In recent years, the U.S. has attempted to support a voluntary "Product of USA" label that is highly restrictive and has, by many accounts, lacked mainstream uptake. Now, some U.S. ranching groups have pushed a bipartisan group of lawmakers back toward a policy from the past. The U.S. Senate Agriculture committee last week passed an... Read More
Category: Ag Policy
The push to revive mandatory country-of-origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef in the U.S. has received new life after the Senate Agriculture Committee added the policy to its version of the new Farm Bill last week. The move threatens to reopen an old dispute while top Canadian and U.S. trade officials are locked in high-stakes negotiations,... Read More
As geopolitical volatility continues to disrupt energy markets and maritime trade routes, global supply chains face prolonged uncertainty. Intermittent closures of the Strait of Hormuz highlight the brittle nature of global energy systems and the growing necessity for long-term strategic adaptation. In this episode of the Frontlines podcast, host Shaun Haney is joined by geopolitical... Read More
The public comment period is now open for the draft Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Sheep. The public comment period allows stakeholders, including producers, consumers, and others with an interest in the welfare of sheep, to review the draft Code and provide input that will inform the final version, recognizing that... Read More
Cuts to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) research facilities are raising significant concerns across Western Canada regarding lost long-term research capacity and agricultural innovation. While a recent Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Saskatchewan government and the federal government offered hope for stations in Scott and Indian Head, uncertainty remains for staff and ongoing field... Read More
Todd Lewis, Saskatchewan farmer and Canadian senator, died suddenly on Friday, July 31. He was 65. Lewis, a well-respected and instantly recognizable figure in Canadian agriculture, farmed south of Regina, near Gray, and previously served as a vice president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, president of the Agriculture Producers Association of Saskatchewan, and a... Read More
By Daryl Fransoo, chair, Wheat Growers Association Visionary leadership isn't measured by being right today. It's measured by how many years pass before everyone else realizes you were right. Agriculture has an unfortunate habit of proving that point. Too often, we wait until challenges become a crisis before acting on ideas that were once dismissed... Read More
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is moving ahead with a phased reopening of southern cattle ports starting August 24, 2026, beginning with the border crossing at Douglas, Arizona. The decision announced by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins last week relaxes a 15-month border closure implemented to halt the spread of New World screwworm (NWS)... Read More
The Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI), in partnership with RealAgriculture, this week hosted an Ag Policy Exchange webinar analyzing the directional impact of the Halifax Statement coming out of the federal, provincial, and territorial (FPT) agricultural ministers' meeting. The session features an interview between Kelvin Heppner and federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald. Minister MacDonald emphasizes... Read More
Threats of a 50 per cent tariff on Canadian dairy exports to the United States have put supply management back in the spotlight of trade negotiations between the two countries, creating friction for cross-border supply chains. While milk for the domestic market remains the priority for Canadian producers, says Dairy Farmers of Canada president David... Read More