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Before the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, a.k.a New NAFTA, CUSMA, or USMCA, comes up for review in July of 2026, Canada, Mexico, and the United States will all have gone through a federal election. Two of the three countries could have the same leader in place as today; however, that’s unlikely. It is also possible that July of 2026 comes along…
Before the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, a.k.a New NAFTA, CUSMA, or USMCA, comes up for review in July of 2026, Canada, Mexico, and the United States will all have gone through a federal election. Two of the three countries could have the same leader in place as today; however, that’s unlikely.
It is also possible that July of 2026 comes along and all three countries say “All good, no worries” and the trade pact continues exactly as it is. Possible yes, but that’s also incredibly unlikely.
That doesn’t mean the USMCA ends up renegotiated entirely, but given the disputes the agreement has garnered to date, it’s probable that some tweaks are likely to be asked for. We can probably also guess which commodities are most likely to garner attention (hello, dairy! hi, auto sector!). The real question is: who will be at the negotiating table?
We want to know — looking ahead, who do you think will negotiate the best deal for Canada when the New NAFTA is up for discussion?
GrainFox, a subsidiary of Farmlink Marketing Solutions, has announced its entry into the U.S. market via a partnership with Chicago-based market advisory firm AgResource. “We are thrilled to announce our…
GrainFox, a subsidiary of Farmlink Marketing Solutions, has announced its entry into the U.S. market via a partnership with Chicago-based market advisory firm AgResource.
“We are thrilled to announce our partnership with AgResource as we expand into the U.S. market. This collaboration is a testament to our commitment to providing producers and agribusinesses with the tools they need to succeed in today’s dynamic agricultural landscape. By leveraging AgResource’s market expertise and GrainFox’s innovative solutions, we are confident that we can help stakeholders in the US market optimize their operations and achieve their financial goals,” says Mark Lepp, founder and CEO of GrainFox.
GrainFox offers data management and grain marketing expertise “from bin to bank” though its online platform. AgResource offers international market analysis for its customers.
“Our mission at AgResource has always been to provide timely, accurate, and actionable insights to help producers make informed decisions, and this partnership aligns perfectly with that goal. Together, we aim to empower agribusinesses and producers in the U.S. market with the tools they need to navigate the complexities of the industry and achieve success,” says Dan Basse, president of AgResource.
For the exportable commodities such as canola, pork, beef, seafood, and wheat, trade is a fundamental staple of creating value for products being produced by Canadian agriculture. Canada is an…
For the exportable commodities such as canola, pork, beef, seafood, and wheat, trade is a fundamental staple of creating value for products being produced by Canadian agriculture. Canada is an export-reliant nation with vast agricultural production and production potential, but only forty million people in population.
According to CAFTA, Canada is the fifth largest exporter of agricultural and agri-food products in the world after the much more populated EU, U.S., Brazil, and China. Canada exports $82.2 billion a year in agriculture and agri-food products and approximately half of everything we produce is exported as primary commodities or processed food and beverage products.
In January, RealAgristudies asked Canadian farmers and ranchers about how they view certain policies impacting their operations. Twenty percent of producers believe that trade and market access have a very positive impact, and thirty two percent believe the impact is slightly positive. In comparison, thirty one per cent said trade and market access were neutral in impact, while twelve per cent said it was slightly negative impact and five per cent said it had a very negative impact on their farm.
Personally, I was surprised that only 52 per cent view trade deals and market access as having a positive impact on their operation given Canada’s reliance on exports for sales.
As I told an audience in Saskatoon this week, Canadians can only eat so many lentils, beef and pork.
Given Canada’s level of production, it’s paramount that Americans, Asians, Indians and Europeans are consuming Canadian products. Just think back to the BSE crisis and the impact it had on the Canadian cattle industry when the Canada/U.S. border closed.
In my speeches and keynotes this winter, audiences have expressed concern that it’s Canada’s importation of agricultural products that could be creating the concern for some producers. For example, the CETA agreement allows for the imports of European cheeses and yet Canada struggles to send beef into the region due to non-tariff trade barriers.
RealAgristudies will continue to dig deeper into how different segments of producers responded to the question on trade and other policy topics in the coming months. Stay tuned.
4-H Canada says it has had to make the difficult decision to lay off seven staff members following a major cut to the funding it receives from Agriculture and Agri-Food…
4-H Canada says it has had to make the difficult decision to lay off seven staff members following a major cut to the funding it receives from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
The move comes after 4-H Canada was informed mid-way through the fiscal 2023-24 year that its funding under the federal AgriCompetitiveness Program was approved, but at a significantly lower level than requested and past funding. The timing of the news — when the fiscal budget was already in place — created challenges for the organization, says Hugh Maynard, interim CEO.
“Through discussions with the Minister and departmental staff, we have made progress and improvements on what was originally approved, and we are grateful for both the flexibility and the time afforded to exploring options with us,” Maynard says, in an emailed statement to RealAgriculture. “That said, the reduced AAFC funding, combined with other factors has meant that 4-H Canada has had to initiate an organizational reset to ensure capacity to continue to offer the world-class youth leadership programming for which we are known.”
A number of factors related to AAFC impacted the amount of funding 4-H Canada received through the department this year, says 4-H Canada, including changes to government priorities, which attracted increased interest in the program from new applicants and which, in turn, resulted in fewer dollars being available to legacy organizations such as 4-H Canada. In addition, some initiatives that had been traditionally supported – such as the annual Citizenship Congress – were not considered a priority this time around.
This is the first year that project-based funding from a variety of government departments, which had temporarily increased during COVID, is back to pre-pandemic levels, Maynard adds. “Combined, these factors have led 4-H Canada to have to make some difficult decisions, including reducing our staff by seven positions,” he says.
In 2022, then-agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced $1.8 million over two years for 4-H Canada. In 2019, she announced $3 million for the organization, also under the AgriCompetitiveness program.
“Due to a high volume of ACP applications and 4-H Canada’s funding request exceeding the maximum allowable yearly amount, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has prioritized projects that most closely aligned with program criteria,” says the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food’s office.
“We value 4-H’s contributions and are exploring options to ensure support for any programs that foster youth involvement in agriculture. We continue to offer programs like the Youth Employment and Skills Program, the Student Workplace Placement Program, and AgriTalent to help young people gain valuable experience in the sector.”
Job losses have occurred in all areas of the organization, from administration and sponsorship to communications and programming.
“Obviously, with cuts across the organization there will be impacts, but our main priority is to carry on the legacy of helping 4-H youth “learn to do by doing” and we will use that as our guide as we figure out how to navigate the path forward as a team,” Maynard says.
4-H Canada is grappling with the impact of challenging financial times, Maynard adds. “Our foremost priority, in terms of funding, is to continue to nurture the strong collaborative relationships we already have with different government departments, organizations, agencies, and businesses across the ag sector, and beyond.”
Maynard says that 4-H Canada will be looking at ways to expand partnerships in both the private and public sector as part of its overall strategic and operational assessment that will be undertaken by the board, foundation trustees, and staff later this year.
“This is not the first time in our 111-year history that 4-H Canada has faced challenges, and it may not be the last. The measures that have been taken are designed to ensure continued financial health for 4-H Canada and to support our ability to develop and deliver youth leadership programs and activities that are amongst the best in the world,” Maynard says.
The federal government has been making funding announcements under the Sustainable Canadian Agriculture Partnership (SCAP) over the past few months, as the new five-year framework began on April 1, 2023. A formal announcement with specific dollar amounts regarding federal support for 4-H Canada has not yet been made.
Updated March 16 to include a statement from AAFC.
Protein Industries Canada has announced a new project to increase the value of sunflower and hemp products, in partnership with Burcon NutraScience, HPS Food & Ingredients, and Puratos Canada. A…
Protein Industries Canada has announced a new project to increase the value of sunflower and hemp products, in partnership with Burcon NutraScience, HPS Food & Ingredients, and Puratos Canada. A total of $6.9 million has been committed to the project, with Protein Industries Canada committing $3 million and the partners together committing the remainder.
Burcon is working to extract hemp protein isolate, sunflower protein isolate, and sunflower protein concentrate from hemp and sunflower flour, respectively. These ingredients are in demand by food and beverage companies, says PIC.
These first-in-the-market ingredients will meet the growing needs of food and beverage companies, as they work to provide Canadian consumers with a wide variety of nutritious, sustainable and flavour-neutral protein options.
In partnership with Burcon, HPS is assessing hemp crop varieties to determine which are best suited for the new ingredients, while also developing, commercializing, and scaling the technology needed to process the hemp into the new ingredients. Further along the value chain, Puratos and Burcon will each focus on using the hemp and sunflower ingredients in new food and beverage products, particularly baking applications, beverages and meat alternatives.