A small change to the criteria for cash advance applications is "a very big step backwards" for young grain producers trying to access financing for crop inputs, according to a large administrator of the federal government's Advance Payments Program (APP). For 2025, the federal government is no longer allowing separate advances to be issued to... Read More
Category: Canadian Agriculture Policy
The federal agriculture minister is welcoming a letter from 30 farm and agri-food industry groups asking Prime Minister Mark Carney and his cabinet to make Canada's agriculture sector a national priority. The "Let's Grow Canada" letter says a renewed commitment to agriculture will help the government drive progress across several of its national objectives. "That's... Read More
There's no denying the role and importance of digital integration into agriculture and agri-food, but policy direction has been more focused on innovation generally and has not treated digital adoption as a priority. Canada’s digital agriculture landscape holds promise, but adoption remains limited and inconsistent. Large farms have made gains, but many small and mixed... Read More
The Trump Administration's new trade deal with Japan, with sector-specific measures that blend investment and industrial policy, could provide hints at how future Canada-U.S. trade negotiations could unfold. While some details still need to be ironed out, the new arrangement with Japan includes a potential 75 per cent increase in U.S. rice imports. In this... Read More
Thirty agriculture and food organizations have sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, asking him to make Canada's agriculture sector a national priority as his government establishes its agenda focused on economic growth. The groups, spanning a wide cross-section of Canadian agriculture (listed below), have united under the "Let's Grow Canada" banner to send... Read More
RealAgriculture and the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) are pleased to announce a new collaboration aimed at expanding conversations and analysis around agricultural policy in Canada. Through this partnership, RealAgriculture and CAPI will deliver a series of webinars, policy briefs, and written commentary designed to engage and inform stakeholders across the agri-food value chain. CAPI,... Read More
The president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture is welcoming the Carney's government's renewed focus on policies that are also long-standing priorities in agriculture: economic development, regulatory modernization, and infrastructure investments. But he also says it's time for action. "We're encouraged by what we're hearing out of Prime Minister Carney and and his team. They... Read More
Agriculture ministers from across Canada have agreed to temporarily implement changes to AgriStability that were announced by former federal ag minister Kody Blois on the eve of the federal election campaign in March. Federal, provincial, and territorial ag ministers met virtually on Thursday in lieu of the postponed in-person FPT meeting that was supposed to... Read More
The Canadian Pork Council (CPC) is rejoining the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) as a national commodity group member. The CFA board unanimously voted to welcome back the national pork producer group that represents more than 7,000 farms across nine provinces at its meeting in Winnipeg this week. "We're really pleased this finally came to... Read More
By Ted Bilyea Ongoing trade conflicts affecting Canada have prompted much reflection in recent months on how we could have prevented the situation we are currently in and what we can do now to manage risks going forward. Many have suggested we need to diversify trade partnerships, enhance domestic trade, and be more proactive with... Read More