After nine months of Canada not having an ambassador in China, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced the appointment of a career diplomat to the post in Beijing. Jennifer May, who has worked with Global Affairs Canada (External Affairs at the time) since 1990, will be stepping into the job left vacant following Dominic Barton’s… Read More
With harvest well underway, or even finished for some, markets continue to be susceptible to global events, but focus is now turning to what the actual yield numbers are as crops come off. Weighing in on the topic is Brian Voth, president of intetlliFARM, and he says he’s skeptical of the demand that is being… Read More
The U.S. agriculture industry — and economy as a whole — breathed a sigh of relief early Thursday morning when Labour Secretary Marty Walsh tweeted that a tentative agreement had been reached between rail companies and the unions representing railway workers that were threatening to go on strike on Saturday. The Canadian agriculture sector, for… Read More
Nitrogen has been a hot topic, not only in Canada when it comes to emissions reductions, but worldwide as Europe faces steep increases on natural gas prices, which may have crop rotations shifting in the coming years for those producers, creating a domino effect for North American growers. In Europe, they’ve see a 3600 per… Read More
Creating good policy is difficult at the best of times. In the current world of social media, tribalism, issue zealots, and partisanship, the ability to create policy that achieves the goals of all sides is rare. Politicians talk about unity, but what they really mean is unity of their side not connecting with the other… Read More
A new report commissioned by Fertilizer Canada and the Canola Council of Canada shows increased adoption of 4R stewardship practices could result in a 14 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from nitrogen fertilizer — approximately halfway to the Canadian government’s 30 per cent reduction target for 2030. The study, released September 6, compares… Read More
Next month, China will appoint its next standing committee at its 25th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. President Xi is looking to lead an unprecedented third term, but, more broadly, the focus is on what direction the new group will take on China’s domestic and international policy. Charles Burton, senior fellow with MacDonald Laurier Institute, says… Read More
When looking at the overall picture, protein markets have battled the last while, amid rising costs, plant closures and export hiccups. But retail prices have also climbed, with consumer demand keeping pace here at home. For the hog industry, the result has meant a return to decent margins, but trouble could be brewing on the… Read More
The Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association has announced the hiring of its new CEO. Grant McLellan, who has served as chief of staff for several Saskatchewan cabinet ministers, including the ministers of agriculture and trade, will step into the role September 12th. He will replace Ryder Lee, who is moving on to serve as the general manager… Read More
Alberta farmers who pay a levy to the Alberta Barley Commission or the Alberta Wheat Commission will have the opportunity to vote on amalgamating the two organizations in October. The Alberta Agricultural Products Marketing Council, working with third-party advisor MNP and the two commissions, will be administering two online plebiscites: one for barley growers, and… Read More
In the food-grade soybean business, seed companies must maintain a sharp focus on end-user requirements and what growers need to do to meet those market demands. For Sevita International general manager Sandy Hart, the company’s success rests on its ability to breed soybean genetics that create value for end-users through food qualities that include protein,… Read More
As the federal government has announced it’s desire for a 30 per cent reduction in fertilizer emissions, specifically from nitrogen, the name of the game now is, how? For this Wheat School episode, Dr. Sheri Strydhorst, agronomy research specialist with the Alberta Wheat and Barley Commission, talks about the nitrogen cycle and takes a scientific approach to… Read More
Global need, market prices, and implications from the pandemic have all demonstrated the benefits of bolstering local agriculture infrastructure, something that Alberta NDP ag critic, Heather Sweet, says the province needs to play catch up on. When comparing the Prairie Provinces, Alberta is showing far less traction with breaking ground on new value-added processing than… Read More
The On Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF) is a federal program being administered by 12 organizations across Canada. In Ontario, the funding for nitrogen management, cover cropping, and rotational grazing is largely being administered by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA). EcoCert is also administering a portion of funds for organic growers. Margaret… Read More
The details of how the Canadian government plans to reach its 30 per cent nitrogen fertilizer emission reduction target are still not clear, but the federal agriculture minister says the government has “no intention of going in a regulatory direction.” Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau also says farm practices that reduce emissions, but are not currently… Read More
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