It has not been a great two weeks for the agricultural commodity market, as selling pressure has dominated the grain complex. Although corn found positive territory on Tuesday, the rest of the grain commodities were in the red again. "The market had a high expectation of China purchases post-trade deal signing and that has not... Read More
Category: Ag Policy
The Alberta government is moving ahead with plans to reduce its funding and involvement in agricultural research, although according to the provincial agriculture minister, what that will look like is still to be determined. The United Conservative Party's budget, tabled last fall, included a plan to reduce spending on ag research by $34.1 million over... Read More
The customer is always right, but who is the customer? If you're a grocery store or a coffee shop trying to stay on-trend, is it consumer opinion that matters most, or those of your shareholders, as the pressure for profits rises? "The demands of the average consumer are pretty intuitive — they want affordable, tasty... Read More
Custom applicators and farmers looking to use drones to apply herbicides to crops in Canada are still in a holding pattern. Operator licensing and certification is now available from Transport Canada, but Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) requirements continue to ground herbicide application from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), reports Don Campbell, owner and and founder... Read More
The Government of Canada will soon be rolling out its Buy Canadian campaign across the nation, but first it must find a marketing firm to stick-handle the $1.5 to $4 million yearly budget. In a notice posted to a government job portal, they're on the hunt for a firm to help with their digitally-focused campaign... Read More
To the relief of farmers, China and the U.S. have agreed and signed Phase One of a "multi-phase" trade deal. It remains to be seen whether this is a truce, a pause, or an easing of tensions, but farmers are encouraged. The Phase One deal is being met with high amounts of bipartisan criticism due... Read More
The federal government has opened the application process for the first Canadian Agricultural Youth Council. In a press release, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada says the Council will identify new and emerging issues, enable on-going dialogue on challenges and opportunities, share information and best practices, and provide advice on the strengths and weaknesses of policies and... Read More
Manitoba Ag Days may mark a beginning to the agriculture year ahead, but the hangover of 2019 is still firmly in place for the province's farmers. A rough harvest is being made worse by the new carbon tax added to grain drying fuel bills, canola from two main exporters (one Winnipeg-based) is still blocked from... Read More
By the time harvest ends this season, the Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) estimate Manitoba producers will have paid almost $1.7 million in carbon tax related to the cost of drying the 2019 corn crop. “We are firm in our position that there needs to be an exemption for farmers under the carbon tax framework for... Read More
When thinking of Canadian pulse exports, most think of India. That thinking needs to evolve, says Chuck Penner, founder and grain market analyst for LeftField Commodity Research. "A number of years ago we were getting all hot and bothered about massive volumes, and it was great business while it was there," Penner says. "So we... Read More