U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the final rule for meat, poultry, and egg products that carry a “Product of the USA” label at the National Farmers Union’s annual convention in Phoenix on Monday. As previously proposed, the label will be voluntary, but any company that uses it will have to maintain documentation to prove… Read More
Category: Canadian Agriculture Policy
Approval of a biotechnology reform bill in the European Parliament last month has been hailed as a major breakthrough toward allowing “new genomic techniques,” such as gene-editing, to be used in crop breeding in Europe. The bill still faces an uphill battle to become law across the European Union, but the vote was one example… Read More
The chief commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission says he will retire at the end of April. Doug Chorney informed staff at the CGC of his decision earlier this week. Chorney, who also farms at East Selkirk, Man., has served as a commissioner at the CGC for the past seven years. He completed a three-year… Read More
Trade ministers from the World Trade Organization’s 164 member countries can agree on at least one basic thing about the WTO’s dispute settlement process: they’re still committed to fixing the broken system for resolving trade disputes. Beyond that, there were few signs of progress as trade representatives, including Canada’s Mary Ng and the United States’… Read More
By Tyler McCann, managing director of the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute Many in Canadian agriculture and food are proud of the sector’s position as a major exporter. Many are also proud of Canada’s position as a sustainable food producer. But many are worried about the relationship between trade and sustainability. While the landscape is shifting,… Read More
USDA secretary Tom Vilsack gave an address at Commodity Classic on Friday, where he touched on several important issues for the United States’s ag sector; however, key details on some policies were not part of the speech. While many were disappointed that the final rules around the GREET model for ethanol’s qualification for Sustainable Aviation… Read More
Steve Verheul, now principal with GT Canada, served as Canada’s chief trade negotiator for several large trade deals, including what eventually became the United States-Canada-Mexico Agreement, or USMCA/CUSMA. This week, he joined Shaun Haney on RealAg Radio, recorded live at the Canadian Federation of Agriculture’s AGM in Ottawa. They spoke about: Multi-lateral vs bi-lateral trade… Read More
Scientists and plant breeders have their sights set on root rots, given the risk that one in particular — aphanomyces — poses to pea and lentil production in Western Canada and the Northern Plains. Federal funding for a new five-year Pulse Crop Research Cluster, leveraged by funding from farmer check-off organizations, was announced earlier this… Read More
The federal government is contributing $3.1 million to further develop the National Index on Agri-Food Performance. A pilot version of the index, which was designed to measure and support marketing around the sustainability of food produced in Canada, was launched in May 2023. As of early 2024, the Centre for Agri-Food Benchmarking, led by executive… Read More
It’s time for another episode of Wiesemeyer and Haney discussing all the big agricultural topics impacting farmers and ranchers in Canada and the United States! As we hit the end of February, the news cycle shows no signs of slowing down. This week, Shaun Haney of RealAgriculture, and Jim Wiesemeyer, D.C. policy analyst with Pro… Read More
When it comes to Canadian agriculture, criticism towards federal policies and their broader implications is not uncommon. Farmers’ list of grievances reflect legitimate concerns over how this federal government’s bent will shape the sector’s future. However, it’s crucial to differentiate between warranted critique and misplaced outrage. A recent social media post from Agriculture Minister Lawrence… Read More
The race is on among canola processing companies to supply growing demand in the U.S. for canola oil as a feedstock for lower carbon-intensity fuels. Construction is underway on three of five planned canola crush projects in Saskatchewan, notes Chris Vervaet, executive director of the Canadian Oilseed Processors Association (COPA), in the interview below. Cargill,… Read More
First announced as the host city in June 2023, the Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office (IPAAO) in Manila was officially opened this week by Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay. The Indo-Pacific region is a key one for Canadian farmers, producers, and the agri-food sector, with Canada’s agriculture and agri-food exports to the region totalling $22.8… Read More
The interest-free component of the federal government-backed spring cash advance loan program for farmers is reverting to $100,000 for 2024 after being increased to $250,000 in 2022 and $350,000 last year. Many farmers use spring advances to help cover the cost of planting a new crop, using crop insurance or AgriStability coverage as collateral. Former… Read More
Canada and the U.S. are unique, different, and not at all the same in many ways, but these two countries also have a laundry list of things in common. There’s also the trade relationship that exists, where plenty of products — agriculture and otherwise — flow both north and south freely. Some of where we… Read More