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
Category: Ag Policy
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
In a move that could add approximately $1 million in value to its farmer-owners, the Ontario Corn Fed Beef brand has announced a strategic partnership in to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Recently, a delegation of guests, including chefs and distribution partners from the UAE, toured Ontario to better understand what goes in to the... Read More
It's been a rather down week on several fronts — from the global market meltdown, to frost happening not once but twice in areas of Alberta. To the good, harvest picked up steam in several areas of Western Canada, and Ontario's soybean crop is developing quickly, giving hope to RealAgriculture's agronomist Peter Johnson that winter... Read More
Confused about what the new rules governing neonicotinoid-treated corn and soybean seed means for seed orders this fall? You're not the only one — the Ontario government is hosting information sessions and webinars this week, but several questions and plenty of confusion swirl about what paperwork you must do to access neonic-treated seed. To help... Read More
With the 2014-15 crop year coming to an end on July 31st, the Ag Transport Coalition has released its year-end report on rail performance in Western Canada. The data shows how despite not having a bumper crop on the prairies last fall, timeliness was still a challenge for railways servicing grain shippers. CN Rail and... Read More
There’s an incredible amount of demand for quality forage both within Canada and in international markets. Even still, the forage and grassland industry hasn’t always been a top priority for research, extension or market development in Canada. A few years ago, the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association was created to help remedy that problem. Cedric... Read More
Now that we're several weeks into the federal election campaign, it's clear the words "agriculture" and "farming" have been left out of the main messages repeated by most candidates. It's disappointing, but given the precedent set in politics over the last few decades, it's not at all surprising. Rather than preaching to the choir at... Read More
The Grain Farmers of Ontario have received a court date regarding its case requesting a stay of the Ontario government's new regulations limiting access to neonicotinoid-treated corn and soybean seed. The regulations came into force as of July 1, 2015. The case will be heard September 28th, 2015, says GFO. If a stay is granted,... Read More
According to Statistics Canada, over half a million acres of productive (class 1-3) farmland was "settled" between 2000 and 2011. This "settled area" on dependable agricultural land grew by 19 percent in Canada, with the largest increase happening in southern Ontario and Quebec. The loss of farmland isn't a new phenomenon (the last time people... Read More