Category: Ag Policy

The Swearing-In Ceremony is underway at Rideau Hall, and Justin Trudeau is officially the Prime Minister of Canada. As the swearing-in of the cabinet continues, here are some facts on our new Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lawrence MacAulay, and Minister of International Trade, Chrystia Freeland. Minister MacAulay | Minister Freeland |Other Notable Ministers |... Read More

The conversation about labeling genetically engineered products is reaching a crossroads in the U.S. I wonder how much longer this can last. On one side, groups like Just Label It (funded by the Organic Voices Action Fund) are lining up their celebrity endorsements to try to sway unaware consumers. They are reaching into the legal... Read More

Grain Farmers of Ontario has decided to appeal the Ontario Superior Court decision denying its request for a stay of the province's new seed treatment regulations, which limit the use of neonicotinoid-treated corn and soybean seed. GFO submitted a motion to the Ontario Divisional Court on November 3 to have the request reviewed. The organization... Read More

The Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association has hired a new executive director as Blair Rutter has stepped down from the position. Rutter joined the Wheat Growers in 2005 and led the organization in advocating for ending the Canadian Wheat Board's monopoly, while pushing for improved market access, a less restrictive variety registration process and improved... Read More

The AgriInvest program was designed to help Canadian farmers manage small declines in income, but the Canadian Federation of Agriculture wants the government to recognize the benefits of the program are much broader in scope. As one of the four main business risk management programs under the five-year Growing Forward 2 framework, AgriInvest offers producers... Read More

The Canadian dairy sector’s problem with too much skim milk supply could get worse if the Trans-Pacific Partnership becomes reality, according to analysis done by Al Mussell and his colleagues at Agri-Food Economic Systems. Milk, in simple terms, consists of butterfat and skim milk, with Canada’s dairy quota production system based on demand for butterfat.... Read More

The 2015 federal election is being described as a "change" election. As with the Alberta election earlier this year, the electorate wanted change, and that's what they're getting. However, many rural areas where local economies rely on agriculture did not vote Liberal, and so there was a fair amount of groaning and complaining among farm... Read More

The Ontario Superior Court denied the request for a stay and interpretation on seed treatment regulations submitted by the Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) this afternoon. "We are extremely disappointed that the judge did not rule in our favour, leaving the grain industry in a very difficult situation as farmers try to arrange seed orders... Read More

Canola oil stands to be one of the “big winners” if the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal is ratified. Negotiations on the 12-country deal concluded earlier this month, with Canadian grain and oilseed, beef and pork sectors welcoming the market access in it. Lawrence Yakielashek, general manager of FarmLink Marketing Solutions, explains in the interview above how... Read More

Do big changes in Ottawa mean big changes for Canadian agriculture? Ron Bonnett, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture joins host Kelvin Heppner on this week’s TWORA podcast to discuss the result of Monday’s federal election and what it means for the farm community. New rules have been announced on who can buy farmland... Read More