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
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
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
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
Global changes are inevitable and are continuously evolving. But how does that impact Canada? RealAgriculture’s Shaun Haney caught up with Janice Stein, founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs (University of Toronto), at the Grow Canada conference, to talk about re-bordering the world, and what that means. Continues below video… Defining “re-bordering” Stein… Read More
Convincing policymakers and politicians that agriculture matters is easy; it’s getting them to push for changes and advancements that are tricky. Part of the reason for that is the compartmentalization of the industry, sure, but there are plenty of overarching issues that impact most farmers — and that’s where change needs to start. Mary Robinson,… Read More
Have you ever wondered how countries that buy Canadian wheat learn about each crop-year’s characteristics? The story of each crop begins with the harvest sample program, involves a careful analysis of the crop, and continues with crop missions to countries such as Singapore, Ecuador, China, and Mexico. Cam Dahl, president of Cereals Canada, and Gary Stanford,… Read More
The World Trade Organization (WTO) was created to add stability to global trade by upholding certain rules between trading partners. The organization has been criticized for being too slow, and, at times, ineffective. But the WTO exists for very good reason, says Brian Innes, past president of CAFTA who also is the head of public… Read More
In a great example of rare bipartisan support, the U.S. House of Representatives voted in favour of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in landslide fashion. One day removed from an impeachment vote of President Donald Trump, the USMCA passed 385-41. The trade agreement will now move to the U.S. Senate, where a favourable outcome is… Read More