When the corn, soybean, and wheat growers of Ontario chose to join forces over a decade ago, they named a Westerner, Barry Senft, as their CEO. Since then, Senft has led the newly-formed Grain Farmers of Ontario through collaboration, the addition of two other commodity groups, restrictive regulations, and a big push for public outreach…. Read More
Minister of International Trade Diversification Jim Carr has put out a statement in regards to the government’s talks with China over blocked canola exports. Earlier this year, China revoked the export license of a major Canadian canola company citing various pests were found in the product. Later, a second company was hit with the same… Read More
The Canadian Meat Council (CMC) is calling on the various government parties for action this upcoming election, as they feel they’ve been in the dark for upwards of three months. The CMC says China’s temporary suspension on pork and beef exports is costing those in the industry close to $100 million. If it persists, the… Read More
Canada’s relationship with China is complicated — it involves extradition, unlawful retribution arrests, non-tariff barriers, fake CFIA documents, and a spying telecom company. In the months since the recall of former Canadian ambassador to China John McCallum, the agriculture industry has been waiting very impatiently for a new ambassador. Agriculture’s hope has been that a… Read More
Conservation Ontario has been handed a letter from the provincial government informing the authority to stick to its “core mandate” when administering and funding programs. The trouble is, it’s unclear just what the core mandate includes or leaves out — and the lack of clarity is causing many to wonder how agriculture programs will factor… Read More
Canada’s 11,000 dairy farmers are getting a pay out from the government over trade deal concessions, and America’s farmers have seen not one, but two government payments — but what about Canada’s 100,000 export dependent farmers impacted by global trade disruptions? The AGgrowth Coalition, an umbrella group representing export-dependent farmers, is calling on the federal… Read More
Under the AgriScience program within the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the Prairie Oat Growers Association (POGA) is set to receive $1,982,915 to improve oat varieties for the Canadian oat industry. “The breeding work being done in Brandon at the AAFC location would not be possible without the continued support of the Government of Canada and all… Read More
On the second day of the G7 meeting being held at Biarritz, France, President Donald Trump announced an in-principle trade deal with Japan.” Both the president of the U.S. and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said this trade deal has been in the works for quite some time. “This is a tremendous deal for the… Read More
Last week, the federal government announced it would be compensating supply-managed dairy producers $1.75 billion over eight years, for market losses expected through the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Much like many industry issues, there are divided opinions and viewpoints on the… Read More
Trade wars, policy shifts, and geopolitical uncertainty are all weighing on financial markets and global outlooks. Among all the turmoil, concern over climate change and global greenhouse gas emissions is growing, influencing policy worldwide. While 2019 started with ocean freight rates pulling back, impending restrictions on the industry’s sulphur dioxide emissions are putting significant upward… Read More
Non-supply managed agriculture sectors are raising concerns over the recent federal announcement of compensation for the dairy sector. Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Marie-Claude Bibeau announced last week that Canada’s 11,000 dairy producers will receive $1.75 billion over eight years, with $345 million being paid the first year as direct payments to dairy producers… Read More
As there’s many moving parts in agriculture, some may forget what’s happening in the background when it comes to policy. It might be surprising to some that farmers in other countries as close as the U.S. and as far as Africa deal with similar issues on both a large and small scale. At the inaugural… Read More
We now know the terms of dairy farmers’ compensation: each Canadian will give $46 each to dairy farmers over the next 8 years while paying exorbitant retail prices for many dairy products. Eggs and poultry are coming next. And don’t hold your breath because more money given to dairy farmers won’t change much of anything… Read More
What do Chinese government leaders think of Canada? Can our government correct a policy course that has put Canadian agricultural exports on the ropes and knocked canola and meat out of the globe’s most lucrative economy? Earlier this week, RealAg Radio host Shaun Haney put these questions to Charles Burton, senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier… Read More
The climate change and land use report released last week by the United Nations generated plenty of headlines and tremendous discussion. But the media coverage of The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) really missed the mark, says Dr. Frank Mitloehner, University of California, Davis animal science professor and air quality extension specialist. This week… Read More