Amendments to Regulations 440 and 441

The Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission has amended Regulations 440 and 441 that apply to the processing vegetable sector under the Farm Products Marketing Act. The amendments are as follows:

Regulation 440: Vegetables for Processing - Marketing:

• Provide flexibility for tomato / carrot processors and their associated producers to determine whether they need a Commission representative to hold the vote(s) at annual meetings prior to negotiations.
• Provide for joint negotiating agencies if more than one tomato or carrot processor and their associated producers are in favour of establishing a single negotiating agency.
• Increase the producer participation thresholds that would mandate producer meetings where producers of a regulated commodity determine whether to:
• Accept their processor's final negotiated offer; or
• Proceed to arbitration.
• Provide clarity around the term "final negotiated offer" in the regulation.
• Provide flexibility for all negotiating agencies to appoint conciliators at any time prior to the deadline for completing negotiations.
• Require the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission to appoint an arbitrator only if a negotiating agency fails to appoint one.

Regulation 441: Vegetables for Processing - Plan:

• Allow Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers' Vice-Chair(s) to act as Chair in cases of unforeseen absence of the Commission-appointed Chair.
• Provide for in-person voting in board elections (in addition to mail and electronic voting).
• Allow parameters governing the nomination process, ballot counting, and election records to be set by the board similar to other marketing boards by removing these aspects from regulations. (The board must have a policy with respect to nominations for local board elections.)

The Commission revoked two regulations under the Farm Products Marketing Act as they are no longer applicable.

• Ontario Regulation 59/17: Vegetables for Processing - Negotiating Agencies and Specified Negotiation Deadlines in 2017
• Ontario Regulation 22/19: Vegetables for Processing - Extending 2019 Negotiation Deadlines

You can view the published approved amendments on the Ontario Regulatory Registry HERE.

Board Member Elections

The hybrid model used for the 2024 Board Member elections has been approved by the FPMC amended regulations. This will allow members the option to vote electronically at District Meetings or online until voting closes on December 16. The Board has appointed Bev DeVries as the Returning Officer for Board Member elections.

Growers eligible to vote will be receiving information in late October about elections for open Board Member positions via email. Four positions are available for the 2025 elections. Please contact our office if you have questions about the process.

The following Board Member two-year terms are wrapping up this year:



District 1: Adrien Pinsonneault, Chris Stewart

District 2: Carl Merrick

District 3: Neil Reimer

Nominations will open October 30 and will close upon the adjournment of the District Meeting to be held before November 21st.

District Meetings - Save the Dates

All three Districts are hosting an Annual General Meeting to present financials, provide a Board update, review crop harvest results, discuss local issues, and host voting for Board member elections. Watch your email for further details regarding your district.

District 1

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

District 2

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

District 3

Thursday, November 21, 2024

As we get into October, progress continues with main crop harvest. Sweet corn for Ingersoll and Tecumseh sits at 72% with yields ranging from budget to budget plus. Disease is prominent this year with tar spot being the most notable nuisance. Late fungicide applications have been applied to further protect the crop. Insect pressure has been low. 

Green and Wax bean harvest in Strathroy and Tecumseh is sitting around 66% complete. Disease pressures have decreased and yields have been budget to budget plus depending on the region. 

Lima bean harvest in Strathroy is sitting at 45% and yield have been coming in a little less than budget to budget on average. Disease has been an issue in the Lima crop as well both with mould and brown spot. 

Fall crops (carrots, squash, turnip) are on track to start near the last week of October. 

Pickle Packers International:

Board Members, Dan Froese and Neil Reimer, will be attending the Pickle Packers International Annual Meeting in Chicago from October 29-31. PPI brings together the global pickled vegetable industry for three days of research and educational sessions presented by acclaimed speakers. Topics featured on this year's agenda include, Phytophthora on peppers and pickling cucumbers and Cucurbit Downy Mildew: Pathogen Surveillance and Disease Management.

Ontario Federation of Agriculture:

Dave Hope and Tracy Gubbels will be attending the OFA's Annual General Meeting on November 28th, 2025.

The Ontario and Federal government are investing $9 million into the Ontario Agriculture Stewardship Initiative. This funding will help farmers complete a variety of on-farm improvement projects that enhance the sustainability and competitiveness of their operations.

The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) will deliver this programming and will be accepting applications as of October 16, and will run until October 29. More information on the program can be found HERE.

The program is funded through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a

five-year (2023-2028), $3.5-billion investment by federal-provincial and territorial

governments to strengthen the competitiveness, innovativeness, and resiliency of the agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products sector.

OPVG office hours

8:00 am – 4:00 pm 

Monday to Friday

519.681.1875 opvg@opvg.org