The Sarnia Observer

July 2002 Weather Cripples Crops

Farmers had a late start planting crops due to the cold spring conditions and were never able to make up the lost time.

Local oil seed and grain farmers will benefit from approx $80M in additional Federal aid.

The extremely hot temperatures have been a boon to crops planted late this year thanks to a cool, wet spring.

The provincial government has signed an agreement with the federal government to extend funding for another two years.

Should the province renege on an $82M safety net package promised to farmers, it could prove disastrous to crop producers.

Lambton County farmers are hoping for a dry start to the spring planting season.

The numbers don’t suggest a large-scale abandonment of farmland, just fewer but larger farms with rising productivity.

February 7, 2002 is the calendar date representing when the average Canadian has earned enough income to pay his or her grocery bill for the entire year.

The summer’s drought may cause more area farmers to apply for relief to the Ontario Farm Income Disaster Program (OFIDP).

Hundreds of Sarnia-Lambton residents shaped the events reported by The Observer throughout 2001. People in this community spoke out about what they believe in. They showed they care by taking up a cause, volunteering their time or taking on a