On Tuesday, April 9th, a widespread day of protest will be held against – of all things troubling our country – GM alfalfa. Activists will be gathering at about 20 locales, including 12 in Ontario, to show their opposition to its pending arrival. The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, a relatively benign group with agricultural ties... Read More
Category: Canadian Agriculture Policy
What does Canada's participation in the Trans Pacific Partnership really mean to supply management? Will Canada give up some or all of the supply management pillars in the face of trade opportunities for other agricultural products? While there are no clear cut answers as of yet, TPP negotiations are most certainly a topic of interest... Read More
The discussion around proposed changes to the check-off funded associations in Western Canada is growing significantly. No, not everyone is on-side with the idea — many grower group members feel they best serve the commodity's interest individually, and are opposed to joining ranks across provinces and especially not nationally. Danny Penner is one of those,... Read More
The loss of the CWB monopoly was felt more as a ripple than a tsunami in the daily marketing lives of most western Canadian farmers. What many have come to realize, however, is that the role of the CWB extended far beyond the selling of wheat and barley on behalf of farmers. Like it or... Read More
Canada is no longer an Atlantic nation, it is a Pacific nation, and we're all better off if we keep that in mind when it comes to trade, policy and politics. That's according to John Ibbitson, Globe & Mail Ottawa bureau chief, and guest speaker at last week's Canola Council of Canada convention held at... Read More
With the public eye increasingly fixed on agriculture, twitchy farm policy makers may be inclined to act first and ask questions later. And that has farmers worried. For example, last spring in Ontario, more than 200 bee kill incidents were reported. No question about it, that’s a problem. Thousands of hives were affected. What’s the... Read More
A WTO ruling from late in 2011 sided with Canada, among other countries, that U.S. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) regulation was "inconsistent with its WTO trade obligations." But instead of amending the labeling requirements in time for the late may deadline, the US has seemingly upped the ante, and will now being to add... Read More
Once again Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz took to the stage at the FarmTech conference to talk to a packed house about the state of agriculture in Canada. This year saw the Minister announce details on two federal Growing Forward 2 programs as well as address a number of other topics including the lay of... Read More
Earlier this week, I lined up an interview with Dr. Jeannie Gilbert, a plant pathologist at AAFC's Cereal Research Centre, Winnipeg, Man. I wanted to speak with her about the threat of fusarium head blight for 2013 and what farmers can do now to prevent or manage the disease. When I arrived, I soon learned... Read More
A draft of a revised Canadian Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Beef Cattle is up for a 60-day comment period, and the cattle industry is encouraging its members to read the draft and proposed changes before the comment period ends in early March. The process of creating this draft took several... Read More