Two more major agricultural equipment manufacturers have signed memoranda of understanding regarding farmers' right to repair their own equipment. The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) says AGCO and Kubota have each signed MOUs that were negotiated independently but are similar to agreements previously reached with John Deere and CNH Industrial. Altogether, the four agreements are... Read More
Category: Ag Policy
Fourteen of Ontario's agriculture organizations are collectively asking the provincial government to pause forward momentum of the proposed Bill 97 and the Proposed Provincial Planning Statement. "We stand in strong opposition to the 3 lot severances per farm parcel proposed in prime agricultural areas as well as other measures that weaken local farmland protection. We... Read More
Can the production rules of one state wag the (curly) tail of pork trade for an entire country? If the state is California, the answer is: it's possible. Prop 12, first passed in the state in 2018 and then upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court this week, sets out space requirements for livestock in production... Read More
Tucked into the Ontario Progressive Conservatives' Bill 97 is a proposed change to severance allowances of farmland that the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) says could make siting of livestock farms much more difficulty. What's more, the bill carves out increased power for Ministerial Zoning Orders in the name of housing; however, Peggy Brekveld, president... Read More
The federal agriculture minister says she would like to move ahead on modernizing the Canada Grain Act before the end of the calendar year. The Act and the role of the Canadian Grain Commission in administering it have been the subject of multiple reviews and rounds of consultations, with no major changes going back to... Read More
The Black Sea grain deal that allows Ukrainian grain exports to continue has been extended by two months, a day before the agreement with Russia was set to expire. Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan announced Russia had agreed to the extension early Wednesday, sending grain futures markets lower as the second consecutive 60-day extension allayed concerns... Read More
Earlier this week, the House of Commons unanimously passed at third reading Senator Rob Black’s bill that seeks to establish a Food Day in Canada, thus ensuring it will become law. Twenty years after it was established, Food Day Canada officially becomes enshrined in legislation with Bill S-227, an act to establish Food Day in... Read More
The interest-free limit of the Advance Payments Program has been increased from $250,000 to $350,000 for the 2023 program year, effective May 8, 2023. This is the second expansion of the interest-free portion in the last year. It was increased from $100,000 to $250,000 for the 2022 and 2023 program years in June of 2022.... Read More
The federal government will extend the Agri-Food Pilot until May 14, 2025. Launched in May 2020, the pilot program is designed to facilitate the transition of agricultural and food industry workers to permanent residency in Canada. Recruiting and retaining a skilled workforce is key to success for Canadian farmers and food processors, the government says.... Read More
Last year, spurred by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food set out to better understand the impact of international volatility on grain and other commodity markets and the possible need for global aid. Following that process, the Committee then decided to look further in to global food insecurity, by starting... Read More