Today’s radio show continues our coverage of the Western Canadian Crop Production Show at (so cold) Saskatoon, Sask. For this episode, host Shaun Haney gets settled in at the Nufarm booth. For this Wednesday episode, you’ll hear: The latest on the China-canola export issue and biofuel expansion, via Brian Innes with the Canola Council of… Read More
The World Trade Organization (WTO) was created to add stability to global trade by upholding certain rules between trading partners. The organization has been criticized for being too slow, and, at times, ineffective. But the WTO exists for very good reason, says Brian Innes, past president of CAFTA who also is the head of public… Read More
Today, on RealAgRadio, we’re talking trade, economics, and politics (basically a trifecta of Shaun’s favourite topics). You’ll hear: The top ag news with RealAgriulture’s Jessika Guse; Are there solutions to our problematic relationship with China? Former Member of Parliament Stockwell Day joins the show; and Brian Innes, of Canola Council of Canada, chats about the… Read More
It’s RealAg Radio with a twist, as occasional host Lyndsey Smith steps in for Shaun Haney. On this Wednesday edition of the show you’ll here: The top ag news with Jessika Guse; Brian Innes with the Canola Council of Canada, discusses canola exports to China; and, Toban Dyck, director of communications for Manitoba Pulse and… Read More
Canadians are very much wrapped up in the testimony of Jody Wilson-Raybould and Gerald Butts on the SNC-Lavalin scandal. When your house is amid chaos and controversy it can be very difficult for a government to get their work done. For farmers and ranchers in Canada there is a very important piece of business to… Read More
Like other relationships, export markets take time, energy, and diplomacy to develop and maintain. Agriculture trade can be impacted by politics that have very little to do with farming and food, and big-picture friction in the short-term could threaten years of hard work. Just as good news rolls in on reduced tariffs for Canadian agriculture… Read More
The federal government has made it very clear that it expects Canadian agriculture to grow, scale-up, and increase production — for both domestic and international markets. China is a key destination for several Canadian commodities, and a trade mission this week is yielding some very positive results. Last week, Canada sent four high-level ministers to… Read More
The long, drawn out NAFTA negotiations really weighed heavily on the nerves of agricultural exporters. The fear of losing the U.S. market or the real threat of the border possibly becoming thicker was a huge stress for beef, pork, oilseed, and cereal producers. The news, then, that there is a trilateral deal to be ratified… Read More
An intense round of talks between Canada and the U.S. to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) came to an end Friday afternoon without an agreement, but with both sides reporting progress and planning to resume negotiations on Wednesday. “We are continuing to work hard, and we are making progress. We’re not there… Read More
Agriculture industry and farm groups are voicing strong concerns about Health Canada’s proposed ban of two neonicotinoid (neonic) crop protection products announced on Wednesday. Citing risk to aquatic insects, such as mayflies and midges, not bees, the federal health department’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is looking to phase out all agricultural uses of thiamethoxam… Read More
Although the European Union is currently experiencing significant political shifts within its body of countries, it is still one of the world’s leading economic blocks and is very attractive to exporters from around the world. Its history of protectionism, with tariffs and import quotas on agricultural products, is well documented. This makes trade with the… Read More
The European Union looking to mend fences with the Trump administration could have a major impact on agriculture, as the U.S. looks for a win with one of its trading partners. The EU/U.S. trade front is one that Canadians should pay particularly close attention to as we already have preferential market access over the U.S…. Read More
RealAg Radio host Shaun Haney starts the show on a high note by reading a pretty impactful tweet from John Kowalchuk about hardworking farmers. From there, we head into the news, where you’ll hear about: How the feds registered a surplus of $3.2 billion The U.S. released its GDP figures, and they’re up 2.2 per… Read More
The Canadian government was quick to announce $16.6 billion in retaliatory tariffs after U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross confirmed that Canada, Mexico, and the EU will lose their exemptions to 25 percent and 10 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum, as of June 1. The escalation comes as NAFTA negotiations appear to have stalled. Prime… Read More
Just leave it alone. Don’t ask for too much and jeopardize a deal that could potentially be finalized this weekend. That’s what Canadian agriculture groups representing farmers who depend on trade are telling the Ottawa as leaders from the remaining 11 Trans-Pacific Partnership countries head to Vietnam. The Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance sent a strongly-worded… Read More