The news Parliamentary secretary Jean-Claude Poissant, on behalf of Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay, was in Gatineau, Quebec, this week to announce funding for two projects focused on food safety and public trust in Canada’s food system. Announced at the Food Safety Forum, held following the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity’s Public Trust Summit,… Read more »
Category: Ag Policy
RealAg Bookclub: The Soil Fixers with Harold Rudy
Much has changed on the Ontario soil conservation front since 1987. No-till farming has been firmly entrenched, most farms in the province now proudly tout their own Environmental Farm Plan, and soil health is recognized as key to a $13 billion food economy that fuels 800,000 jobs. It’s a 30-year journey that Harold Rudy captures… Read more »
Northern Strands wins innovation award for bin safety harness design
Climbing on bins is one of the things that you just have to do if you are a farmer. If you do not have to do it yourself, someone who works for you has to do it. Grain bins have evolved over the years, but the same could not be said for fall protection (safety… Read more »
Latest public trust survey suggests animal welfare concerns on the rise
The Canadian Centre for Food Integrity rolls out its latest public trust data this week in conjunction with its third annual Public Trust Summit, being held at Gatineau, Quebec. The centre conducted two surveys this past year. One was a continuation of its public trust barometer, and the other a Canada-U.S. study which focused on three… Read more »
Canada commits to double agriculture trade to China by 2025
The federal government has made it very clear that it expects Canadian agriculture to grow, scale-up, and increase production — for both domestic and international markets. China is a key destination for several Canadian commodities, and a trade mission this week is yielding some very positive results. Last week, Canada sent four high-level ministers to… Read more »
Canadians and Americans learning to improve the wheat system together
Canadians and Americans share the largest border in the world which creates similar opportunities and challenges for farmers no matter where they reside in relation to the 49th parallel. When the Canadian Wheat Board’s single desk fell, Western Canadian growers looked forward to some of the same free market opportunities that American growers in Montana… Read more »
Impact of the U.S. midterm results on USMCA, immigration, and health care for agriculture
The midterm election has come and gone with some changes for the U.S. Congress, along with farmers and ranchers. The House of Representatives will have a Democrat majority and the Republican majority increased in the Senate. Make no mistake, with political power shifting slightly in Washington — Canadians are paying attention. The big questions are… Read more »
GFO says provincial government should refund farmers for added cap and trade costs
Grain Farmers of Ontario is asking the provincial government to issue refunds to farmers who paid into the provincial cap and trade program prior to the program being repealed by the current government. Representing Ontario’s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean and wheat farmers, GFO is supportive of Doug Ford’s provincial government cancelling the current cap and… Read more »
Volatility in global markets can spell opportunity for Canadian crops
So often grain markets take the stairs up, but the elevator down. If you’re getting dizzy watching global trade and global markets racing up and down like a rollercoaster, you’re likely wondering what the impact is of all this volatility. Craig Klemmer, principal agriculture economist for Farm Credit Canada, joins Shaun Haney for a frank… Read more »
New Syngenta Canada president stays the course on company direction
Although only in the role for under a year, Syngenta Canada president Trevor Heck is no stranger to the company. Heck has been with Syngenta for more than 26 years in various positions. Every second year in late October, Syngenta holds its annual Media Summit. While in attendance, RealAgriculture’s Jessika Guse got the chance to… Read more »
Canadians flip on their support for carbon tax: poll
With the announcement of the carbon tax program implemented in provinces without a nationally accredited carbon tax policy, people in two of the three prairie provinces have flipped their vote to support the federal government’s plan. According to a recent poll conducted by the Angus Reid Institute, the public’s perception in Alberta and Saskatchewan of… Read more »
Future agriculture leaders learn what provincial wheat and barley commissions do
Sometimes the work of producer commissions isn’t easily visible, even to the farmers that pay the check-off. Certainly, to a group of university students, commissions can seem like an entirely different world. Geoff Backman is the manager of business development and markets with the Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions (AWBC). He studied at the University… Read more »
MacAulay leads troop to inaugural Chinese International Import Expo
Brand new this year, China will be hosting its International Import Expo (CIIE). Ministers and trade partners from all over the world will be at this event, which is partnered with the World Trade Organization, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. Organizers say the aim for the… Read more »
Trump and China— Real structural change or shallow remedies?
It might not yet be December, but when things are all said and done the story of the year in agriculture for 2018 will be the U.S./China trade war. We have seen a a tit-for-tat tariff battle, shifting of traditional export pathways, and increased subsidy programs attempting to cover market losses while longer-term repairs are in… Read more »
What the legalization of cannabis means for your farm
On October 17, 2018 there was a major change to Canadian law which is very slowly starting to ripple its way through workplaces across Canada. Farms are included in this workplace change but the question is are farmers ready for the change that is about to sweep over them? RealAg Radio host Shaun Haney dives… Read more »