A few hundred people, passionate about Canadian agriculture, gathered in Ottawa this week for the Grow Canada conference. This event is always one of the highlights of the year, as it brings together several industry groups, farm groups, government department reps, and stakeholders, under a positive vision for forging a path forward. I was fortunate... Read More
Category: Ag Policy
The sheer number of people, and the corresponding economy, within the Indo-Pacific region is reason enough for every nation to have a coordinated, focused strategy for trade in the region. The need for a strategy may be clear, but the shape it takes, and the urgency with which it is prioritized varies by country. Canada,... Read More
From starting out in a community hall in Carseland, Alberta, in 1977 to successfully achieving an original goal of ending the Canadian Wheat Board's monopoly 35 years later, the history of the Western Barley Growers Association is documented in a new book entitled Western Barley's Legacy. "We wanted to document the history of our association... Read More
Syngenta Canada says it will not have its lambda-cyhalothrin-containing insectide, Matador, available to western Canadian farmers for 2023, but is working to have it back on shelves for 2024. Matador is approved for use on a variety of crops, including potatoes and canola, however a label revision from 2021 comes into force in 2023, removing... Read More
Agriculture and food issues often cross provincial, national and international boundaries. Being a leader of a farm organization frequently requires representatives to look well beyond the farm gate to tackle issues that impact their members. That's certainly the case for Thunder Bay, Ont., dairy farmer Peggy Brekveld, who in 2023 will again lead the Ontario... Read More
Using three priority pillars, the Government of Ontario has announced its roadmap to building agriculture and food success over the next decade through the Grow Ontario Strategy. Announced today, strategy is designed to "make sure the province’s food supply chain remains safe, strong and stable from farm to fork,” according to Lisa Thompson, Minister of... Read More
It's a stressful world out there, there's no doubt about it. Whether it be personal stress, emotional stress, or financial stress...the list goes on. One of the stressors we do have some power to dial down a bit, says Stuart Person, senior vice president of MNP, is financial stress. This can be done through three... Read More
Farmers in eastern Canada paid millions of dollars more for fertilizer beginning in early 2022 as a result of the federal tariff levied against fertilizer from Russia and Belarus, and now farmers want that money back. Finance Canada says the federal government collected approximately $34.1 million in tariff income on fertilizer imported into Canada from... Read More
The Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba governments say they oppose changes to the federal government's latest firearm legislation that were proposed by Liberal MPs at the committee stage earlier this week. Liberal members of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security brought forward several amendments to Bill C-21 on November 22 that would move... Read More
The current "price on pollution," i.e. the carbon tax, sits at $50 per tonne carbon dioxide equivalent. Right now, there is an exemption on this tax being applied to on-farm diesel and gas bought in bulk, however propane and natural gas used for grain drying, barn heating, or running irrigation is still subject to the... Read More