Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Crops, Livestock and Business Management Service Standards

Our Mandate

The Agriculture Development Branch (ADB) serves Ontario agriculture through seven units with programs in crops, livestock and business management. The ADB leads provincial efforts related to technology development and transfer of innovative solutions for a prosperous agriculture sector that is thriving, market responsive, sustainable and globally competitive. The branch is an enabler of innovation and change to strengthen economic and environmental sustainability of a diverse agriculture sector.

The ADB manages issues relating to agricultural production (crops and livestock), business management and marketing, and coordinates the delivery of knowledge and technology programs across Ontario. The branch promotes high quality, innovative agricultural production through the implementation of best management practices, on-farm quality assurance programs and plant and animal health strategies. The branch provides business management resources that assist industry partners with farm business development. The branch also provides input on research and policy development, the delivery of several acts that impact Ontario agricultural production, as well as the appointment of inspectors.

Business Management

The Business Management Unit promotes beneficial business management practices and works to ensure that Ontario agricultural businesses have access to the latest business management information and decision-making tools. These efforts contribute towards increasing investments and expanding market opportunities in the agri-food and agri-product sectors. The primary areas of focus are on farm business management, farm business planning, profitability, marketing of agricultural products, and agricultural financing.  The Unit also provides expertise and input to the Business and Leadership Development, Labour Productivity and Market Development areas of focus under Growing Forward 2.

Crops

The four Crops units (field crops; greenhouse agroforestry, and specialty crops; horticulture crops; and horticulture technology) provide programs that aim to foster competitiveness, sustainability and innovation in the agricultural sector.

The Crops programs deliver information and advice, and education and training to a wide range of stakeholders and develop information on best practices and strategies. Staff actively explore opportunities, validate information relevant for Ontario conditions through research and transfer knowledge through seminars, workshops, internet, demonstration trials, publications and factsheets, and partnerships with associations and industry meetings and conferences.

The Crops program area assesses the impacts and efficacy of new pest control products, develops, refines and articulates novel technologies that maintain quality over longer storage periods. In addition, they monitor individual crops to enable early detection of known and invading pests, diseases and physiological stress. The Crops program area recognizes sources and validates global technology which can be adapted to Ontario conditions to keep Ontario producers innovative and competitive. The programs proactively address a wide variety of major industry issues affecting the agricultural sector and input application technologies. The Crops programs also ensure the security of the Ontario's agriculture plant base by mitigating the effects of new plant pests and invasive alien pests.

Crop specialists provide valued technical information that forms OMAFRA's policy and program development in the area of water, soil and nutrient management. The Crops program area also delivers the Weed Control Act which provides for the destruction of noxious weeds impacting agricultural production. The Plant Diseases Act is also delivered under this program area and is designed to protect the plant resource base of Ontario.

Livestock

The two livestock units provide programs that assist Ontario's producers (beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine, poultry, sheep, goats, alternative livestock, and aquaculture) to improve production efficiency, animal health and welfare, on-farm food safety and environmental performance leading to sustainable and profitable livestock enterprises. The Livestock programs assess research results and industry developments for applicability to Ontario conditions; conduct on-farm trials and demonstrations; develop information materials; design technology transfer strategies that enable producers and industry partners to learn about and adopt leading-edge production and management systems. Livestock specialists' technical expertise and stakeholder knowledge are also an important resource to many internal OMAFRA processes, such as, supporting policy and program development, emergency management and stakeholder communication initiatives.

Our Services

Our service standards relate to providing information and Advice on Crops, Livestock and Business Management and Education and Training related to Crops, Livestock and Business Management.

Our Service Standards

Education and Training

• Training and education programs meet stated learning objectives, and provide relevant knowledge and skills, resulting in positive client satisfaction ratings.
• Training and education programs provide relevant knowledge and skills to inform their business decisions, resulting in positive client information usefulness/impact ratings.

Results for 2017-18

Service Standard	Target (%)	Actual (%)
Training and education programs meet stated learning objectives, and provide relevant knowledge and skills, resulting in positive client satisfaction ratings.	80	84.6
Training and education programs provide relevant knowledge and skills to inform their business decisions, resulting in positive client information usefulness/impact ratings.	80	88

Feedback/Complaints

We want to provide the best service that we can and your feedback helps us to improve. If you have comments, questions or concerns about our service we encourage you to let us know. Please contact us by calling the Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300 or use the Feedback Form or send an e-mail to ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca.