There's no doubt farm profitability is really strained heading into the 2026 growing season, with stubborn variable- and fixed-cost structures and weak commodity prices. When margins are constricted, financials get squeezed, and it puts pressure on banking relationships. In January, eighty-two per cent of Canadian farmers surveyed through the Canadian Farmer Sentiment Index told RealAgristudies... Read More
Category: Canadian Agriculture Policy
The top political figures responsible for agriculture in Canada and the United States quietly met face-to-face for the first time on Friday (Feb. 20). Canada's Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald stopped in Washington, DC on his return from the trade mission in Mexico to meet with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. The pair have spoken previously,... Read More
The Government of Canada today announced a major expansion of market access for Canadian beef and pork products into Indonesia, market access made possible through the September signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Canada and Indonesia. Canadian exporters are now able to ship over-thirty-month (OTM) bone-in beef, and for the first time,... Read More
Update, as of Feb. 21: After announcing a 10 per cent worldwide tariff on Friday, President Trump now says he will sign an executive order imposing a 15 per cent "global tariff" under Section 122 effective Feb. 24 in response to the Supreme Court ruling. The White House says USMCA-compliant imports from Canada and Mexico... Read More
For many years, Canadian agriculture relied mainly on the United States as its export market. Rail service patterns, highways and port investments grew around that north-south trade. In the last decade, tariff threats, trade disputes and shifting U.S. policy have exposed the risk of relying so heavily on one customer and added urgency to efforts... Read More
Farmers across Canada are facing a dizzying array of incentive programs aimed at promoting sustainable and regenerative agriculture. While tight crop margins are leading farms to consider new ways of adding value, the sheer volume of sustainability-type programs and incentives is creating a mix of confusion and administrative burden, says Shawn Catherwood of Spur Line... Read More
Alberta sees itself not just as a contributor to Canadian agriculture, but as a leader—and it wants the flexibility and infrastructure to match that role. During the RDAR Showcase held in January, Shaun Haney was joined by Alberta Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, Jason Hale, to talk about the province’s strengths, trade priorities, and... Read More
Like many farm and commodity groups across Canada, the Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) is trying to figure out what federal government's involvement in agricultural research and plant breeding will look like as cuts are made within Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). The organization that represents Manitoba farmers who grow wheat, barley, corn, sunflowers, and flax... Read More
The Alberta Federation of Agriculture (AFA) has outlined two key resolutions it will bring forward to the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) annual general meeting later this month, aimed at strengthening Canada’s approach to ag technology and innovation. Aaron Stein, executive director of the AFA, says the organization is calling for a national ag tech... Read More
Strong cattle prices and packed committee rooms set the tone at CattleCon 2026 in Nashville last week, but trade access dominated the conversation. In this interview from the event, Shaun Haney speaks with Kent Bacus, executive director of government affairs with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) about the current state of U.S. beef exports... Read More