Due to a “catastrophic” disease outbreak in this year’s corn crop, Ontario farmers say they will likely need federal and provincial help. “We are facing one of the most severe outbreaks of DON in corn that we have ever seen, and some areas of the province are being hit especially hard,” Markus Haerle, chair of the Grain Farmers of Ontario, said in an open letter to the organization’s membership Friday. The situation is “at a catastrophic level, at this point,” he said, adding that “it is only getting worse.” DON is a type of vomitoxin caused by a disease called Gibberella Ear Rot, which leads to fungus on the ear of the corn. Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) regulations limit the level of vomitoxin to prevent livestock from getting sick. Crops with vomitoxin levels above the accepted limit cannot be sold as livestock or human feed. It does not pose a threat to human health. There are limited alternative markets, including the ethanol industry, for crops with vomitoxin levels above the accepted thresholds. As a result, the grain is often unsellable and farmers aren’t paid. “I know that there are frustrations (with) the insurance process, and we continue to recommend to everyone that they engage Agricorp as soon as possible,” Haerle said. Agricorp is Ontario’s crop-insurance provider. Federal and provincial officials, including Ontario Agriculture Minister Ernie Hardeman, have been informed of the situation, Haerle said. A meeting with Hardeman and leaders from the corn industry, including the Grain Farmers of Ontario, has been called for next week. The Grain Farmers of Ontario are also looking into other “relieve options for revenue loss.” Those enquiries could include asking for federal agriculture-disaster funding, Haerle added. “We all know that AgriStability is not going to help, and we are exploring other relief options for revenue loss, including AgriRecovery,” he said. AgriStability is a joint federal-provincial risk-management program designed to stabilize farmers’ incomes when margins fall. Payments are currently triggered when a farmer’s profits fall to a certain level. Producers can claim a series of eligible expenses, such as fertilizer, feed and fuel as part of their calculations. The program has faced criticism from farmers who wanted it reformed. In a report last May, an external review panel tasked with taking a closer look at Canada’s suite of business risk-management programs found AgriStability in its current form is not meeting the needs of producers. Meanwhile, AgriRecovery is a joint federal-provincial program designed to provide financial reprieve and cover extraordinary costs incurred during times of disaster, including weather-related events such as flooding and drought. The program is triggered at the request of the provinces, and the cost is shared 60:40 between the federal government and the provinces. Source - https://ipolitics.ca