NEGOTIATION UPDATES

As Ontario growers prepare for the season ahead, price negotiations for the 2026 Nortera agreements concluded at the end of March. The finalized contracts set the tone for the upcoming production year and outline important adjustments.

To help growers navigate these changes, we’ve broken down the key price updates in a clear and accessible way. We have also highlighted the clause changes in each agreement.

If you have not received your 2026 crop agreement, please reach out to the office by emailing opvg@opvg.org.

Green Peas

-4.5% on all tenderometer prices
Clause added in section 2 regarding seed condition
Change in section 8 (b) to require digital records in Agro One
Clause added in section 8 regarding glass and glass related contaminants
Change to 18 (b) to reflect regulatory requirements for arbitrator selection
Variety changes in Appendix B
Research contribution increase from $0.20/ton to $0.40/ton.

Sweet Corn

-1.8% for regular yellow corn, -2.35% for super sweet yellow, and -4.4% for bicolour super sweet corn, which represents a net change of approximately -2.7%
Clause 2 (d) and (e), changes to seed cost
Clause added in section 2 regarding seed condition
Change to Clause 3 (e) to require digital records in Agro One, with nutrients being added
Change to clause 13 (a), re quota, changes from 3,500 lbs to 3,000 lbs
Change to clause 15 (b) to reflect regulatory requirements for arbitrator selection
Variety changes in Appendix A
Research contribution increase from $0.10/ton to $0.20/ton.

Green and Wax Beans

-1.5% on prices for all categories
Clause 2 (b) and (d), seed prices for cuts and romanos increased
Clause 2 (f), max seed cost increased
Clause added in section 2 regarding seed condition
Clause added in section 3 regarding glass and glass related contaminants
Change to clause 4 (b) to require digital records in Agro One, with nutrients being added
Change in clause 14 (c) to reflect regulatory requirements for arbitrator selection
Variety changes in Appendix A
Research contribution increase from $0.20/ton to $0.40/ton

Lima Beans

Price decrease of 2.2%
New clause 2 (e) regarding seed condition
Change to Clause 5 to require digital records in Agro One
New Clause 7(d) regarding glass and glass related contaminants
Change to clause 17 (b) to reflect regulatory requirements for arbitrator selection
Clause 25 - Research contribution raised from $0.20/ton to $0.40/ton

Squash

No change in price from 2025
Change to clause 10 (b) to reflect regulatory requirements for arbitrator selection
Change to clause 12 (i) to electronic notification
Change to clause 18 to require digital records in Agro One

UPCOMING EVENTS

AGM Highlights

OPVG welcomed growers and the ag community to its Annual General Meeting in London on March 30th. Here are a few of the key highlights from our event.

Chair Dave Hope opened the meeting with a recap of the 2025 season that saw $161 million in gross annual sales despite the challenges and uncertainties that are becoming a reality in the agriculture sector.

Chair of Farm Products Marketing Commission, Brendan Byrne, highlighted the collaborative efforts between OPVG and FPMC in working together to adhere to Regulations 440 and 441.

Our auditor, Doane Grant Thronton, reported on our 2025 financial statements, which can be found in our 2025 OPVG Corporate Profile HERE. .

To keep the sector innovative and sustainable, OPVG invests more than $225,000 every year to support continuous improvements for the sector in processing vegetable research.

The 2026-2030 Strategic Intents were introduced, which highlighted OPVG's future goals and objectives for the organization.

Continue to improve communication and relationships with growers and industry partners
Encourage long-term growth in the industry
Improve capacity to urge governments to adopt policies and programs to support long-term growth of our industry.
Continue to improve the negotiating process and contract implementation.

Marketing and promotional activities were also highlighted, aimed at raising the profile of local, nutritious and economical vegetables that are available all year long.

Eleven resolutions were presented for voting during the Resolutions Session. The Resolution Report will be published on our website and featured in the May newsletter.