Saskatchewan’s election is coming up on October 26, 2020. The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) has released a set of proposals designed to get candidates from all political parties thinking about how best to support Saskatchewan’s agricultural sector. “Agriculture has ended up being a major driver of the economy during COVID-19,” says farmer and… Read More
Category: Stability Programs
It’s a bit early to see what the impacts of the recent frost are on crops in Saskatchewan but for the most part, David Marit, minister of agriculture in Saskatchewan, says the crop is either ripe, in a swath, or being straight cut. As of last week, 28 per cent of the crop was harvested,… Read More
What works for animal production sectors won’t necessarily work for the grain sector, says the chair of Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO), referring to the Canadian Pork Council’s latest request for changes to business risk management (BRM) programs, specifically AgriStability. While farm groups across the country have been pushing for BRM reform for years, GFO’s… Read More
The federal government needs to step up and fix its business risk management programs for farmers. It should also consider paying farmers for soil management practices that sequester carbon, invest in rural internet, and partner with other countries that trade with China to gain leverage on international markets. That’s according to federal New Democrat agriculture… Read More
New data on farm cash receipts for the second quarter of 2020 sheds some light on the early impact the pandemic has had on farm income across the country and across different commodities. Livestock receipts were down $629 million — nearly 10 per cent — from April through June of this year versus the same… Read More
Editor’s note: The federal government announced an extension of the application window through the Ministry of Finance on August 31. The deadline to apply to the Canadian Emergency Business Account (CEBA) is Monday, August 31. With just days to go before the application window closes, many in agriculture, including producer groups, are calling on the… Read More
Grain Farmers of Ontario is asking the government to improve the programs put in place to help farmers if their businesses are in a loss position because of the pandemic. GFO is asking the government to fully fund the Risk Management program in Ontario, to restore the AgriStability program to 85 per cent (vs 75… Read More
The impact of COVID-19 on the livestock industry has been severe. There were weeks of packers operating at half to no slaughter capacity, market-ready cattle waiting to get on a truck, and the food service sector being crippled due to closures. One of the measures suggested to help mitigate the financial strain by the cattle… Read More
More than two months after the federal government announced $50 million in emergency funding for provinces that want to offer cattle set-aside programs, the Manitoba government has still not released any information on what the program will look like for beef producers in the province. The cattle set-aside initiatives aim to help cover the costs… Read More
If you’re frustrated by how government support programs are designed or overwhelmed by navigating the paperwork, you’re certainly not alone. The numbers speak for themselves — enrolment in the main suite of federal programs has been dropping steadily for years. A recent letter from the Standing Committee on Agriculture to the Minister of Agriculture and… Read More