A new livestock price insurance program will be available this spring to help cattle and hog producers in Western provinces manage price risks faced by the industry, says Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz was joined by Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia’s agriculture representatives to unveil the new price insurance program today…. Read More
Category: Ag Policy
Gordon Bacon, CEO of Pulse Canada uses an airline analogy to try and paint the picture of what the western Canadian agriculture industry’s logistics could look like. “If I’m on a plane bound for Europe, and I leave Winnipeg, routing through Toronto, and something happens while I’m in the air so that it means I… Read More
These are exciting times for farmers, as new cereal commissions, associations and industry groups crop up (sorry) offer farmers the chance to forge the path ahead for the wheat and barley industry’s market development. Alberta was the first province to set up a development commission following the dismantling of the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly powers… Read More
A shift in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s focus means that ranchers transporting cattle to auction, pasture or the abattoir may face increased scrutiny on the condition of the cattle they’re moving. All existing regulations have remained the same, however, ranchers should expect to see CFIA inspectors actively checking on and ticketing animals under transport…. Read More
Consumers want food that’s as cheap as possible. True, they want safe food, too, and all those other features such as wholesome, nutritious and environmentally sound food. But mainly, they want food cheap. The huge increase in grocery items at big box stores and discount outlets bears that out. Exceptions exist, particularly with the growing… Read More
Change is a funny thing — difficult for some, painfully too slow for others. But if we look at a 10-year arc of, say, the grain markets, public policy, food trends and so on, that decade of change features individual events that string together to form a direction and momentum towards real change. 2013 featured… Read More
The Beef Straw Man trio published a recommendations report at the end of December, 2013, based on the outcome of meetings held over the last year. The report signals the end of the Beef Straw Man process and provides recommendations based on three strategic priorities: industry profitability, competitiveness, and synergy and alignment. Learn More: Beef Straw… Read More
Kinder, gentler wind energy producers are emerging, the kind that share the benefits from wind installations with their neighbours and their community. They’re wading into a maelstrom of discontent, but it appears their approach is striking a chord in some parts of rural Canada. Last week the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA), an advocacy group… Read More
Farmers are understandably frustrated by slow grain movements out of the Prairies this year, as a giant crop has western ports at a stand-still. The finger is often pointed at oil tankers hogging all the railway tonne-miles as a major part of slow grain movement off the Prairies, but as with any logistical problem, the… Read More
The ballots are in and counted, and the first seven-member board of the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission (SWDC) has been named. The board members, with their hometowns, are: Rod Flaman, Edenwold – 4 year term Ken Rosaasen, Saskatoon – 4 year term Bill Gehl, Regina – 4 year term Glenn Tait, Meota – 4 year… Read More
This week started out very different from most weeks, as word came that the Minister of Agriculture would be making a “very large announcement” in the afternoon. I shuffled my schedule and packed my gear and braved the cold to be in the audience when ag minister Gerry Ritz announced Bill C-18, the Canadian Agricultural… Read More
Farming has become a year-round state of mind. Seasonality is not as much of a management consideration as it once was, especially for crop producers. Planting season and harvest season still exist, but due to increased demands – including the need to constantly be working on public image — the farming season has become a… Read More
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Gerry Ritz was on hand at the Canterra Seeds warehouse in Winnipeg, Man., to announce the tabling of Bill C-18, the Agricultural Growth Act. The Act addresses a total of nine areas where Canada’s regulations need “modernizing, amending and streamlining of processes”. While there isn’t a monetary figure attached to… Read More
All of us have bad days at work, good days at work and then there are awesome days at work. Today it is clear that Dave Hansen had a great day at work. Not only did Gerry Ritz hold his Agricultural Growth Act press conference at the Canterra Seeds office but the inclusion of UPOV91… Read More
Agriculture minister Gerry Ritz was in Winnipeg, Man., today to announce the tabling of Bill C-18, the Agricultural Growth Act. The act covers a host of agriculture-related regulations — a total of nine — with an eye to “amending, streamlining and modernizing” Canada’s regulations as they relate to several areas of agriculture. From plant breeding… Read More