The Ontario government has announced that farmers will have until June 30, 2020, to apply for or make changes to coverage under the risk management program (RMP) for Livestock and RMP: Grains and Oilseeds, Ontario’s crop and livestock insurance programs. Extending the RMP deadlines “gives farmers more time to make business decisions and to assess… Read More
Each province is feeling the incredible economic hit from COVID-19, but Alberta — with its oil and gas-based economy — may be harder hit than some, as the price of oil has plummeted. There are many Albertans out of work, and many Alberta farm and agriculture businesses looking to fill a gap that seasonal workers… Read More
No one can predict how long the COVID-19 pandemic will last, but a huge focus on social and physical distancing has been effective, at least in part, to “flattening the curve” of infection and critical illness. Tracking on an inverse curve is the local and global economy. Right now uncertainty, social distancing, and shuttered businesses… Read More
Social distancing has forced many Canadian businesses to shift their workforce to a work-from-home setting, and agricultural industry is no exception. In agriculture, however, social interaction is part of the fabric — from product delivery, to agronomic advising, or troubleshooting ration adjustment. All of these activities require the support of suppliers who traditionally have spent… Read More
If you’ve scrolled through all the COVID-19 posts on social media, you’ve probably seen an interesting trend of farmers encouraging people who have lost work outside of the industry to consider working on a farm. Greg Stamp of Stamp Seeds at Enchant, Alta., is one of those farmers that reached out to the world of… Read More
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced additional support for farmers and farm businesses, following last week’s announcement of $82 billion in various spending measures in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Parliament will reconvene March 24, 2020, to pass emergency legislation for these previously announced measures, and to release $5 billion in additional lending capacity through Farm… Read More
Update, as of 11pm EDT Friday, March 20: The Canadian government confirmed late Friday that it will be exempting seasonal agricultural workers from the travel restrictions put in place to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. “The participation of temporary foreign workers on our farms and our food businesses is absolutely necessary,” says Minister of… Read More
Farming by its very nature is rather isolating. That’s good news in the midst of a national “social distancing” push in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. But being somewhat isolated doesn’t mean that farmers, their families, or their employees aren’t at risk. Portia MacDonald-Dewhirst, executive director at Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council, says “There are lots… Read More
Editor’s note: CBC News is reporting that temporary foreign workers will be allowed to enter Canada, but must quarantine for 14 days. RealAgriculture is working to confirm this. As North America adjusts to a “self-isolation” lockdown to limit the spread of COVID-19, farmers are finalizing spring planting and seeding plans. For many farmers and farm… Read More
Negativity can really consume you, and in the current state of the world it’s so incredibly difficult to stay positive. Everything is cancelled. Lives are being turned upside down. Borders are closing. I struggle with clinical anxiety and depression. Winter is already tough. The hours of daylight are short, and the nights are cold. This… Read More
The Bank of Canada took a step to attempt to soften the blow of COVID-19 on the economy by dropping its key rate by another 50 bps to 0.75 per cent — the second cut in as many weeks. The Bank of Canada also took additional measures with banker acceptances to keep the short term… Read More
For many of the commodity futures in meats and grains, it has been a very rough two weeks of panic selling in response to coronavirus economic impacts. The sell-off has not been isolated to agricultural commodities, as the equity market in the U.S. is now officially in a bear market and down 20% off of… Read More
Reduced slaughter capacity, tanked prices, and capped risk management programs have beef farmers in Ontario going public asking the federal and provincial governments to do more to #HelpBeefFarmers. Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) says producers are at a “tipping point” and facing economic crisis. The group says market and trade disruptions have caused average weekly… Read More
Early March has brought a very bearish tone to the commodity and equity markets due to concerns regarding the coronavirus. As a result, both the Bank of Canada and the U.S. Federal Reserve aggressively cut their key rates 50 basis-points. The possibility of both countries making even stronger cuts in the coming months is likely… Read More
The Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) has hired Dr. Andria Jones-Bitton as OVC director of well-being programming. In this newly-created position, Jones-Bitton will provide well-being expertise founded on an understanding of current literature, focused training, and knowledge of emerging trends. “Andria brings a depth of knowledge and expertise in mental health and well-being research, particularly surrounding… Read More