We’re just a year away (or less?) from a federal election, even as deadlines on huge trade deals, such as NAFTA and CPTPP, loom large. As the opposing Conservatives narrow their gap in the polls with the reigning Liberals, Official Leader of the Opposition, Andrew Scheer answers some tough questions on how the Conservatives would be navigating… Read More
Category: Stability Programs
The U.S. government will announce details of its planned US$12 billion trade aid package for the agriculture sector on Monday, according to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. The package, which was first announced in July, will include direct payments to producers to offset the impact of tariffs on U.S. exports. Sources told Agri-Pulse that the preliminary proposal… Read More
Ernie Hardeman has been on the job less than a month and farmers have plenty of questions for Ontario’s new minister of agriculture. One question many are asking is what’s happening with Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) funding? RealAgriculture’s own Lyndsey Smith submitted a funding application back in May and waited patiently through the 45-day business… Read More
Agriculture ministers from across the country were hosted by B.C. Agriculture Minister Lana Popham in Vancouver on Thursday and Friday. The topics discussed at the annual ministerial get-together included trade, business risk management, labour, and the legalization of cannabis. Here’s a summary of what was discussed at the meeting: Trade The ministers received an update… Read More
Precision agriculture provides clear evidence of the impact of yield variability. But often farmers find themselves mired in a swamp of data as they work to create management zones and prescriptions to maximize yield across a field. University of Guelph’s Clarence Swanton certainly sees the opportunity for farmers to intensify management and increase yield but… Read More
The federal agriculture minister has named a panel of farmers, academics and industry experts to provide input as the federal and provincial governments review business risk management (BRM) programs for agriculture. Agriculture ministers from across the country committed to a year-long review of BRM programs in July. The review will not impact what the BRM… Read More
It’s been over 20 years since most of today’s rules on government agriculture support aimed at reducing trade distorting programs were agreed to in the North American Free Trade Agreement and the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Agriculture. Over time, countries have adapted and found ways to circumvent limits and continue providing support to domestic… Read More
Agriculture ministers from across Canada say they reached an agreement in St. John’s today on the core elements of the next agriculture policy framework, which will be called the “Canadian Agricultural Partnership.” CAP is a five-year $3 billion federal-provincial-territorial funding agreement that will replace the current framework, known as Growing Forward 2, which expires at the… Read More
Several of Canada’s largest farm organizations are united in calling for a comprehensive review of the government’s business risk management (BRM) programs for farmers. In government lingo, the BRM acronym refers to AgriStability, AgriInvest, AgriRecovery and AgriInsurance (which includes crop insurance) — all programs that are intended to help farmers manage against volatile weather and… Read More
Agriculture ministers from across Canada met in Ottawa this week, with the agenda focused on finalizing the agriculture policy framework to replace Growing Forward 2, which ends in March 2018. The ministers are aiming to sign off on a new federal-provincial-territorial agreement at their next meeting in St. John’s in July, but they have yet to agree… Read More
Over the last few months, the Conservative leadership contest has thrust a highly emotional issue for rural Canada into the spotlight— is supply management worth keeping or not? If you aren’t aware of the issue, one candidate, Maxime Bernier, is looking to eliminate the system. The rest of the field of candidates have said they… Read More
With government funding programs comes last minute changes and updates, but never fear, RealAgriculture and Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association regional program lead, Margaret May, have joined forces to bring you the latest updates to GF2 programming (That’s Growing Forward 2, for all of you who have been hiding under a rock). Of particular… Read More
With the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) tuberculosis investigation ongoing and no clearly-defined ending in sight, concern is rising for the ranches involved. Currently, compensation only exists if animals need to be destroyed. At the Agriculture Committee meeting in Ottawa this week, it was made very clear that the status quo is going to leave… Read More
Canadian farmers could be among the first to see if U.S. president-elect Donald Trump can live in two worlds – the one in which he keeps his supporters happy, and the other one that keeps the rest of the planet from succumbing to chaos. In his acceptance speech Tuesday, Trump assured the world that he… Read More
Manitoba’s provincial farm group is miffed the province is being left out of the House of Commons Agriculture Committee’s upcoming consultations for the next agricultural policy framework. With the current Growing Forward 2 framework set to expire in early 2018, MPs on the ag committee are planning to tour the country seeking input for the… Read More