It appears the Biden and Trudeau governments are seeing many issues through a similar lense so far, especially when it comes to fighting climate change, enabling diversity, and a belief in science. Tuesday morning, Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food Marie-Claude Bibeau and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack met virtually, to discuss the importance of the… Read More
I frequently hear from RealAg readers and listeners saying “I’m not in my truck to hear the radio show everyday.” There are many ways to consume RealAgriculture content, and RealAg Radio is no exception. It can be confusing as I rattle off all the different ways you can listen and interact on the show, so I… Read More
It has been a really tough ninety days if you are a die-hard believer in the need to develop a code of practice for grain production in Canada. Although other agricultural sectors have had national codes for years, the concept has really struggled to gain support with grain farmers on the Prairies in and outside… Read More
Since the introduction of the draft Responsible Grain code of practice in late 2020, there have been farmers expressing their concerns and displeasure with the concept, based on numerous factors. There’s been plenty of discussion on social media platforms regarding the code’s intent, funding, and value to farmers. Given the feedback from farmers over the… Read More
It’s been a wild week in the equity markets, dominated by the short squeeze placed on Gamestop and a few other heavily shorted stocks. Gamestop was up 400% in the last five days trading from $65 last on January 21st to close at $325 on January 28th with an inter-week high of $505. Was this… Read More
On Thursday, Ryan Jespersen featured an hour dedicated to agricultural issues. The panel consisted of Alberta based beef and dairy farmer Jeff Nonay, Brittany Hennig, a MSc Student at the University of Alberta & Research Administration at Alberta Canola, and me. With a primarily urban audience, addressing agricultural issues on a show like this is… Read More
With consultations underway for the Responsible Grain code of practice, farmers are expressing varied levels of support and frustration towards the concept. Echo chambers have developed on both sides of the issue, with what I perceive to be the majority of farmers in the middle looking for facts and understanding of what Responsible Grain is… Read More
In an effort to have a cabinet full of MPs that will be running in the next federal election, Prime Minister Trudeau announced a cabinet shuffle early Tuesday morning. Although Marie-Claude Bibeau will remain as the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, agriculture could be impacted by several of the moves. Transport Omar Alghabra, previously Parliamentary… Read More
While the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has been slower in Canada than in the U.S. and the UK, questions also still remain on how each province will decide who receives the vaccine and when. As previously reported by RealAgiculture, the Canadian Meat Council and other agri-food industry groups have been lobbying for meat workers to… Read More
As we drift into a new year, an opportunity presents itself to refocus and take a fresh look at the issues at hand. Some people make New Year’s resolutions, some think about changes, and others take advantage of the fresh calendar to implement real change to benefit stakeholders and their own position. This restart with… Read More
What is old is new again, as former U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is headed back to the post he held for eight years under the Obama administration. The Biden-Harris transition team formally announced the former ag secretary and Iowa governor’s nomination to the agriculture position in cabinet on Thursday. Former Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry… Read More
Dairy has become the first issue under the new NAFTA to be challenged with potential enforcement action. As expected, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on Wednesday announced it is seeking consultations with Canada regarding the allocation of the dairy tariff rate quotas (TRQs) for market access negotiated in the USMCA. “Canada’s measures violate its commitments… Read More
Since the spring, packing plants and their workers have been under the microscope in dealing with COVID-19. Early on, plants scrambled to get ahead of the virus while workers attempted to follow new protocols to keep themselves safe. The Canadian Meat Council, which represents federally licensed meat packers and processors, is now asking for essential… Read More
While provincial agriculture minsters are reviewing Ag Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau’s business risk management proposal, the Canadian beef industry sees potential in the offer. The beef industry has been pushing for removal of the reference margin, changes to the trigger/compensation percentages, and raising the payment cap limit. The proposed deal includes some — but not all… Read More
The federal-provincial-territorial (FPT) meeting concluded last week with a press conference hosted by Ontario’s Ag Minister, Ernie Hardeman, and the federal minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Marie Claude Bibeau. At the meeting, Bibeau presented the federal government’s offer to fund changes to AgriStability — but, according to the provinces, it was the first time they’d… Read More
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