The Canadian Grain Commission has announced it is moving five more Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat varieties to the new Canada Northern Hard Red (CNHR) wheat class due to these varieties not meeting gluten requirements for Western Canada's flagship CWRS class. After hearing concerns about gluten strength from customers, the Grain Commission tightened the... Read More
Category: Ag Policy
With the ink still drying on a trade agreement that was supposed to reduce barriers to trade, a protectionist measure has shut out one of Canada's largest single product exports to Europe. Durum wheat shipments from Canada to Italy have been halted since October, shortly after the Italian government announced it was moving ahead with... Read More
Prairie grain farmers are urging the federal government to take action to prevent workers with CP Rail from going on strike as early as this weekend. A strike now would only add to the problems with grain movement this crop year. Around 3,000 conductors and engineers who are members in the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference,... Read More
Following significant restrictions by the Ontario government in 2015, seed corn companies in the province began to offer non-neonicotinoid seed treatment insecticide options. Now, a significant portion of corn seed sales carry non-neonicotinoid options. It's bizarre then, that the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change recently published data showing only a 22% reduction in the... Read More
President Donald Trump revived the U.S. agriculture industry's hopes of participating in the trade deal now known as CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) on Thursday, but until there's concrete action showing he's serious, U.S. farmers and CPTPP member countries, including Canada, should not get too excited. The president is well aware that... Read More
News of Canada, Mexico, and the United States possibly reaching an agreement-in-principle in North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations in the next few weeks is creating optimism in Mexico. "The whole issue has gotten lots of attention lately," says José Díaz-Briseño, the U.S.-Mexico correspondent for the Mexico City-based Reforma newspaper, in the following interview. Earlier... Read More
If government funding announcements leave you scratching your head on whether or not you're eligible, you're not alone. Actual announcements are usually high on ten dollar words and low on concrete details. There's a reason for that: often, the actual announcement is made long before details are even hammered out. And, as with many programs... Read More
Programs offered in Ontario under the new Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) are now open for applications for cost-share funding. CAP, a five-year federal-provincial-territorial initiative, supports Canada’s agri-food and agri-products sectors through cost-share funding opportunities. It's modelled on the previous Growing Forward 2 program, but there are differences, explains Margaret May, regional program lead for the... Read More
Last week, the Ontario government formally announced the blueprint for bringing high speed rail (HSR) to southern Ontario. The $11 billion line item in last month's election-ready budget would see Phase One connect London and Toronto by 2025, according to the province. The proposed HSR line would eventually run all the way to Windsor for... Read More
A former senior advisor for a Canadian trade minister has published a report that will raise some eyebrows and counter a common narrative surrounding Canadian dairy and the supply management system. The study, published last week by a new Ottawa-based trade firm called Export Action Global, found Canadians don't pay more for comparable dairy products... Read More