Hosts Shaun Haney and Kelvin Heppner are back for another edition of RealAg Politics, where they discuss the latest in agricultural policy issues. This week we're doing things a bit differently — instead of one segment, we're having three, with three different topics and four guests! This week's guests are : Tom Steve of the... Read More

Federal, provincial, and territorial (FPT) ministers of agriculture from across Canada met in Ottawa on Monday to discuss the next agricultural policy framework ahead of their annual meeting in Saskatoon in July, where they hope to sign a new five-year agreement. The ministers, nine of whom attended in-person, spent their morning session discussing want they... Read More

The enrolment deadline for the AgriStability program has been extended from April 30, 2022 to June 30, 2022, without penalty, the federal government says. The decision to extend was based on numerous uncertainties farmers are facing, including the recent onset of highly pathogenic avian flu across much of Canada, along with unprecedented pricing challenges and... Read More

The federal government is planning to boost funding for environmental programs through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in the 2022 budget introduced on April 7. While the budget contains projections of a $52.8 billion deficit and national debt totalling $1.2 trillion at the end of 2022-23, the $452.3 billion spending plan and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's... Read More

The federal and Manitoba governments announced further changes to drought assistance programs for livestock producers in the province on Wednesday (March 30). The two levels of government committed a total of $155 million to AgriRecovery drought relief programs for Manitoba producers in August 2021. As RealAgriculture reported, only $32.16 million had been claimed as of... Read More

Manitoba farm groups are reminding cattle and other grazing livestock producers to apply for AgriRecovery drought assistance funds announced last summer by the federal and provincial governments. The province committed $62 million, while the federal government said it would provide up to $93 million, for total AgriRecovery drought support of around $155 million in Manitoba.... Read More

Snowbanks may have made moving feed to cattle a challenge in eastern areas of the Prairies that received plenty of snow this winter, but cattle producers are definitely not complaining about the now-melting drifts as they scratch through an extremely tight feed situation in anticipation of green pastures. As foreseen since the drought last summer,... Read More

Manitoba's new agriculture minister says helping producers recover from the drought of 2021 and maintaining cross-border movement of feed and the province's agricultural exports are top priorities as he settles into the minister's office. Derek Johnson was sworn in as Manitoba's minister of agriculture last week, as the province's new premier, Heather Stefanson, appointed her... Read More

AgriStability, the whole farm, business risk management program has been in place for Canadian farmers for 16 years. In that time, it's been maligned and criticized, and it continues to be subject to an ongoing tug-of-war between federal and provincial politicians. But with a new ag policy framework to be unveiled for 2023, changes to... Read More