After I wrote an editorial piece on Kathleen Wynne’s absence at the GFO meeting last week (click here for that), many people agreed with my take. In the true spirit of Realagriculture.com, some readers thought I was incorrect and called me out on it. Long-time RealAgriculture follower Stewart Skinner contacted me and said, “Slow down,… Read More
Category: Ag Policy
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz was in Saskatoon today to discuss logistics legislation with stakeholders and industry representatives across the rail supply chain. “The new Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act will put into law clear measures to support the world-class logistics system that gets Canada’s agriculture products and other bulk commodities to market in a… Read More
Debra Murphy took in the the first ever Grain Handling and Logistics Summit in Saskatoon today. Near the end of the day, she and RealAgriculture editor Lyndsey Smith re-capped the hot topics of the day, a day filled with tough questions and even tougher answers. From a representative from CN Rail who didn’t wait around… Read More
Bill 30, the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act, received its first reading in the House of Commons today. The act has a stated goal of getting the 2013 Prairie grain crop moving, according to a Government of Canada press release. It’s estimated that between 14.2 and 20 billion dollars worth of crop is stuck… Read More
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – In light of the recent completion of the Canada-South Korean Free Trade Agreement negotiations, the Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced today that he will lead a large delegation of agriculture groups on a trade mission to South Korea. “The agreement, Canada’s very first in Asia, is projected to create thousands of… Read More
Call me old fashioned, but I’m siding with dairy farmers in the latest attack against supply management. And I hope any farmer who feels the same way will take action and let their elected officials (particularly at the federal level) know how they feel. Over the past couple of weeks, a fight has emerged between… Read More
It’s a win for agriculture commodities, namely pork and beef, but a sore spot for the auto industry, as Prime Minister Stephen Harper was in South Korea this week to finalize and sign a free trade agreement with that country. This Agreement will create jobs & opportunities for Cdns across the country: http://t.co/tUeeYj7qg5 #cdnpoli… Read More
It’s been a long, cold, snowy winter. I get that. You get that. The railways also get that, apparently. And, on one hand, would like to tell you that the dismal service Western Canadian farmers and Canada’s agriculture industry is receiving is the weather’s fault and then, in the same breath wants to “work together”… Read More
The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture hosted the 2014 Agriculture Trade Summit in Saskatoon in early February. It was there that I met Jennifer Higginson, deputy director of the trade negotiations division of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Higginson’s presentation dealt largely with the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), citing an eventual elimination of over 95%… Read More
Where there are livestock, there’s going to be manure. Tonnes of it, in fact. And while that “brown gold” may eventually make its way to neighbouring fields, all livestock owners, but especially feedlots, have to plan for manure management, storage and use. Manure is rich in nutrients, but too much of a good thing is… Read More
By Karen Lewis In year two of its existence, the wheat and barley check-off continues to provide producers with a significant “bang for their buck” supporting the growth of the agricultural industry. The five-year federal check-off enables producers to continue supporting the work conducted by the Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF), Canadian International Grains Institute… Read More
By Cheyenne Stapley This post first appeared on Stapley’s blog Little Prairie Baby. Visit the blog here. Editor’s note: According to the ESRD, there are currently 980 feral horses on the Southern East Slopes alone; it is suspected this number is actually low. Currently in Alberta there are capture permits out to cull some of… Read More
The words “Made in Canada branding campaign” had hardly dried on the page of federal finance minister Jim Flaherty’s Economic Action Plan last week before marketing experts started taking shots at it…even though they didn’t know what it was about. They couldn’t know, because the government itself didn’t — all the budget contained was one… Read More
It’s stated twice, in 2007 and 2012: the $58-million research partnership between the University of Guelph and what is now the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Ministry of Rural Affairs has an annual economic impact of more than $1.1 billion on the province. That’s a $58-million annual investment, and a $1.1-billion return. Anyone… Read More
If you’ve been on Twitter this week and happen to follow Gary Stanford (@senatrstanford), you’ll note that this newly minted president of the Grain Growers of Canada was in our nation’s capital meeting with the ag minister et al. to tackle a number of subjects that matter to Canadian farmers. Click here for all RealAgriculture’s… Read More