It was billed as an invitation to celebrate the coming into force of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement For Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), as Canadian Minister of International Trade Diversification Jim Carr made the final stop of a cross-Canada tour with trade commissioners from Global Affairs Canada at Saskatoon. The event was meant to convey a… Read More
Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe made a major funding announcement concerning flood mitigation at the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) annual convention being held this year at Saskatoon. Moe says that there are 96 Conservation and Development Authorities and 13 water association boards, which operate under the Saskatchewan Conservation and Development Association (SCDA), and provide… Read More
There are a lot of anxious canola farmers in Canada at the moment – and with good reason. One of the most important export markets for Canadian canola has suspended imports from one of Canada’s largest and most storied grain companies, Richardson International. The most common feeling seems to be that it is just politics… Read More
The new agriculture minister is going through with her plan she announced on RealAg Radio this week. Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau is headed out west to embark on her first agricultural tour in the new role. Just one week ago, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a small cabinet shuffle which saw former Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay moved… Read More
A representative from Richardson International says that this week’s revoked export license by China came after several weeks of complaints made by Chinese representatives regarding Canadian shipments of canola. While the complaints may have been made against more than just one company, its Richardson International now without the OK to ship to the economic super… Read More
Just six days on the job, newly minted Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister, Marie-Claude Bibeau is already getting her feet wet in the agricultural world. “I’m very well connected to the farmers in my region, and I’m very excited to (dive deep) into my new portfolio,” she says adding that she’s gong to make farmers in… Read More
When news announcers talk about “geo-political uncertainty,” or “bi-lateral trade disputes,” it all seems quite remote from the lives of most people. For Canadian farmers, though, it often hits very close to home because the overwhelming majority of Canadian agricultural production is exported. This is why when news that one of the Canada’s largest agriculture… Read More
Jim Everson, president of the Canola Council of Canada (CCC), says the fundamental strength and importance of Canada’s canola trade with China remains, but the recent finding of “hazardous pests” that has shut down Richardson International’s exports into the country is a “difficult thing” for the entire industry. At this point, the pests of concern… Read More
It has been a tumultuous 48 hours for the Canadian canola industry. After news broke that China had pulled Richardson International’s approval to ship into the country, we learn today via Reuters that now China is claiming that they discovered “hazardous pests” in shipments from Richardsons. If we can all agree that this finding” is… Read More
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has had to make some changes to cabinet, following the resignation of Jody Wilson-Raybould (and subsequent testimony regarding the SNC-Lavalin controversy) from the Veterans Affairs post. Now former Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay has been moved to Veteran Affairs, while Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie was shuffled… Read More
In a move the province says should net Albertans a better price for energy resources found in Alberta, Premier Rachel Notley announced her government has made a deal with Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific (CP) railways. The lease agreement of roughly 4,400 rail cars will move up to 120,000 barrels per day by 2020. Just last… Read More
There’s not a lot of change between the existing North American Free Trade Agreement and the newly minted, United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) for Canada’s beef industry. And the political and producer group powers that be is OK with that but wants very much to see ratification move forward. In the absence of ratification, American and… Read More
President Donald Trump is set to increase U.S. tariffs to 25 per cent from the current 10 per cent on roughly $200 billion worth of Chinese imported goods if there’s no trade deal in place by one minute passed midnight, March 2. Although just this week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he would be… Read More
Why do U.S. farmers support President Donald Trump so much? It’s the most common question I get from the audience following a keynote. At one time, I thought the answer would evolve along with his support based on trade and ethanol policies. I was wrong, and I am totally willing to admit it. Previously, just… Read More
Speakers from all over the country and the world are brought to FarmTech, and for one of this year’s keynote speakers, they didn’t have to go far to find someone great to talk about politics. Tasha Kheiriddin, a Global News Radio host and political pundit from Toronto, Ont., says she was quite impressed with what… Read More