‘Tis the season for not just gifts and celebrations, but also countdowns and Top 10 lists. RealAgriculture.com is not immune to such year-end traditions, and, in the spirit of the holidays (and impending end of the world? Maybe), Shaun Haney and Lyndsey Smith have done an overview of the year’s top ag news and events…. Read More
Category: Industry Issues
Agriculture has been on a roll for the last few years. Commodity and land values are up and interest rates are down — these are good times for farmers. How do you make the most of it? According to Dr. Danny Klinefelter, professor and extension economist with Texas A&M University, the time to prepare for a… Read More
Sir Winston Churchill said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Over the last year or so, several significant changes and developments have occurred in the Canadian cereals sector – including most recently, the announcement by the federal government that the Canadian Grains Commission will move… Read More
There’s no doubt that there are significant rules and regulations in place that farmers must follow in order to certify their production as organic. Canada has a rigourous organic standard, and organic farmers typically take several years to fully transition to the production system. In turn, Canadian consumers have more organic choices in supermarkets than… Read More
2013 will be upon us before you know it and with that comes a great way to kick off the new year. FarmTech 2013 is one of Western Canada’s premiere agricultural events and a great place for producers to learn more about the industry. The three day event features 5 keynote speakers and over 30… Read More
After years of work and consultation, the federal government yesterday announced the Fair Rail Freight Service Act bill which includes an arbitration process when negotiations breakdown between shippers and rail companies and hefty fines levied against railways should they violate agreements. The amendment to the Transportation Act is an important milestone in balancing the commercial… Read More
For those who didn’t tune in this weekend to an episode of CTV’s W5 on “factory farming”, let me sum it up for you: according to the episode hog farmers are heartless, sadist wretches that abuse and mistreat all their animals. While attacks and misinformation on and about farming practices aren’t rare, this particular program… Read More
The Province of Saskatchewan, the University of Saskatchewan and Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. (PotashCorp) have launched the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) to develop Saskatchewan-led solutions to feed a growing world population. With initial commitments of up to $35 million from PotashCorp and $15 million from the province over the next seven years,… Read More
The threat of bovine tuberculosis from wild populations of animals in Manitoba’s Riding Mountain National Park area has weighed heavily on cattle producers in the region for some time. The region has seen a steady decline in cattle and ranchers in part due to this threat. As a plan of attack, Manitoba recently announced the… Read More
The Canadian Government has announced two initiatives “that will help to identify opportunities and address issues facing the next generation of farmers,” according to the press release. The announcement was made at the Ontario Young Farmers Forum in Toronto, November 19. today an investment for two initiatives . The Rural Ontario Institute (ROI) will receive… Read More
The hog industry in Western Canada has been knocked to its knees in recent months by high feed prices and negative margins. A large hog breeder, producer and feed company — Manitoba-based Puratone Corporation — is in the process of being bought by Maple Leaf Foods, the company’s largest hog buyer. Amidst the fall out… Read More
Last week I wrote about the demise of Prop 37, a California bill that called for, among other things, labeling of genetically modified ingredients in food products. It didn’t take long after I posted the story for someone to send me a Tweet containing a link to an online petition. The introduction for the petition… Read More
In September, Bernard Tobin, RealAgriculture.com’s Ontario correspondent, explained in this interview that the Slots-at-Racetrack program was ending and ending quickly. As of March 31, 2013, the slot machines would be pulled from Ontario racetracks, and the revenue generated by the slots (and shared with the province) would walk out the door with the machines. The… Read More
The Canadian Young Speakers for Agriculture held its annual speaking event last weekend in conjunction with the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, at Toronto, Ont. RealAgriculture.com was there to film the promising speakers — an amazing mix of passionate, well-spoken and wise-beyond-their-years individuals. This year’s junior and senior winners respectively, Dasha Metropolitansky and Lydia Harrison, both… Read More
Yesterday’s re-election of Barack Obama was the big news story, but tucked in amongst all the election fan fair and references to Mitt Romney’s “binders full of women” was news of several bills being passed or defeated. Of particular note to agriculture was Prop 37, a Californian bill that would require labeling of products that… Read More