U.S. Livestock Breeders Lose Millions in China Tariff Fallout
Feds Could Add Up to 80,000 New Jobs
New Pork Campaign and Market Conditions Poised to Revive Demand
Drake Meats Secures Funding for New Facility Agritourism, A Meaningful Way to Support Local Agri-businesses
June 2025
JBS Finalizes Dual Stock Exchange Listings
5 6 7 10 12 14 16 18 22
FCC Capital Announces $2 billion Investment into Ag and Food Innovation
New Pork Campaign and Market Conditions Poised to Revive Demand
Drake Meats Secures Funding for New Facility
U.S. Livestock Breeders Lose Millions in China
Tariff Fallout
Feds Could Add Up to 80,000 New Jobs, Save Canadians $5.4B in Tax by Removing GST From All Food
Feds Still Think Food Industry Ends at the Farmgate
Farm & Food Care Ontario Announces New Funding Agreement with OMAFA
Agritourism, A Meaningful Way to Support Local Agribusinesses
PUBLISHER
Ray Blumenfeld ray@meatbusinesspro.com
CO-PUBLISHER
Deb Wilson deborah@meatbusinesspro.com
MANAGING EDITOR
Scott Taylor publishing@meatbusinesspro.com
DIGITAL MEDIA EDITOR
Cam Patterson cam@meatbusinesspro.com
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, Heather Schlitz, Juliette Nicolay, Jack Roberts
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Patrick Cairns
Meat Business Pro is published
12 times a year by We Communications West Inc
JBS FINALIZES DUAL STOCK EXCHANGE LISTINGS
JBS, the world’s largest meat processor, is entering the final phase of its longplanned dual listing, with its shares set to begin trading on the New York and Sao Paulo Stock Exchanges on June 12, 2025.
The move marks a significant shift for the Brazilian-based meat giant as it seeks to expand its access to global capital and align its structure with its international operations.
"This step is expected to further unlock value for JBS, providing broader access to investors and more competitive interest rates, thereby expanding our ability to finance growth at a lower cost and accelerating our diversification strategy,” JBS Global Chief Financial Officer Guilherme Cavalcanti said in a statement.
JBS says the dual listing is designed to increase transparency, strengthen its governance, and attract a broader base of international investors. The move also positions the company to compete more effectively with other global protein companies listed on U.S. exchanges.
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Founded in Brazil in the 1950s, JBS now operates over 250 production facilities across 17 countries and sells into more than 180 markets. Its global workforce exceeds 280,000 employees.
For the global pork sector, JBS’s NYSE listing could open doors to increased investment in supply chain infrastructure, biosecurity, sustainability, and production technologies. As a major player in swine and other protein segments, JBS’s financial moves could influence capital allocation and competition across the pork value chain.
However, environmental and governance concerns persist. Advocacy groups and some U.S. lawmakers have criticized JBS’s track record on deforestation and political contributions, raising broader questions as the company seeks deeper roots in U.S. financial markets.
FCC CAPITAL ANNOUNCES $2 BILLION INVESTMENT INTO
AG AND FOOD INNOVATION
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) has committed to invest $2 billion by 2030 to advance agtech innovation in Canada’s agriculture and food industry. This will direct more investment into innovative devices, instrumentation, research, and methodologies designed to improve efficiency, productivity, and sustainability.
The funds will come from the organization’s new investment arm, FCC Capital, a group offering capital solutions that catalyze the broader investing ecosystem and bolster growth. Launched in 2024, FCC Capital delivers an expanded offering of capital solutions to companies across the entire ag and food value chain, including investment funds and direct equity capital dispersed from pre-seed stage to growth-driven late-stage companies. In its inaugural year, it built a foundation by closing nine direct investment deals totaling $170 million, investing in three new funds, and adding a new business accelerator to its portfolio.
“Canada’s economic future requires an agriculture and food industry leading the world in innovation and productivity. However, until now, investment dollars have been scarce and have not scaled to meet the increasingly sophisticated needs of the sector. Through this investment, FCC is delivering on its commitment to be a catalyst and support innovation and productivity in one of Canada’s most important and investable sectors,” says Justine Hendricks, FCC president and CEO.
This announcement comes at a time when various sources are showing that annual venture capital investment into Canada’s agtech sector is lagging. In 2023, Canada’s venture capital investments in the sector were cited at approximately $270 million, 10 times below the United States when adjusted for population. This low level of investment puts Canada at a strategic disadvantage. At the same time, Japan and the European Union have been demonstrating increased investments in agtech.
The formal announcement was made by Darren Baccus, executive vice-president, agri-food, alliances and FCC Capital, during the Invest Canada 2025 Conference, an event run by the Canada Venture Capital and Private Equity Association. “With this $2 billion allocation, FCC will continue its long history of supporting and partnering with the Canadian ag and food industry to offer greater security and sustainability in a highly competitive global market,” said Baccus. “At FCC, we’re uniquely positioned to provide catalytic capital and work with stakeholders to source compelling investment opportunities. We are confident that our investment commitment to the industry will ‘crowd in’ capital to amplify the economic impact.”
ABOUT FCC
FCC is proud to be 100 per cent invested in Canadian agriculture and food. The organization’s employees are committed to the long-standing success of those who produce and process Canadian food. FCC provides flexible financing and capital solutions, while creating value through data, knowledge, relationships and expertise. FCC offers a complement of financial and non-financial products and services designed to support the complex and evolving needs of the industry. As a commercial Crown corporation, FCC is a stable partner that reinvests profits back into the industry and communities it serves. For more information, visit fcc. ca.
U.S. LIVESTOCK BREEDERS LOSE MILLIONS IN CHINA TARIFF FALLOUT
By Heather Schlitz, Reuters
Dr. Mike Lemmon's pigs, each valued between $2,500 and $5,000, were supposed to be on a plane bound for Hangzhou, China, from St. Louis in April, where’d they spend the flight snoring, play fighting and snacking on oats and husked corn before taking up residence at Chinese hog farms
Instead, many went to a local Indiana slaughterhouse for less than $200 each after the Chinese buyer canceled the order within a week of China implementing retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. in April.
China is one of the biggest importers of American breeding pigs and other livestock genetic material such as cattle semen. These lucrative niche export markets had been growing, but dried up since U.S. President Donald Trump started a trade war with Beijing.
U.S. farmers and exporters said the dispute has already cost them millions of dollars and jeopardized prized trade relationships that took years to develop.
Though Washington and Beijing agreed to pause tariffs recently, exporters said Trump's unpredictable trade policy has caused their companies long-term damage and could encourage China and other major buyers to turn to foreign rivals like Denmark.
"We've got brand damage now. There's not a week that goes by without clients asking what’s happening with the U.S.," said Tony Clayton, owner of Clayton Agri-Marketing, a Missouri-based livestock exporting company.
"I don’t know how we can put this back together. This is long-term damage," he said.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai said the administration was "working around the clock to secure billions of dollars in even more opportunities with our other trading partners."
Some farmers raise pigs specifically for breeding, a niche business within the $37 billion U.S. hog industry. Farmers pay top dollar for these specialty pigs, which have favorable genetics to produce lots of healthy piglets that can eventually be processed into tasty, highquality pork.
Lemmon, an Indiana veterinarian and farm owner, has been selling pigs worldwide for over 30 years. He said he spent more than a year working on the $2.4 million sale of the pedigreed pigs to China. He noted they were carefully bred for good health, litter size and high fat content that leads to richly marbled, tender meat when cooked.
"It's devastating when it happens," Lemmon said, referencing the sale he lost.
He said he plans to stay in the breeding business, and is working to rekindle the deal with his Chinese buyer during the tariff pause.
Roughly half of the world’s pigs live on Chinese farms. The country has purchased large quantities of breeding pigs from the U.S. since an outbreak of African swine fever, a virus with a near-total fatality rate, wiped out millions of the country’s hogs in 2018.
Shipping livestock is lucrative but time-consuming. Shippers must personally fly with the animals or hire an on-board attendant who can make the rounds to keep their pricey passengers well-hydrated and comfortable during a long flight. When not working, the attendants chat with the flight crew or sometimes lie in sleeping bags next to the animals in the chilly cargo bay, exporters and farmers said.
China has also been the biggest importer of semen from U.S. dairy cows, known for producing large amounts of protein-rich milk. But “Not one unit of semen is going to China right now,” Jay Weiker, president of the National Association of Animal Breeders, said, noting China had been importing one-quarter of all U.S. cattle semen, which they use to artificially inseminate their dairy cows.
The Chinese milk industry began importing large amounts of cattle semen to improve the genetics of domestic dairy cows after a deadly scandal over contaminated milk in 2008, Weiker said. At least six children in China died and nearly 300,000 fell ill after a Chinese manufacturer added melamine, a dangerous chemical, to milk powder to make the protein levels appear higher.
Brittany Scott, owner of SMART Reproduction Services, a sheep and goat genetics company, said several foreign customers had also pulled out of deals. This left many vials of semen sitting in her Arkansas facility, frozen in tanks of liquid nitrogen and waiting for buyers. “They are eager to do their jobs,” Scott said of her male goats and sheep. “They understand the assignment and they do really well.”
However, the work of selling their product has proven harder after Trump announced sweeping tariffs in April, and China retaliated.
The lost sales have been "a punch in the gut,” Scott said.
FEDS
COULD ADD UP TO 80,000 NEW JOBS, SAVE CANADIANS $5.4B IN TAX BY REMOVING GST FROM ALL FOOD
Removing the 5% GST on all restaurant food would save Canadians $5.4 billion in taxes annually and create 80,000 new jobs, according to new economic analysis by Restaurants Canada.
“Canadians are struggling with affordability and worried about their jobs. Removing the sales tax from prepared Removing the 5% GST on all restaurant food would save Canadians $5.4 billion in taxes annually and create 80,000 new jobs, according to new economic analysis by Restaurants Canada.
“Canadians are struggling with affordability and worried about their jobs. Removing the sales tax from prepared food, including the food, including the food sold at restaurants, would not only provide them with some relief, but bolster the economy,” said Kelly Higginson, President and CEO of Restaurants Canada. “The recent GST/HST holiday showed us that making all food taxfree stimulates spending, creates jobs and protects restaurants from bankruptcy. We urge the new federal government to make it permanent as part of their plan to address Canada’s economic challenges.”
Currently, prepared food is subject to sales tax, but groceries, as well as many frozen and ready-to-heat meals, are tax-free.
The recent GST/HST holiday, which removed sales tax from restaurant food among other items, led to a 8.6% increase in commercial foodservice sales in January. January and February 2025 also saw a 50% year-overyear decrease in foodservice bankruptcies, as well as the creation of 24,000 new jobs, more than the previous 12 months combined.
Based on these data, Restaurants Canada estimates that permanently removing the 5% GST on all food would lead to:
• 64,300 new foodservice jobs (40% of which are likely to go to people under 25)
• 15,685 additional spinoff jobs in related industries
• 2,680 new restaurants
• $5.4 billion in tax savings to consumers
• $1.5 billion in additional tax revenue and EI savings for government
“Prepared food is no longer just a luxury for Canadians,” added Higginson. “Whether its students grabbing lunch on their break, working parents picking up a meal for the family on the way home from soccer practice, or seniors getting meal delivery, many Canadians rely on prepared food to feed themselves, and they should not be taxed for it.”
The savings from exempting all food from sales taxes would disproportionately benefit lower income households, who spend a greater share of their budgets on food than higher income households. More spending in the foodservice sector also has a greater effect in the economy at large than other sectors: for every $1 in sales, the foodservice industry generates $1.80 in economic output, compared to $1.56 generated by other industries.
“This measure is an investment in Canadians’ quality of life and in the foodservice businesses that drive the economies of every community across the country,” added Higginson. “Food is food and should be treated equally, regardless of where it was purchased. It’s time to fix this unfair tax burden on food.”
Canadians can support Restaurant Canada’s campaign to exempt all food from sales tax at https://foodisfood. ca/
ABOUT RESTAURANTS CANADA
Restaurants Canada is a national, not-for-profit association advancing Canada’s diverse and dynamic foodservice industry. Restaurants are a $120 billion industry employing nearly 1.2 million Canadians and is the number one source of first-time jobs in Canada.
NEW PORK CAMPAIGN AND MARKET CONDITIONS POISED TO REVIVE DEMAND
Export market risks highlight opportunity for the pork industry to reconnect with U.S. consumers.
The U.S. pork industry is charting a new course to engage with American consumers and boost domestic demand as trade policy and global market dynamics threaten the pace of export sales. Pork producers have relied heavily on global demand in recent years. Nearly one-quarter of all U.S. pork was sold to international buyers in 2024. Continued success in the export market hangs in the balance as China trims imports of U.S. goods and trade conflicts curb global sales among other key buyers.
While global pork consumption has edged upward, U.S. per capita consumption has been flat for more than 50 years at 50 lbs. on average, according to the USDA. That trails annual beef and chicken consumption, which exceeds 60 lbs. and 100 lbs., respectively. The pork industry is aiming to gain ground with a new consumer marketing program, “Taste What Pork Can Do.” Focusing on flavor and featuring a wide variety of recipes and convenient cooking techniques, the campaign encourages U.S. consumers to reimagine the possibilities of pork for at-home meals.
According to a new report from cobank’s knowledge Exchange, the campaign represents the beginning of what could be a “new pork” on U.S. consumers’ plates. The next opportunity could be reevaluating hog genetics in an effort to match the campaign’s emphasis on flavor. Taste continues to be one of the top drivers influencing consumer meat purchases, as evidenced by sales of the most popular pork product, bacon.
“If the U.S. consumer is to truly reimagine pork, some fairly significant changes may be required over time,” said Brian Earnest, lead animal protein economist with CoBank. “Recalibrating the genetic hog makeup and showcasing different cuts at retail and through food service could be in order. Utilizing pork in a new way could help find the pork equivalent of a beef T-bone or rib-eye for a richly flavored, premium-priced offering.”
NSF INTERNATIONAL FOCUSES ON CANADIAN FOOD INDUSTRY WITH NEW WEBSITE FOR SERVICES IN CANADA
Despite the challenges associated with broadening pork’s appeal with domestic consumers, Earnest said the industry is in a strong position. “With supplies ample and wallets tight, pork has never been in a better position to grow its market share with U.S. consumers. Pork is on a new path and it’s an exciting time for the industry.”
Read the report, Pork’s Opportunity to Reconnect with U.S. Consumers Has Never Been Bigger.
Global public health organization showcases services for Canada’s growing and fast-changing
NSF International in Canada recently launched a new website - www.nsfcanada.ca - to give Canada’s growing and complex food and beverage industry easy access to the global public health organization’s expertise and services in Canada. The website combines information on the depth, experience and capabilities of the NSF International Canadian office with access to NSF International’s global services dedicated to food safety and quality.
The industry’s consolidation era twenty years ago sent the U.S. hog sector down a path of value, efficiency and appeasing comparisons to “other categories” of meat. The lean hog formulation adopted by the broad bulk of U.S. producers has largely influenced the pork U.S. consumers see today. However, consumers’ views regarding fat content have evolved and health concerns about fat have subsided. A refreshed approach to hog genetics that focuses on fat content, flavor and consumer preferences over production efficiencies may be necessary to meaningfully grow domestic demand.
Evolving regulations across countries and increasing complexities associated with a globalized food supply network present challenges for NSF International clients in Canada and around the world. The new Canadian website offers expertise and services to help companies navigate these challenges, including certification and auditing, consulting, technical services, training and education, food and label compliance, packaging, and product and process development.
ABOUT COBANK
regulations (including FSMA), food science, food packaging, food microbiology and ISO standards. Training modalities include eLearning, on-site, customized and open enrolment.
CoBank is a cooperative bank serving vital industries across rural America. The bank provides loans, leases, export financing and other financial services to agribusinesses and rural power, water and
Additionally, the website includes information about management system registrations for the food, automotive, environmental, information security, medical devices, aerospace and chemical industries, as well as for Ontario drinking water programs.
Visit the new Canadian website at www.nsfcanada.ca to review the food safety services capabilities video, find a list of Canadian food experts, learn about upcoming events and global news releases, submit a question or read an FAQ.
Bacon has been the most popular pork item in the U.S. for the last 10 years, with strong demand supporting higher pricing. Sausage-type items and pizza toppings like pepperoni have also gained strong consumer demand. Values for pork trim used in sausage making have climbed accordingly. Historically, averaging less than $40 per cwt., pork trim for sausage surged to more than $80 per cwt. for the first time in 2022.
NSF International’s Canadian website provides information on the following services:
Certification & auditing: Third-party food safety audits and certifications, which are integral components of supplier selection and regulatory compliance. Accurate audits are the first step toward successful verification of a company’s food safety system, providing improved brand protection and customer confidence. Certifications and audits are available for animal and produce in the agriculture industry, GFSI certification and management system registration.
Unlike chicken breasts and beef burgers, U.S. consumers frequently find it difficult to cook “the perfect pork chop.” While pork loins and hams offer exceptional value, they lack the benefit of convenience compared to smaller pork cuts. New pork product variations that offer both convenience and enhanced flavor may be key to helping consumers reimagine pork.
Consulting: A full-service team approach providing technical resources, expertise and insight for a wide range of food safety and quality services. NSF International
DRAKE MEATS SECURES FUNDING FOR NEW FACILITY
Drake Meats has announced plans to build a 53,000 square foot state-of-the-art meat processing facility in Saskatoon, Sask., capable of producing more than 8 million kilograms of pork and beef products annually.
The new facility will include a state-of-the-art tempering room, an automated bacon line, an automated injection system and natural gas smokehouses.
The family-owned consumer-packaged meat company was founded in 1949 as a co-operative meat locker in Drake, Saskatchewan. The company produces a vast line of products including sausage, bacon, hams, jerky and deli meats. The company’s products are offered in major grocery chains across Western Canada including Costco, Co-op, Loblaws, Walmart, Sobeys, Safeway and Save-On-Foods.
To construct the new facility, Drake has arranged senior debt financing with Farm Credit Canada (FCC) and has raised equity proceeds from an investment group led by the Golden Opportunities Fund Inc., with participation from FCC Capital and a group of strategic local investors.
Grant J. Kook, President and CEO of Golden states, "We are thrilled to invest in yet another long-standing, Saskatchewan success story like Drake. Our investment will support Drake's growth initiatives, local job creation and capital investment here in the Saskatchewan economy at a time when supporting local is more important than ever."
With the added production capacity, Drake will continue to meet the demand for its brand products across Canada, says a company release. The expansion is expected to create up to 200 new local jobs once fully operational and significantly increase Drake’s purchases of pork and beef from Canadian producers, the company says.
With the support of its new financial partners, Drake’s leadership team will be able to focus on continued growth, and the Ediger family will remain the majority owner of the company, says CEO Kelly Ediger.
“The construction of our new facility is a tremendous milestone in the growth story of Drake. We are passionate about our craft and sharing it with others, and we are excited to partner with FCC Capital and local capital partners like Golden who have a long-standing record of successfully growing companies,” says Ediger.
https://www.beaconmetals.com
FEDS STILL THINK FOOD INDUSTRY ENDS AT THE FARMGATE
By Dr. Sylvain Charlebois
With the pomp of the opening ceremonies behind us, Canada’s 45th Parliament is finally getting to work. A new government is in place, complete with a new minister of Agriculture, a throne speech, and a single, somewhat generic mandate letter.
Yet, for the agri-food sector, it all feels underwhelming.
Heath MacDonald, Canada’s new Agriculture minister, began his tenure by reaffirming support for farmers. That’s a political necessity. But if this government is serious about food affordability, economic growth, and trade resilience, the minister must broaden his focus beyond primary producers. The Liberal platform emphasized support for the food processing sector during the campaign, but so far, little has materialized.
Under the previous government, major files like food inflation and the grocery code of conduct were handled outside of the agriculture portfolio. Minister FrançoisPhilippe Champagne, then responsible for innovation and competition, was tasked with managing those files. While it made structural sense given the Competition Bureau’s place in his department, it also signaled a chronic sidelining of agriculture in national economic strategy.
If agri-food is to become a top-tier policy priority, the Agriculture minister must assert a leadership role — not just for farmers but for the entire food value chain. That means linking supply and demand economics, from farmgate to grocery shelf.
The new mandate letter fails to address food security, food affordability, or food innovation in any specific way. And while the throne speech repeated the government’s usual vows to protect supply management — a policy that governs dairy, eggs and poultry and is still widely misunderstood by Canadians — it offered no new thinking on how to evolve a system in a changing global food landscape.
The overarching tone from the new government is one of economic renewal. That’s welcome. But how will the agri-food sector fit into Canada’s broader economic, climate and geopolitical agenda?
Farmers face steep tariffs in key global markets like India and China — issues that have dragged on for months without meaningful federal response. These are not minor trading partners — they are the two most populous nations on the planet. Yet, the prime minister has remained largely silent.
Then there’s the carbon tax. The industrial carbon tax — arguably the most economically damaging aspect of Canada’s climate pricing framework — continues to erode competitiveness in the agri-food sector. Many Canadians are unaware that processors and growers shoulder heavy costs, particularly in comparison to their U.S. counterparts. Tariffs on American imports might make for good politics, but they don’t change the economic reality: The U.S. produces food more efficiently and more cheaply than we do. The cost gap is growing, not shrinking.
Competition policy remains another unresolved file. The grocery code of conduct and the dismantling of interprovincial trade barriers represent two of the most impactful, yet long-delayed, reforms. Properly implemented, these initiatives could inject more fairness into food supply chains, level the playing field for suppliers, and ultimately benefit consumers through greater variety and price stability. But chatter is not enough.
Successive governments have promised action — none have delivered.
With a volatile and unpredictable regime in Washington, Canada can no longer afford to delay. The opportunity for bold, strategic action is now.
This Parliament can do better. But it must move from symbolism to substance — and from promises to policy execution. The agri-food economy depends on it.
Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is the Director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University and co-host of The Food Professor Podcast.
FARM & FOOD CARE ONTARIO ANNOUNCES NEW FUNDING AGREEMENT WITH OMAFA
Farm & Food Care Ontario (FFCO) is pleased to announce a three-year funding agreement with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA). Through this agreement, up to $597,000 will be invested in FFCO’s outreach initiatives over the next three years. This funding will enhance FFCO’s ability to expand its programming and connect with a broader audience across Ontario and beyond.
The funding will support six of the organization’s priority activities, all of which aim to grow public trust and consumer confidence in Ontario’s farming and food systems:
• Large-scale consumer outreach events, including Breakfast on/from the Farm, which provide a space for agriculture to connect with the public in meaningful ways and allow non-farming Ontarians to explore modern Ontario agriculture and meet farmers each year.
• Food industry outreach, including day-long farm and food processing tours for culinary students, chefs and other food industry professionals, as well as webinars and other relationship-building activities between Ontario agriculture and the food industry.
• More than a Migrant Worker, an award-winning initiative, completed in partnership with the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, that showcases the critical work done by seasonal agricultural workers in Ontario through interviews, photography, and video storytelling.
• A library of agricultural resources developed for those promoting agricultural awareness through events, fall fairs, and other community agricultural programming. This library includes the rentable FarmFood360 virtual reality kiosk that provides farm and food processing VR tours and other displays and signage.
• Free, up-to-date farm photo and digital asset library available to industry and media to accurately represent Ontario agriculture, as well as digital resources to promote Local Food Week and Ontario Agriculture Week.
nominated anybody because there are many farms here on PEI doing every bit as much as we are as to attain a high level of sustainability. Anyway, we were very surprised when the PEI Cattleman’s Association nominated our farm.
CMB: And then you were attending the Canadian Beef conference in Calgary and you won.
• Training for farmers and agri-business professionals on how to effectively communicate with non-farming Ontarians.
DF: Yeah! That was a very nice moment for us. But I don’t like to use the word win actually. However, being recognized for our commitment was a real honour. If you want to know the truth, it was a pretty humbling experience. As I said to CBC when they phoned me after the conference, I was just floored, really couldn’t believe it.
As a registered Canadian charity, FFCO is funded primarily by farmers, farm organizations, agribusinesses, and others through memberships and program partnerships. This funding enables the organization’s projects to have a significantly larger cross-sector impact and will support the above six activities until 2028.
CMB: So now that you have been recognized, do you think that will
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“Our government is investing in Farm & Food Care Ontario so they can continue to raise public awareness and build trust in Ontario’s farmers and food businesses,” said Trevor Jones, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. “When people know where their food comes from, they can easily choose the freshest, most delicious food to feed their families. This has the added benefits of supporting Ontario’s farmers, communities and our economy and helping to protect the Ontario agriculture and food industry and local food supply chain.”
This funding agreement reflects growing recognition of FFCO’s value on both provincial and national levels. In 2024, FFCO received the prestigious Minister’s Award from then-OMAFA Minister Rob Flack.
FFCO extends its sincere gratitude to OMAFA and Minister Jones for their continued support. The organization will continue to work across sectors to create new tools and further develop existing agriculture and food production programs designed to engage Ontarians and answer questions about Ontario food and farming. FFCO wants the public to feel connected to Ontario’s passionate farm families and confident that farmers are working hard to produce healthy, affordable, safe, and ethical food sustainably 365 days per year.
“This show of support by the province is extremely encouraging for the direction of FFCO’s work. It reiterates the importance of engaging farmers and the public in meaningful conversations. This funding will allow us to continue offering unique opportunities to advocate for agriculture across Ontario and expand our initiatives even further.”
Farm & Food Care Ontario is a coalition of farmers, agriculture and food partners proactively working together to ensure public trust and confidence in food and farming.
Janelle Cardiff, FFCO’s Chair, expressed her appreciation.
AGRITOURISM, A MEANINGFUL WAY TO SUPPORT LOCAL AGRI-BUSINESSES
From pick-your-own -farms, corn mazes, sugar bushes, wine tasting, or even experiences like goat yoga, agritourism has boomed in recent years. This trend of nature-based on-farm tourism accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic as people sought safe, outdoor, and local activities. With the buy local and support Canadian businesses sentiment on the rise, agribusinesses have a unique opportunity to ride this wave - whether it be by solidifying and promoting existing agri-tourism activities or by diversifying their operations to incorporate it into their business model.
In Canada, tourism is often associated with taking advantage of nature, engaging in outdoor activities, and escaping the urban life. Tourism is also an important economic driver for rural communities. In fact, 56% of tourism jobs are located in rural areas. Furthermore, agritourism activities are mainly concentrated in Ontario (31%) and the Prairies (30%) .
Looking ahead, agritourism appears promising and is likely to continue growing across Canada.
Agritourism also aligns well with the buy-local movement. According to recent data from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), 43% of small business owners are actively promoting Canadian or locally made products or services to their customers. It is important to emphasize buying local, as for every dollar spent in a small business, 66 cents stays local.
Conversely, only 11 cents of every dollar spent at a large multinational business and 8 cents for purchases from an online giant stays in the community.
Agri-businesses appear to benefit from the buy-local and support for made in Canada trend. In May 2025, 27% of agri-businesses reported an increased interest from domestic tourists, compared to 21% across all sectors.
Agritourism activities such as educational workshops, on-farm retail stores or markets, and pick-yourown farms help promote local consumption and engagement. They also offer a great way to build customer relationships and foster a sense of community. Furthermore, agritourism helps raise awareness about the importance of agriculture. As Canada’s urban population continues to grow, it provides an opportunity to reconnect people with farm life and educate them about the sector.
For farmers, agritourism presents a valuable opportunity to diversify their operations and generate additional income. As well-rounded entrepreneurs, many farmers already possess the skills needed to expand into new areas with creativity and innovation. Agritourism offers a wide range of possibilities, there is plenty of room to tailor experiences based on available resources to the business owner.
The buy-local movement offers a timely opportunity to highlight agritourism — an industry that promotes local products and services, fosters community connections, and educates the public about agriculture. To support its growth and foster entrepreneurship, CFIB recommends policymakers cut red tape, and ease the fiscal burden that diverts resources away from investing in operations.
CFIB also encourages all Canadians to support local businesses through its #SmallBusinessEveryDay campaign and its upcoming Big Thank You Contest.
Business owners can download CFIB’s shop local poster to let their customers know that they are proudly Canadian-owned and operated.
Juliette Nicolaÿ is a Bilingual Policy Analyst for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). CFIB is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 100,000 members (5,200 agri-business members) across every industry and region. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners’ chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings. Learn more at cfib.ca.
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