Custom applicators and farmers looking to use drones to apply herbicides to crops in Canada are still in a holding pattern. Operator licensing and certification is now available from Transport Canada, but Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) requirements continue to ground herbicide application from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), reports Don Campbell, owner and and founder… Read More
The Government of Canada will soon be rolling out its Buy Canadian campaign across the nation, but first it must find a marketing firm to stick-handle using the $1.5 to $4 million yearly budget. In a notice posted to a government job portal, they’re on the hunt for a firm to help with their digitally-focused campaign… Read More
To the relief of farmers, China and the U.S. have agreed and signed Phase One of a “multi-phase” trade deal. It remains to be seen whether this is a truce, a pause, or an easing of tensions, but farmers are encouraged. The Phase One deal is being met with high amounts of bipartisan criticism due… Read More
The federal government has opened the application process for the first Canadian Agricultural Youth Council. The Council will identify new and emerging issues, enable on-going dialogue on challenges and opportunities, share information and best practices, and provide advice on the strengths and weaknesses of policies and programs affecting the agriculture and agri-food sector, Agriculture and… Read More
Manitoba Ag Days may mark a beginning to the agriculture year ahead, but the hangover of 2019 is still firmly in place for the province’s farmers. A rough harvest is being made worse by the new carbon tax added to grain drying fuel bills, canola from two main exporters (one Winnipeg-based) is still blocked from… Read More
By the time harvest ends this season, the Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) estimate Manitoba producers will have paid almost $1.7 million in carbon tax related to the cost of drying the 2019 corn crop. “We are firm in our position that there needs to be an exemption for farmers under the carbon tax framework for… Read More
When thinking of Canadian pulse exports, most think of India. That thinking needs to evolve, says Chuck Penner, founder and grain market analyst for LeftField Commodity Research. “A number of years ago we were getting all hot and bothered about massive volumes, and it was great business while it was there,” Penner says. “So we… Read More
Following the June announcement of a proposed merger, the boards of Canadian International Grains Institute (CIGI) and Cereals Canada are moving closer to a vote on full amalgamation of the two entities. Dean Dias, interim CEO of CIGI, says that both organizations have been in conversation over what a merger would look like, what governance… Read More
The topic of trade was heavily discussed among attendees at this year’s CropSphere conference. This comes as no surprise to most, as Canadian farmers continue to deal with trade uncertainty on the global stage. One of the keynote speakers, Globe and Mail columnist Andrew Coyne, touched on how politics relate to both trade overall and… Read More
Canadian farmers and exporters have been frustrated by a year-long major trade disruption with one of Canada’s largest canola markets — China. It is a continuously evolving situation, says Jim Everson, president of the Canola Council of Canada (CCC). “There is still a blockage in terms of seed shipments from the two largest exporters — Viterra and… Read More
The Conservative Party of Canada is again looking for a new leader, just two years after Andrew Scheer stepped up. Now that the rules of engagement have been laid out, featuring some significant changes from the last leadership race, names are being added — and not added — to the list of contenders. Jeff English,… Read More
With the U.S. Senate voting 89-10 in favour, the USMCA has received its final required congressional approval before hitting President Donald Trump’s desk. It is expected that President Trump will sign the agreement next week. Now that the biggest hurdle of U.S. Congress has been cleared, all eyes are focused on Canada to ratify the… Read More
In a long-anticipated signing, the U.S. and China have agreed to the first phase of a multi-level trade deal that heavily features agricultural products. The deal is being celebrated by some in the White House as a major victory, but those that wanted ultimate structural changes with China will have to wait until a possible… Read More
Moving farm equipment down the road can be a scary situation. To make it safe, everyone — farmers and drivers — need to understand the rules of the road and follow them, says Matt Mitchell, an enforcement officer for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. Speaking with farmers at the SouthWest Agricultural Conference (SWAC) last week… Read More
It has been a very difficult week for Canadians, as conflict in the Middle East between the U.S. and Iran attempts to find calmer ground. In an unbelievable tragedy, 176 people were killed, including 57 Canadians, when a passenger jet was shot down — reportedly by mistake — leaving Tehran. Earlier this week on RealAg… Read More