In an effort to support the mental health of farmers in Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has announced the Producer Mental Wellbeing Initiative. AAFC invites applications from for-profit and non-profit organizations, as well as individuals registered to do business in Canada, who can offer “innovative solutions to promote mental well-being and reduce stressors” affecting… Read More
Category: Rural communities
Raising a family in a rural area comes with a lot of benefits, including a caring community and an often slower pace of life than what the cities offer. There are drawbacks though, and longer — sometimes much longer — emergency response times is one of the major ones. This drawback is one that Kim… Read More
Access to high quality feed and water make for a good ranching location. They allow producers to raise productive livestock, setting up the ranch to turn a profit. Those same things are attractive to wildlife as well, and whether it is an ungulate, such as a deer or moose, or the predators that follow them,… Read More
It can be easy to get swept into the day to day of farm life and forget to celebrate the big and little moments that happen along the way. Celebration is something that 2025 Top Producer Women in Agriculture Award winner, Kimberly Ratcliff, tells other generational farmers is key to getting the next generation to… Read More
There are many priorities that influence how land is used — the need for housing and economic development often drives the conversion of farmland and natural habitat into urban or suburban landscapes, but food security, productivity, biodiversity, crop or livestock prices, renewable energy policy, and of course, NIMBYism are among the many factors that can… Read More
With the growing season upon us, life is about to get incredibly busy for farmers across Canada. With the hectic pace of farming comes the pressure to juggle many aspects of running a business — and sometimes one of the first balls to drop is caring for our mental health. In honour of Mental Health… Read More
Canadian farmers have a chance to win one of four cash prizes of $25,000 for a community project with BASF’s Growing Home with BASF contest. Opening today and running until March 18, individuals in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario can nominate organizations that help grow their communities. Nominations submitted by March 18 will be judged… Read More
The Government of Saskatchewan has passed “The Saskatchewan Firearms Act,” which it says will enhance public safety across Saskatchewan, while protecting the rights of lawful firearms owners. According to a news release, with respect to recent changes by the federal government the impact lawful firearms owners, The Act will: establish licensing requirements for seizure agents… Read More
The Alberta government has launched a five-year Economic Development in Rural Alberta focused on key issues for rural Alberta. The plan includes economic development-enabling infrastructure, rural business supports and entrepreneurship, support for labour force and skills development, marketing and promoting rural tourism, and rural economic development capacity building. In the audio below, Nate Horner, Minister… Read More
Can governments protect valuable farmland while at the same time build housing needed for ever-expanding cities and urban cities? That question is being asked throughout Ontario agriculture this week after the provincial government passed the More Homes Built Faster Act, Bill 23. The legislation has drawn the ire of critics, as Premier Doug Ford moves… Read More