With all the reasons to feel good about farm prospects — the emergence of agri-food as the leading economic driver, the food-health-environment connection, local food, etc. — a new poll by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business announcing gloomy feelings on the farm seemed contradictory to me. But according to the federation, Ontario farmers don’t feel stabilization policies are in place to give them a secure feeling about the future. They’ve formed a coalition to draw some attention to their plight, which is the subject of my Urban Cowboy column in today’s Guelph Mercury.
Even with pessimism in the agri-food sector, the federation’s business barometer (below) is looking positive as 2010 gets underway.
