Federal Trade Diversification Minister Jim Carr was in Saskatoon last week for the federal Liberal caucus meeting. Carr and Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion, took the opportunity to address the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce in what was billed as a ‘fireside chat’. The discussion focussed mostly on the programs available to… Read More
Category: Ag Policy
The federal Liberal caucus met in Saskatoon, Sask. this week, providing the opportunity to host a hastily-called roundtable on grain transportation. The roundtable included government representatives, farmers, shippers, and railway executives. The purpose of the meeting, according to a government news release, was to provide “participants with an opportunity to share information, to address challenges,… Read More
Federal minister of agriculture Lawrence MacAulay was at the University of Saskatchewan this week to announce $11.1 Million in funding for SaskPulse and Pulse Canada under the Canadian Agriculture Partnership, AgriScience Clusters. In addition, $7.2 million of industry matching funding will bring the total investment to over $18 million. At the press conference, held at… Read More
Our lives and businesses all depend on not just decent cell service, but also useful Internet speeds. It’s not just our homes and farms that need real Internet — the businesses and services farmers and ranchers depend on require high-speed Internet to stay competitive and relevant, too. Those who live and work in rural areas… Read More
The 90-day consultation period regarding access to strychnine for rodent control in Canadian fields is drawing to a close. Back in July, Health Canada proposed the de-registration of the chemical, often used to curb rodent population in farmers fields as the department found the chemical was also causing harm to species-at-risk, such as the swift fox and the burrowing… Read More
When I am completely overwhelmed with the task at hand (which is often), I sit down, make a to-do list, and break the task down into smaller, more achievable steps. I prioritize the most pressing issue first, or the one that simply must happen before the other pieces can fall into place. My hope, in… Read More
Close to 45,000 people responded to an online survey and hundreds of people attended in-person meetings last year to weigh in on the topic of a national food policy for Canada. The government has compiled that feedback into a report, entitled “What we heard report – A Food Policy for Canada,” which was released this week…. Read More
Nearly 50 scientists and regulators with Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) hopped on a pair of buses a few weeks ago and spent a day in the field 45 minutes from Ottawa learning about how the crop protection products they regulate are used by farmers. The first-ever PMRA field day, held on a farm… Read More
The federal government is investing up to $12.1 million over the next five years in a new canola research cluster under the new Canadian Agricultural Partnership. Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay announced the funding at the Bruce D. Campbell Farm & Food Discovery Centre south of Winnipeg on Tuesday morning. Provincial canola grower groups — Alberta Canola,… Read More
For much of our human history, we’ve toiled to simply meet our most basic of human needs — having enough to eat to survive and raise a family. It’s only in recent history, really, that the bulk of North America has moved up from the basics to the privilege of abundant food choices. Last week… Read More