Canada is 9.985 million km² producing a wealth of farm commodities and natural resources. This has been a week dominated by the discussion on the movement of oil, but what about other commodities that cannot flow through a pipe? Wheat, canola, pulses, and soybeans require rail to get from the Prairies to port to be... Read More
Category: Ag Policy
Whether he meant to say it or not, the federal agriculture minister is drawing criticism for a comment he made to the Senate on Tuesday regarding how farmers view the federal carbon tax. Responding to a question from Senator Carolyn Stewart Olsen about the impact of the carbon tax on farmers in New Brunswick, Lawrence... Read More
Around 3,000 conductors and engineers who work for Canadian Pacific Railway went on strike on Tuesday evening after negotiations with the railway failed to yield a settlement prior to the strike deadline at 10pm eastern. Negotiations between the union and the railway are ongoing, with federal mediators involved. The union says it is willing to... Read More
A funny thing happened on the way to carbon pricing in Canada. What looked like smooth sailing has run into some very turbulent waters. Farmers, for example, are raising serious questions about its practicality, effectiveness, fairness, and cost. One concern is the lack of clarity when discussing agriculture’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. Various agriculture... Read More
As election day in Ontario draws near, the popularity of Andrea Horwath's New Democratic Party is surging. What if the NDP were to win Ontario on June 7? What would the New Democrats mean for farmers? To get some perspective, we sent RealAgriculture Ontario Field Editor Bernard Tobin on a trip to his attic where... Read More
The boards of directors for Cereals Canada and the Canadian International Grains Institute (Cigi) have agreed to explore a possible "integration" of the two grain industry organizations. A working group, made up of directors from both boards, has been formed to examine how the two entities could work more closely together. The mandate of this... Read More
Alberta Beef Producers (ABP) and the Alberta Cattle Feeders' Association (ACFA) have announced they're aiming to hold a plebiscite this fall, with the goal of returning to a non-refundable provincial check-off. The two organizations announced a joint agreement "to strengthen our investment in the future of the beef industry" on Friday. They say they're looking... Read More
There's been plenty of buzz this week among farm groups and the grain industry about the long-awaited passage of Bill C-49 — the federal government's transportation legislation that covers everything from airline ownership rules to what grain companies can put in contracts with railways. Farm group leaders and representatives from the grain industry joined federal... Read More
In a relatively short period of time the potential U.S./China trade war has shifted to becoming a "trade truce." In potentially very good news for U.S. farmers, agricultural commodities could be one of the major beneficiaries. President Donald Trump is demanding an additional $25 billion in U.S. ag exports to China, USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue... Read More
While consumer opinion is split on the health and safety of food and food ingredients derived from genetic modification (GMOs), the majority of Canadians support labeling foods that contain GMOs, according to a recent survey by Dalhousie University. Researchers at the university, led by Sylvain Charlebois, surveyed 1,046 Canadians in an effort to measure "attitudes... Read More