From November 2020 to March 2021, farmers and industry stakeholders were consulted over a draft Responsible Grain Code of Practice. Over 850 people participated in 24 consultation sessions. The feedback received and discussions surrounding the draft document have been compiled in an executive summary and report that was released June 9. In general, the majority… Read More
It has been a really tough ninety days if you are a die-hard believer in the need to develop a code of practice for grain production in Canada. Although other agricultural sectors have had national codes for years, the concept has really struggled to gain support with grain farmers on the Prairies in and outside… Read More
Since the introduction of the draft Responsible Grain code of practice in late 2020, there have been farmers expressing their concerns and displeasure with the concept, based on numerous factors. There’s been plenty of discussion on social media platforms regarding the code’s intent, funding, and value to farmers. Given the feedback from farmers over the… Read More
The group that has proposed the voluntary code of practice for grain farms across Canada has decided to adjust its timeline and hold another round of consultations in the fall of 2021. Consultations on the Responsible Grain draft code formally began in November 2020. Farmers participating in online or telephone consultation sessions over the past week… Read More
With consultations underway for the Responsible Grain code of practice, farmers are expressing varied levels of support and frustration towards the concept. Echo chambers have developed on both sides of the issue, with what I perceive to be the majority of farmers in the middle looking for facts and understanding of what Responsible Grain is… Read More
Farmers are getting vocal about the Responsible Grain code of practice, whether it’s in support or dissent. Up until now, those voices have primarily been western Canadian in origin, but the code potentially impacts Ontario and points east, too. Crosby Devitt, CEO of Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO), recently joined Shaun Haney to help us… Read More
Consultations are in full swing for the Responsible Grain code of practice, and the process is facing some bumps in the road. While the initiative is similar to what the beef industry went through with the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, it’s not the same; and many farmers are expressing concern over whether or not this… Read More
Several more consultation sessions for farmers have been announced following strong interest in the proposed Responsible Grain voluntary code of practice over the last several weeks. The draft code includes a list of required and recommended practices for grain farmers across Canada who choose to participate in the initiative. The committee that developed the code… Read More
Consultations are starting this week on the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Crops’ draft code of practice for Canadian grain farmers. The voluntary code, which has been named “Responsible Grain,” was developed to define and promote the sustainability and social responsibility practices followed by grain farmers across Canada, with the goal of building trust among consumers… Read More
The new code of practice being developed for grain farms across Canada is aimed at proactively building public trust, potentially mitigating the need for increased paperwork and regulations down the road, according to the vice-chair of the Canada Grains Council. The voluntary code of practice — being created by the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Crops… Read More
Two projects aimed at reducing risk for exporters and improving the sustainability claim of Canadian grain are moving forward with announced federal funding of $1.2 million. The projects are headed up by the Canada Grains Council. More than $430,000 will be used to develop a pilot insurance product for grain exporters to address the risks… Read More
“We haven’t been good at telling consumers and our customers in other parts of the world how we are sustainable.” That’s the message from the honourable Ted Menzies at this year’s Prairie Cereals Summit. Menzies was there to give an update to attendees on what the framework looks like surrounding the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable… Read More
By Cam Dahl I was on a speaker’s panel a few weeks back with a farmer who said he never wanted to hear the word sustainability again. I understand the sentiment but we, as an industry, are going to be hearing that word more and more from customers and consumers around the world. Farmers shy… Read More