The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) will enter 2026 under the continued leadership of Drew Spoelstra who was elected to his third consecutive term as president of the farm lobby organization at its annual meeting in late November. A dairy and cash crop farmer from Binbrook, Ont., Spoelstra says keeping agriculture at the forefront of... Read More
Category: Ag Policy
The organization representing Canada's pulse crop sector is welcoming the launch of negotiations on a trade deal with India. Prime Minister Mark Carney met with India's Narendra Modi at the G20 Leaders' Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, earlier this week. The two leaders agreed to formally launch talks on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement that... Read More
By Amanda Richardson About this op-ed: The National Index on Agri-Food Performance demonstrates that building a credible, actionable picture of sustainability in Canada’s food system requires collaboration, clear data, and effective communication. While the Index has already achieved remarkable progress—engaging over 165 partners and creating a comprehensive framework spanning environmental, economic, societal, and food integrity... Read More
Canadians have witnessed remarkable change across the country's political landscape over the past year as the Liberal government miraculously shed the weight of the Trudeau years to ride the leadership of Mark Carney to another federal election victory. At the Ontario Federation of Agriculture's annual general meeting this week, political journalist Althia Raj looked back... Read More
Farming has always been a risky business. Regardless of how carefully chosen a variety or fertility rate, Mother Nature always gets the last laugh. Now, with globally-integrated supply chains, market disruptions, and ever-higher stakes for input costs, Canada’s business risk management (BRM) programs are being pushed to evolve. But is the current public delivery model... Read More
With global markets shifting and input costs squeezing producers, policy decisions at the top levels of U.S. agriculture are being closely watched across North America. In this interview with RealAgriculture, USDA deputy secretary Stephen Vaden outlined the administration’s stance on trade, affordability, and the potential for a “Golden Age” in agriculture. Vaden pushed back on... Read More
Canada's hemp sector is closely watching several policy files domestically and in the U.S. that could unlock new demand and value for the highly-regulated crop. Stakeholders from the hemp industry gathered at the historic Met Theatre in Winnipeg last week for the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance (CHTA)'s 2025 convention. After six years of research and... Read More
Last week, Canadian agri-food exporters descended on Washington, D.C., with a key message for their counterparts in the U.S. and American lawmakers: integrated supply chains make food more affordable for everyone. Michael Harvey, executive director of the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance, and 11 of 12 CAFTA members met with U.S. lawmakers, USDA officials, and agri-food... Read More
Transport Canada has introduced new rules for medium-sized drones, creating a category for aircraft between 25 and 150 kilograms that can now be flown within visual line of sight with an advanced licence. This eliminates the need for a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) for operators who stay within the weight limit, replacing what companies... Read More
In this episode of Unlocking Innovation: A National Call to Action, the spotlight turns to one of the most persistent themes raised during the BioEnterprise-hosted national roundtables: Canada’s regulatory system, and the growing concern that its slow, complex processes are holding back agri-food innovation. For this episode of the podcast series, host Shaun Haney is... Read More