Farmers of North America is urgently seeking farmers willing to invest in acquiring a majority stake in CWB (formerly the Canadian Wheat Board.) The “farmer business alliance” has hosted dozens of farmer meetings across Western Canada over the last few weeks — right in the middle of harvest for most potential investors. While the plans... Read More
Category: Canadian Agricultural Policy
Soy Canada has named Jim Everson as its first-ever executive director, effective November 5, 2014. "Jim's experience with the grains and oilseeds sector, and with agriculture trade and market access issues, will be a huge asset to Canada's soybean sector," says Mark Huston, Soy Canada's Chair. "Soy Canada, with Jim's leadership, will serve all participants... Read More
The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) has decided it will not hear the Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA) Level of Service Complaint originally filed on May 26, 2014. In its decision, which responds to motions to dismiss from both railways, the CTA concluded there was not sufficient evidence to proceed with the complaint, according to a... Read More
Today, at the Canada-EU Summit in Ottawa, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, signed a formal declaration marking the end of negotiations for the Canada-Europe Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). The final text of the deal — more than 1,600 pages long — was also made public... Read More
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz today completed a trade mission to China and India to open new markets for Canadian farmers and agriculture industries. Of particular note, Minister Ritz met with China’s Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu to work to secure permanent access for Canadian live cattle valued by industry at $150 million annually once fully... Read More
Almost a decade after negotiations began, the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement was signed today in Ottawa by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Korean President Park Geun-hye. The deal is expected to help Canadian agricultural exports compete against American exports, as sales of Canadian beef, pork and other commodities have declined since South Korea ratified a... Read More
While new bilateral trade agreements present many opportunities, international trade is also becoming much more complicated for agriculture companies in the export business, say the authors of a report published by the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (read the paper here.) With bilateral deals with the European Union, Japan and South Korea in the works, keeping... Read More
We bring you "This Week on Real Ag" for September 18th, as Kelvin Heppner recaps some of the bigger ag stories from the past seven days. This week's podcast includes updates on harvest, railway and government relations, grain markets and COOL, as well as some dialogue about A&W's new egg marketing campaign. Oh and of... Read More
If you’re one of the farmers who submitted an application for Growing Forward 2 funding and were turned down, you’re not alone. Whenever a new or changed funding model rolls out, there’s always a learning curve. But does a first rejection mean you should abandon the application? Not necessarily. As Margaret May, regional program lead... Read More
Canadian Pacific Railway (CP Rail) has filed a lawsuit against the Government of Canada, appealing changes to rail regulations brought forward in Bill C-30 — The Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act. CP Rail names the Canadian Transportation Agency and the Attorney General of Canada in the suit, which was filed with the Federal Court... Read More