The U.S. Farm Bill is a huge, overarching piece of legislation that encompasses crop insurance, disaster programming, and so much more. Similar to Canada, hammering out the full details of each bill is a drawn-out process, complicated by partisan politics, competing priorities, and finding common ground. To dig in to several parts of the bill… Read More
Category: Politics
Farm groups in Newfoundland and Labrador have posthumously recognized the province’s former ag minister two days after his passing. Derrick Bragg served as Newfoundland and Labrador’s minister of fisheries, forestry, and agriculture from 2021 to mid-2023 when he announced he’d been diagnosed with tongue cancer. He passed away on Monday, Jan. 22 at 59 years… Read More
Agriculture leader Mary Robinson has been named to the Senate, representing Prince Edward Island. Robinson is currently the vice-president of the World Farmers’ Organisation and is a managing partner of the Robinson Group of Companies, a 6th-generation farm and agribusiness in Prince Edward Island. She is the past president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture,… Read More
Manitoba’s NDP agriculture minister says he wants to maintain a focus on value-added protein production and processing in the province, continuing with one of the flagship initiatives of the previous Progressive Conservative government. After a seven-year hiatus while the PCs were in power, Ron Kostyshyn returned to the role of Manitoba’s agriculture minister following the… Read More
It’s time for the Frontlines podcast! Shaun Haney is joined by Jacob Shapiro of Cognitive Investments, to tackle the top geopolitical issues impacting agriculture. Up for discussion in this episode: Skirmish in the Red Sea — the U.S. is working to stop Iran-backed Houthi attacks in the shipping lane Logistics are definitely impacted, but is… Read More
It’s time for another cross-border issues podcast featuring Wiesemeyer and Haney discussing all the big agricultural topics impacting farmers and ranchers in Canada and the United States! This week, Shaun Haney of RealAgriculture and Jim Wiesemeyer, D.C. policy analyst with Pro Farmer, jump into some issues that really connect and are creating angst in the… Read More
Surrounding yourself with exceptional people and building a winning team. It’s a recipe for success that Saskatchewan-born Lorne Hepworth has followed through three successful careers and now an appointment as Member of the Order of Canada. This week, RealAgriculture’s Shaun Haney sat down with Hepworth to discuss his journey, which includes a career arc with… Read More
The private member’s bill that aims to reduce the risk of biosecurity breaches from trespassers on farms has received final approval in the House of Commons. Bill C-275, brought forward by Conservative shadow minister for agriculture John Barlow, would update the Health of Animals Act to make it an offence to enter a place where… Read More
Drew Spoelstra, a dairy and crop farmer from Binbrook, Ont., has been elected as the new president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). Spoelstra was chosen to the lead the provincial farm lobby at an executive meeting following the conclusion of the organization’s annual convention in Toronto this week. He has served on the… Read More
Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and his staff are looking for ways to reduce the federal agriculture budget by three per cent, in line with what’s been asked of other federal departments. That’s one of the pieces of information gleaned from a one-on-one interview with Minister MacAulay, recorded Thursday, Nov. 9. MacAulay says he never dreamed… Read More
The majority of senators rejected an amended version of Bill C-234 in a pivotal vote on Tuesday, clearing the path for the proposed on-farm carbon tax exemption to move ahead for third reading and one step closer to Royal Assent. The private member’s bill, which was introduced by Ontario MP Ben Lobb in February 2022… Read More
It’s time for another episode of RealAg Politics with your host, Shaun Haney! On this episode, hear from: Mike Flynn, new and first executive director of Alberta Grains, introduces himself and why he chose agriculture; Dave Carey, with the Canadian Canola Growers on the Senate holding up Bill C-234; and, Kelvin Heppner, with RealAgriculture, to… Read More
The proposed legislation aimed at removing the federal carbon tax from propane and natural gas used on farms is only a few steps away from becoming law, but the actions of a few senators last week have created a high stakes political scenario that will determine whether Bill C-234 lives — or ends up on… Read More
A former minister of agriculture is returning to his old post in Premier Wab Kinew’s new NDP government in Manitoba. Kinew’s cabinet was unveiled and sworn in on Wednesday, with Ron Kostyshyn returning to the ag minister role that he held from 2012 to 2016. Having won the Dauphin riding on the west side of… Read More
What’s top of mind on the policy front this week? Well, there are some fireworks over grocery store prices and what’s really driving food costs, a plant breeding technique is edging ever-closer to the finish line, and farmers are weighing in on a proposed grain company acquisition. On this episode of RealAg Politics, host Shaun… Read More