Canada's retaliatory tariffs against the United States — worth $16.6 billion — will clearly come at a cost, not only to the American economy, but also the Canadian economy. Despite the likely economic fallout from this trade spat, both sides in this dispute are talking about being disciplined and patient and trying to take a... Read More
Category: Ag Policy
Ranchers around Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba reached a long-awaited milestone on Sunday, more than 20 years after the U.S. implemented bovine tuberculosis (TB) testing requirements and restrictions on cattle headed south. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has lifted the pre-export testing requirement for breeding cattle and bison coming from Manitoba, as of July... Read More
In a statement that some people will consider a surprise, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard mentioned to Bloomberg that Canada may want to consider appeasing the U.S. by changing its class 7 pricing system. According to a story in the Financial Post the Premier said, “If that’s the main issue, let us see how we can... Read More
There are likely few sentences that strike fear in the hearts of livestock producers quite like, "The CFIA called. They're coming for a meeting." That's exactly what happened here last week, and, admittedly, my first inclination was to freak out. Fearing the worst (an audit on two days notice is the stuff of nightmares), I... Read More
Nobody can light a fire under an issue like President Donald Trump, even if he openly admits he doesn't understand it. Speaking in Fargo, North Dakota, on Wednesday night, the president was given some speaking points on the issue of how U.S. wheat is graded in Canada — one of the few agriculture trade irritants... Read More
The Pest Management Regulatory Agency recently announced results of its re-evaluation of Mancozeb, a broad-spectrum fungicide for agriculture and horticulture crops. Perhaps curiously, the PMRA final decision allows for the continued use of Mancozeb for foliar use on potato crops, the largest acreage use of the fungicide currently. All other uses of Mancozeb are being... Read More
Even though Kentucky’s first-ever agricultural trade mission was eight months in the making, no one would have blamed the state’s trade commission for delaying last week’s five-day trek to Ontario until the air cleared of anti-Canadian rhetoric from U.S. President Donald Trump. After all, not only are trade tensions high, but Kentucky is as pro-Trump... Read More
The Canadian government is trying to walk a fine line when it comes to its relationship with China, especially in the volatile context of the current U.S.-China trade battle. Whether that line even exists is a real question, as Canada has to balance its relationship with its closest ally (the U.S.) and concerns about Chinese... Read More
South Korea has lifted its suspension on imports of Canadian wheat and flour after finding no evidence of genetically modified (GM) wheat in shipments from Canada. The country halted imports just over a week ago after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed the discovery of an isolated case of GM wheat in southern Alberta... Read More
The Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) was created to "help deliver transformative innovation to agriculture in both the developed and the developing world." Every second year, the Saskatoon-based organization hosts the Emerging Technologies for Global Food Security Conference, and this year I was on hand to take it all in. On the agenda was... Read More