It's hard to believe that an Ontario provincial election could get pushed to the back burner on the political stove, but that is the case as voters focus on the heat generated by daily Trump tariff tirades and who might be Canada's next prime minister, replacing Justin Trudeau. Ontario Premier Doug Ford called for the... Read More
Category: Ag Policy
Brooke Rollins was sworn in as the United States' Secretary of Agriculture on Thursday following a 72 to 28 confirmation vote in the U.S. Senate. “It is the honour of a lifetime to serve as the nation’s thirty-third Secretary of Agriculture — and a privilege beyond description to have the trust of President Donald J.... Read More
A new study from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture paints a fresh picture of farming's economic impact in the province and also makes recommendations on what governments — from the municipal to federal level — could do to help farmers to be more competitive and make an even bigger contribution to the provincial economy. According... Read More
The Canadian Alliance for Net-Zero Agri-food (CANZA) has announced a $4 million effort, with backing from the federal government, Maple Leaf Foods, and Nutrien, to develop and scale tools to measure, report, and verify (MRV) soil carbon, potentially unlocking new sources of revenue for farmers. The development of a simple MRV system "will allow farmers... Read More
Kent Bacus, executive director, government affairs for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, hasn't had a dull moment in the last few weeks. He's not had much sleep either. That's not surprising, as any time there is a change in government leadership, his department is going to be busy. Add in a change from a Democrat... Read More
Saskatchewan farmer Todd Lewis is headed to the Senate of Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a trio of appointees to the Upper Chamber on Friday, including Lewis, who currently serves as the first vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA). Lewis farms south of Regina near Gray, and is the former president of... Read More
The backlash and subsequent scaling back of environmental policies affecting European agriculture offers a lesson for governments and political parties around the world, says a policy analyst with a European consumer advocacy group. The European Union's Farm to Fork strategy was introduced about five years ago, and included steep restrictions on pesticide and fertilizer use,... Read More
Canola is just one of many on the list of products, services, and commodities bracing for the negative impacts of the U.S. tariff regime. With less than 30 days to negotiate ahead of the next tariff implementation deadline, the canola industry is working to get the message across to the U.S. about how canola from... Read More
Volatility is always part of agriculture, but the ups and downs of the industry have never been more apparent than what farmers have experienced in recent years. From the impacts of a global pandemic to historic rises and falls in income, farmers are used to the roller-coaster ride; and there's more uncertainty ahead as Trump... Read More
Even the most seasoned of policy analysts, trade negotiators, and industry leaders are feeling the pressure of the last six weeks. On-again, off-again tariffs threatened by the U.S. president are having direct and in-direct impacts on Canada's economy, with companies pro-actively trying to manage risk by downsizing, cancelling expansion plans, or shuttering all together. But... Read More