The federal government, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, revealed its latest budget, and agriculture and agri-food figures prominently in the 2017-18 fiscal plan. From new export targets and spending programs designed to "uncap the potential of the agriculture industry," this budget commits $8.2 billion under the Skills and Innovation Plan with a goal of... Read More
Category: Agriculture Policy
Brad Wall's Saskatchewan government rolled out its 2017-18 cost-cutting budget yesterday, and there's something for everyone to pick on. Affecting all sectors, Wall is increasing the provincial sales tax (PST) from five to six per cent, and has re-written what goods and services are no longer PST-exempt. Specific for farmers, beginning April 1, 2017, fuel... Read More
Will Canadians see a renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement any time soon? Don't bet on it, says political commentator David Frum. Earlier this week, the editor of The Atlantic and former speech writer for George W. Bush, shared his thoughts on the Donald Trump presidency and possible NAFTA renegotiation at the Grain Farmers of... Read More
With government funding programs comes last minute changes and updates, but never fear, RealAgriculture and Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association regional program lead, Margaret May, have joined forces to bring you the latest updates to GF2 programming (That's Growing Forward 2, for all of you who have been hiding under a rock). Of particular... Read More
There's a reluctance among the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) signatories to walk away from all the progress made with the deal, even though the United States has withdrawn its involvement with the deal. And while Claire Citeau, with the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance, is disappointed with the TPP deal proper being hamstrung, she says last week's... Read More
Recently, the federal government released "emergency" rules regarding recreational use of drones (UAVs), significantly restricting where and when drones could be used. Citing a 200% increase in commercial flight incidents with drones in just two years, the transport minister says the new rules begin immediately, with fines of up to $3,000 for violations. Commercial drone... Read More
The Canadian Seed Growers’ Association (CSGA) has a long track record of providing leadership for the seed industry – from setting national standards for seed purity, to managing the seed certification process, and advocating for its seed-growing members. But the seed industry’s regulatory and certification programs are about to undergo some changes. Two years ago... Read More
Markets move up and down on news, anticipation and results. The currency market has some somewhat predictable drivers of the value of a given country's currency. This past week, the United States Federal Reserve raised interest rates 0.25% and the impact in the Canadian Dollar value against the US dollar was a head scratcher. Although... Read More
Pam de Rocquigny, is the newly minted general manager of both the Manitoba Corn Growers Association and the Manitoba Wheat & Barley Growers Association, the first time the groups have hired joint management for the groups. The former provincial cereal specialist spoke with Kelvin Heppner at the recent CropConnect conference to discuss the transition from... Read More
The 11 remaining countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership met on the sidelines of Asia Pacific trade talks in Chile yesterday to discuss the future of the TPP now that the U.S. has withdrawn. "The participating partners reiterated their firm commitment to collaborate in keeping markets open and to the free flow of goods, services and... Read More