Ontario Federation of Agriculture President Drew Spoelstra.

However, with the looming threat of US tariffs coupled with the general uncertainty involved in producing food, the Ontario government is topping up a $150 million Risk Management Program with an additional $100 million to help farmers weather the potential upcoming economic storm.

“It behaves a lot like insurance - if the cost of production on a farm is higher than the actual market price, then the risk management program is designed to kick in and kind of boost that a little bit so that farmers aren’t in a negative return situation,” said Perth County grain producer, Josh Boersen.

Farmers pay into the program as well, but the increased support from the government will mean more farmers can remain whole if agricultural prices go south.

“What we’ve learned recently or were most often faced with, was just that there wasn’t enough funds in there to properly support farmers. So, this boost in funding will help get it closer to where it needs to be It’s definitely not all there, but it’s definitely a wonderful start and needed,” said Boersen.

$30 million will be added to the Risk Management Program for 2025, and the full $250 million total will be reached by 2027. The program is for non-supply managed sectors of agriculture - like grain, beef, sheep, and vegetable producers, but does not include dairy, poultry, and egg producers.

“It’s an uncertain time right now in agriculture, particularly with, you know, the language and, announcements that are coming out of the US White House,” said Spoelstra. “You know, a lot of our markets are based on the Chicago Board of Trade and the US market. We certainly have no control over any of that, so, this is one of the tools in our toolbox to really help protect and enhance and ensure our operations are sustainable going forward.”