The Western Livestock Price Insurance Program (WLPIP), announced by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Western provincial ministers on January 24, 2014, is now taking applications. Cattle and hog producers may now use this new livestock price insurance product to help manage unexpected livestock price declines. This new insurance product offers protection against an unexpected drop... Read More
Category: Ag Policy
Some of you reading this have likely either consumed unpasteurized milk, or know someone who has, and been perfectly fine for the experience. Ditto for University of Guelph food scientist Prof. Art Hill, a leading authority on milk safety. Some 50 years ago on the family dairy farm on Manitoulin Island, he drank unpasteurized milk... Read More
After I wrote an editorial piece on Kathleen Wynne's absence at the GFO meeting last week (click here for that), many people agreed with my take. In the true spirit of Realagriculture.com, some readers thought I was incorrect and called me out on it. Long-time RealAgriculture follower Stewart Skinner contacted me and said, "Slow down,... Read More
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz was in Saskatoon today to discuss logistics legislation with stakeholders and industry representatives across the rail supply chain. "The new Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act will put into law clear measures to support the world-class logistics system that gets Canada's agriculture products and other bulk commodities to market in a... Read More
Debra Murphy took in the the first ever Grain Handling and Logistics Summit in Saskatoon today. Near the end of the day, she and RealAgriculture editor Lyndsey Smith re-capped the hot topics of the day, a day filled with tough questions and even tougher answers. From a representative from CN Rail who didn't wait around... Read More
Bill 30, the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act, received its first reading in the House of Commons today. The act has a stated goal of getting the 2013 Prairie grain crop moving, according to a Government of Canada press release. It's estimated that between 14.2 and 20 billion dollars worth of crop is stuck... Read More
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - In light of the recent completion of the Canada-South Korean Free Trade Agreement negotiations, the Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced today that he will lead a large delegation of agriculture groups on a trade mission to South Korea. "The agreement, Canada's very first in Asia, is projected to... Read More
Call me old fashioned, but I’m siding with dairy farmers in the latest attack against supply management. And I hope any farmer who feels the same way will take action and let their elected officials (particularly at the federal level) know how they feel. Over the past couple of weeks, a fight has emerged between... Read More
It's a win for agriculture commodities, namely pork and beef, but a sore spot for the auto industry, as Prime Minister Stephen Harper was in South Korea this week to finalize and sign a free trade agreement with that country. This Agreement will create jobs & opportunities for Cdns across the country: http://t.co/tUeeYj7qg5 #cdnpoli... Read More
It's been a long, cold, snowy winter. I get that. You get that. The railways also get that, apparently. And, on one hand, would like to tell you that the dismal service Western Canadian farmers and Canada's agriculture industry is receiving is the weather's fault and then, in the same breath wants to "work together"... Read More