While farm groups are stressing the urgency of changes to business risk management programs, an important meeting in July that served as a soft deadline and a forum for possible action on the issue has been postponed. The annual meeting of agriculture ministers from across Canada that was slated to be held at Guelph, Ont.,... Read More
Category: Canadian Agriculture Policy
Markus Haerle, chair of the Grain Farmers of Ontario, says the producer group's recent social media and radio campaign is aimed at getting the federal government's attention and at pushing Ottawa to quit stalling on making improvements to business risk management tools, so that these programs can address shortfalls and challenges in the industry. Reaction... Read More
While announcing the details of the new Coronavirus Food Assistance Program to assist livestock and grain producers, U.S. President Donald Trump dropped a shocker on the North American cattle industry. “I read yesterday where we take some cattle in from other countries, we have trade deals. I think you should look at terminating those deals,”... Read More
By Michael von Massow The Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) recently launched an advertising campaign to lobby for federal support for grains and oilseeds producers. There has been considerable discussion in social media and other fora regarding financial support for the Canadian agricultural sector. Many groups were disappointed with the size of the federal government... Read More
COVID-19 has certainly made Canadians more aware and concerned about their food supply. But will public acknowledgement of the importance of the agriculture and food sector lead to more financial and policy support? "This is the first time many Canadians have gone to the grocery store and seen bare shelves... and it's got them thinking,"... Read More
Saskatchewan's Agriculture Minister David Marit has announced $10 million in funding to help livestock producers manage the impacts of COVID-19 related market disruptions. $5 million will go towards Saskatchewan's share of the costs associated with participation in the national AgriRecovery set-aside program announced by the federal government May 5. The federal government is covering 60%... Read More
The federal government is providing $100 million to Farm Credit Canada (FCC) to administer an Agriculture and Food Business Solutions Fund. The fund is targeted at "proven, viable companies through unexpected business disruptions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic," and will support enterprises in the agribusiness and agri-food sector, including companies involved in primary production, agri-tech,... Read More
The Seed Variety Use Agreement (SVUA) pilot program launched earlier this year now includes five varieties, as DL Seeds in Manitoba has announced the registration of two new field pea varieties that will be part of the project. A Seed Variety Use Agreement allows plant breeders to set a royalty fee, referred to as a... Read More
Just how important is the European Union canola (rapeseed) market? According to LeftField Commodity Research, the region had more than doubled its year-over-year canola imports up to mid-March of this year, offsetting nearly half of the Canadian tonnage that would have been sold to China. That's a significant increase, says Jonathan Driedger with LeftField, driven... Read More
A recently announced wage top-up program could apply to farm and food industry workers, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the $3 billion in funding "to increase the wages of low-income essential workers" late last week, and a press release from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) says that provinces and... Read More