The Government of Manitoba has announced changes to the Water Rights Act, changes the Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) say will make it harder — not easier — for farmers to control water on their land. The Pallister government has launched a “new approach” to the act which will streamline the approval process for producers and… Read More
Farmers descended on The Hague, Netherlands, in droves to protest possible restrictions and regulations on the agriculture industry centred on greenhouse gas emissions. Hundreds of farmers clogged highways for hours, and drove over temporary fences once at the meeting site. At last report, at least three people had been arrested. A recent commission report recommends… Read More
“We depend on nature, and we really have to live in symbiosis with it,” says Mickenzie Plemel-Stronk of Ducks Unlimited in the trailer for a new short film “Guardians of the Grasslands.” The film is meant to be an education tool to showcase the benefits of agriculture and how not everything you read about farming… Read More
Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna announced $97,100 has been awarded to Agriculture in the Classroom Saskatchewan. The money will be put towards helping kids involved in the program to learn about the environment and “foster awareness of sustainability and climate change.” According to a news release, Agriculture in the Classroom Saskatchewan aims… Read More
With just under two weeks left until the provincial election in Manitoba, the Progressive Conservative party has announced it would set the country’s highest biofuel requirements, if re-elected. Premier Brian Pallister says his government will increase the ethanol requirement in gasoline to 10 per cent and the biodiesel requirement from two to five per cent… Read More
Trade wars, policy shifts, and geopolitical uncertainty are all weighing on financial markets and global outlooks. Among all the turmoil, concern over climate change and global greenhouse gas emissions is growing, influencing policy worldwide. While 2019 started with ocean freight rates pulling back, impending restrictions on the industry’s sulphur dioxide emissions are putting significant upward… Read More
The climate change and land use report released last week by the United Nations generated plenty of headlines and tremendous discussion. But the media coverage of The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) really missed the mark, says Dr. Frank Mitloehner, University of California, Davis animal science professor and air quality extension specialist. This week… Read More
A United Nations working group has released its report on climate change and land use. It points to per capita consumption of food, feed, fibre, timber and energy since the ’60s has caused “unprecedented rates of land and freshwater use” with agriculture currently accounting for approximately 70% of global fresh-water use. The Intergovernmental Panel on… Read More
Premier Jason Kenney is going through with his plan to eliminate the carbon tax. On May 22, the Government of Alberta introduced Bill 1, An Act to Repeal the Carbon Tax, and if passed, the repeal will come into force at 12:01 a.m. on May 30, 2019. “Promise made, promise kept,” the premier said in… Read More
As the federal government rolled out the carbon tax April 1, farmers and rural Canadians were understandably irritated. Among the feedback we received was a question that struck me — why don’t farmers get paid to store carbon in the soil? I was a little surprised, because, in at least one province, they do. Alberta… Read More
Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister confirmed Wednesday that his province will be taking legal action against the federal government and its imposition of the carbon tax. “Last year, our government received legal advice the federal government has the constitutional power to impose a carbon tax, but only on provinces that do not implement plans of their… Read More
Price fluctuations, higher input costs, and weather-related challenges over the past year took a toll on Canadian net cash income in 2018, and that lower to flat income is projected to continue into 2019, says agriculture economist J.P. Gervais. The chief agricultural economist for Farm Credit Canada says that, even so, the overall the long-term… Read More
There are many challenges that have the potential to dash the business plans and hopes of farmers —from trade agreements, to climate change, and primary risks. Strong government policy is part of the solution. Helping shape effective policy will be one of Dr. Alan Ker’s goals as he assumes the newly-created Research Chair in Agriculture… Read More
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is taking steps to fund research on agriculture’s impact on the environment. According to a news release, the purpose of the research is to, “help farmers and livestock producers have a beneficial impact on the environment, while continuing to grow the economy.” The announcement, made by Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence… Read More
It’s difficult to know where to start when you talk with Rob Bonnett, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA). Bonnett always has a full plate, and the closing weeks of November are no different as his organization tends a hot stove stoked with issues ranging from trade to climate change and a coming… Read More