You may be familiar with The Line: a Canadian newsletter-based news outlet. In its second year of operation, The Line was started as a place for “irreverent commentary,” says Jen Gerson, co-founder of the company. Founded with longtime friend and colleague of Gerson, Matt Gurney, it was created as a place for “someone that wasn’t… Read More
Category: Ag Policy
The premier of Saskatchewan says the dust-up between his government and the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan can be attributed to the way the province has kept its books since 2014. APAS, led by vice-president Ian Boxall, has raised concerns about the provincial government blaming its record-high projected deficit of $2.7 billion on increased crop… Read More
Editor’s note: This story and headline were updated after the provincial government published its letter responding to APAS. The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) and the provincial government are disagreeing publicly over the province linking drought-induced crop insurance payments with its deficit for 2021. The Saskatchewan government reported a projected record $2.7 billion deficit in… Read More
The federal and provincial governments have launched an AgriRecovery herd rebuilding program for Manitoba livestock producers who were forced to sell breeding stock due to the feed shortage caused by this year’s drought. The breeding herd buy-back program was promised back in August when the federal and Manitoba governments rolled out AgriRecovery disaster relief funding… Read More
As demographics and societal priorities change, the big question of “how to most effectively lobby government?” has an ever-evolving answer. The answer to that question is especially relevant in farm and food policy, as decision-makers in government that have a strong understanding of agriculture and how the food system works are increasingly difficult to find…. Read More
The Canadian government has not yet decided how it will respond to an invitation to join a U.S.-led coalition of countries promoting “sustainable productivity growth” in agriculture. The productivity-focused coalition championed by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack at the UN Food System Summit in September is seen as countering the European Union’s Farm to Fork… Read More
For the second consecutive year, Thunder Bay, Ont. dairy farmer Peggy Brekveld will lead the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the province’s largest general farm organization. Brekveld was elected president by OFA’s board of directors after the conclusion of the organization’s annual general meeting on Monday, Nov. 22. Mark Reusser and Drew Spoelstra were re-elected as… Read More
Trains could be rolling again on CP Rail tracks through southern B.C. as soon as the middle of this coming week, barring any unforeseen issues, according to the railway. Both CP and CN Rail’s critical main lines that connect the Port of Vancouver to rest of Canada have been closed due to damage from flooding… Read More
The federal government has announced more than $4.3 million in funding to support Canada’s pulse and special crop industry in an effort to meet growing consumer demand for plant-based protein. The funding, announced by Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on November 17, will support international marketing activities to find foreign buyers, improve performance of transportation networks, and… Read More
The Canadian Crop Hail Association says despite reduced overall storm activity, more damaging storms resulted in a near-record level of hail insurance payments to farmers in Western Canada in 2021. With harvest wrapped up across the Prairies, the CCHA says payments totalled more than $322 million — the highest level since 2008. Premiums paid by… Read More
The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) says they are calling on the province to reject proposals by the Saskatchewan Growth Coalition which is calling for lower rural municipal tax rates for resource and processing industries. Scott Owens, APAS board member and farmer at Maidstone, Sask., says that the proposal would decrease the amount of… Read More
Now that the federal cabinet has been selected and we have spent the last ten days worrying about the challenges and pin-pointing the potential positives, the agricultural industry needs to step back and build a better game plan when it comes to lobbying. Over time, lobbying for the agriculture industry has transitioned from being focused… Read More
Methane production naturally occurs in the stomachs of ruminant animals, such as beef cattle. Microbes work together to carry out the digestion of plant cell walls, and one of the end products of the process is methane (which often gets “burped” out, not “farted.”) Dr. Tim McAllister, research scientist in ruminant nutrition and microbiology at… Read More
Since the 40s, the number of farms in Canada are fewer and larger, a trend that holds every census. But digging in to a layer below that, are all farms getting a bit bigger year-over-year, or what does that dynamic look like? Plus, what factors are driving that average? Al Mussell, research lead at Agri-Food Economic… Read More
Erin O’Toole has turned to a familiar face from Alberta to lead the agriculture file in his shadow cabinet. John Barlow, MP for Foothills, is back as the Conservatives’ shadow minister for agriculture, a position which he previously held while Andrew Scheer was leader of the Conservative Party. “It’s great to be back,” says Barlow… Read More