Canadian durum exports to the home of pasta are facing a potential political trade barrier. Italy is moving toward implementing a mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) policy for pasta, similar to the COOL rules the U.S. imposed on beef and pork from 2008 to 2015. The Italian government has drafted regulations that would require all pasta… Read more »
Tag: Cam Dahl
Trade, Trump, and Protectionism
A guest editorial by Cam Dahl, president of Cereals Canada There have been a lot of questions about trade since the U.S. election. The new President promised to take the U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and he did just that with his first Executive Order. President Trump has also promised to renegotiate NAFTA, causing… Read more »
Keep an Eye on the Customer While on the Combine
A guest editorial by Cam Dahl, president of Cereals Canada. Warren Buffet, once quipped “it takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” This is something worth thinking about as we start to prepare for harvest. Canada has a strong reputation… Read more »
Wheat School: Residues, Mycotoxins and Testing to the Part Per Trillion
Inspired by the Canola Council of Canada’s work to encourage best management practices to meet customer expectations, Cereals Canada has launched its own Keep it Clean — Cereals campaign. “Rather than creating a stand-alone but similar brand, Cereals Canada has worked with the Canola Council of Canada to present a consistent message to producers across commodities,”… Read more »
Social License — Where Do I Buy One?
A guest editorial by Cam Dahl, president of Cereals Canada. I saw a cartoon recently that showed an oil company executive at the Department of Motor Vehicles asking if this was the place to buy a social license. If only it actually worked that way. What is “social license” anyways? Generally speaking, it is the… Read more »
Producers, Grain Companies Welcome Plan to Extend Rail Rules for Moving Grain
Producer and grain industry groups are applauding the federal government’s plan to extend measures meant to keep grain moving to market by rail. Several provisions implemented during the grain backlog in 2014 as part of Bill C-30, the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act, are scheduled to be repealed on August 1, 2016. On Friday, Ag… Read more »
Warburtons Adds End-User Perspective to Cereals Canada
British baking company and long-time customer of Canadian wheat Warburtons is the latest grain industry player to take a seat at the Cereals Canada table. “It is critical that Cereals Canada have a strong link to the needs of end-use customers,” said Cam Dahl, president of the cereal crop value chain group, earlier this week…. Read more »
Getting Wheat Research Priorities Right
A guest editorial by Cam Dahl, president of Cereals Canada Saskatoon recently saw a meeting of some of the most important minds in Canadian wheat research. A workshop was held that included public and private researchers from across Canada, farmers from coast to coast, and Canadian exporters. Our goal was to move forward on the… Read more »
Ergot in Egypt — One Event or Symptom?
A guest editorial submitted by Cam Dahl, President of Cereals Canada: It is baffling. Egypt is a country facing food shortages yet they are blocking wheat shipments from around the world. Their quarantine agency has decided to impose a zero tolerance for ergot. This is despite the fact that the contracts signed by Egypt’s central buying… Read more »
Pre-Harvest and Storage Decisions Critical for Keeping Grain Export Ready: Cereals Canada
Cereals Canada is reminding producers and the grain industry to take steps to keep unwanted products and material out of Canadian grain. The group, which represents stakeholders from the wheat, barley and oat supply chains, has launched the “Keep it Clean — Cereals” campaign, building off similar messaging from the Canola Council of Canada. “There is a growing… Read more »
Election Could Cancel Proposed Changes Making It Easier for American Wheat to be Sold in Canada
Canadian wheat sales into the U.S. have grown since the end of the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly in 2012, but there are still obstacles for American wheat growers interested in marketing their crop north of the border. Under the Canada Grains Act, as it stands right now, U.S. wheat delivered to Canadian elevators automatically receives the lowest grade… Read more »
Seller Beware: Avoiding Mistakes That Make a Crop Difficult to Market
Nobody wants to be stuck with a crop that suddenly has no market, especially when it’s due to avoidable circumstances. While Canada’s regulatory process and international trade policies are designed to prevent situations where residues from pesticides and other tools used to grow crops become trade obstacles, each farmer must still carry out their own due diligence…. Read more »
Beyond the Bushel — Ep.3: Leveraging Opportunity from the Complexity of Canada’s Wheat Markets
In the Canadian context, when someone says wheat, we think bread or pasta and maybe crackers and cookies. But for huge portions of the world’s population, wheat means noodles, steam buns and dumplings. While all these products do come from the same crop, it’s possible that each product requires a specific class of wheat, with… Read more »
Canada’s Reputation Can’t Afford Another Logistical Breakdown: Cereals Canada President
Western Canadian farmers know all too well what kind of impact the logistical challenges of the last year had on local grain prices, but how did the rail backlog impact international customers? How concerned are they about the reliability of Canadian grain shipments? To get a feel for what overseas buyers are saying, I spoke… Read more »
Busting the “Good Old Days” Myth: Cam Dahl
A guest editorial By Cam Dahl, General Manager of the Manitoba Beef Producers. Local. Organic. Hormone free. Gluten free. No pesticides. Nothing artificial. These are the buzzwords in food marketing today. Who can object to all of these wholesome sounding concepts? Food companies are trying to take us back to a time which many consumers… Read more »