Even with other major stories percolating — sex education in schools and the federal election among them — the Syrian refugee crisis has thankfully not been nudged off the front pages. Noble and determined efforts are underway everywhere to help the estimated Syrian refugees find new homes. Last week, the Ontario government pledged $10.5 million... Read More
Category: Ag Policy
Ontario corn and soybean growers and agronomists are upset about comments made by the provincial agriculture minister in Question Period this week regarding the government's new rules limiting the use of neonicotinoid seed treatments. Two seed company agronomists say Agriculture Minister Jeff Leal misconstrued their words after Leal was asked by Tory agriculture critic Toby... Read More
Update: A decision from the WTO on Canada's COOL retaliation plan is expected on December 7. The Canadian government is making its case to the World Trade Organization this week on why should be allowed to impose C$3.1 billion per year in retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports in the dispute over country of origin labeling... Read More
This past week the PDQ (price and data quotes) website was launched for farmers across Western Canada. As noted by Tom Steve of the Alberta Wheat Commission, “This level of cooperation is encouraging and we look forward to improving the level of price transparency available for farmers and other industry stakeholders via PDQ.” In truth,... Read More
On a freezing cold late afternoon in February, 14 women gathered in a meeting room at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs office in Woodstock to talk about big-picture issues facing women in the agricultural sector. Maternity leave issues, and their impact on a career, were the focus of this meeting. They... Read More
It’s the first week of September and the west is waking up to some frosty mornings, while Ontario watches how high temps can climb with a humidex. This week has been a rather big one for many, as kids head back to school, harvest kicks into high gear, and, yes, our editor, Lyndsey Smith, has... Read More
For those of you wondering when agriculture will make the campaign agenda, wonder no more. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture will be hosting a National Agriculture Leaders debate on September 30. at 11:00am EDT. Let's keep raising the profile of agriculture in #elxn42! CFA is hosting a debate w/ the Minister & ag critics Sept... Read More
It's the longest federal election campaign in recent history: an eleven week journey that could very well be captured on daytime television as a drama series. And why not? Its very announcement gave the country reason to debate! Most campaigns run their course in four to five weeks, with voters itching to get to the... Read More
What's your opinion on Canada's agriculture research direction? If you're like most, you probably have an opinion on the importance of research, what needs more attention, or how priorities need to shift, but imagine if you had to sit down and actually create the roadmap forward of achieving those goals. It's quite the challenge, but... Read More
The Canadian Seed Trade Association has launched a new database help easily identify PBR protection on crop varieties registered for sale in Canada. The Crop Varieties Registered in Canada and Plant Breeders’ Rights Status database was created by the CSTA with the assistance of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s Variety Registration Office and the Plant... Read More