The Saskatchewan government says it will stop charging the federal carbon tax on home heating as of January 1, 2024. Customers of SaskEnergy and SaskPower will still see a federal carbon tax charge on their January utility bills for natural gas or electricity used for heating that they used in the month of December; however,... Read More
Category: Canadian Agricultural Policy
It's not quite hitting the Canadian grain shipping corridors yet, but global issues with two canals and one border could have large impacts on world grain and product supplies. Let's start in the Suez Canal. While not the highest ranking for grain movement, any disruption to a major shipping route has trickle-down effects on others.... Read More
The federal government has extended Doug Chorney's appointment as the chief commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission. Chorney's three-year term was to expire in December, but the Governor-in-Council has extended it to April 30, 2024. Chorney, who farms at East Selkirk, Man., has agreed to continue in the role until then. The government sought applications... Read More
Governments across the world are crafting policy to influence industry practices with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Canadian government is doing the same through programs such as the On-Farm Climate Action Fund and others. But how effective have these programs been and how do farmers see them influencing what practices they engage... Read More
Country of origin labelling of beef in the U.S. seems to be an issue that never goes away entirely, even with settled trade disputes. The most recent move towards some form of COOL is gaining momentum in the U.S., though agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack has said any labelling must be trade compliant. Dennis Laycraft, executive... Read More
Canada's beef cattle industry has made significant, continual improvements on the amount of methane emitted by cattle over the last 30 years. A combination of genetic selection and feeding advancements plus sound scientific research means that Canadian ranchers and feedlot operators have a good story to tell about cattle production. Dr. Tim McAllister, research scientist... Read More
A majority of senators voted in favour of a twice-amended version of Bill C-234 at third reading on Tuesday night, sending the hollowed-out bill back to the House of Commons. MPs in the Commons previously approved the private member's bill, which would have removed the federal carbon tax from natural gas and propane used on... Read More
It's time for another podcast featuring Wisemeyer and Haney covering all the big agricultural topics impacting farmers and ranchers in Canada and the United States! This week Shaun Haney of RealAgriculture and Jim Wiesemeyer, D.C. policy analyst with Pro Farmer, jump into some issues that really connect and are creating angst in the countryside of... Read More
Environment and Climate Change Canada has published its draft protocol for Reducing Enteric Methane Emissions from Beef Cattle (REME protocol). This is the fourth draft protocol under Canada's Greenhouse Gas Offset Credit System, following those for refrigeration, landfill methane (completed), and forestry (in draft). The REME protocol is intended to "incentivize farmers to implement changes... Read More
The agricultural industry is immensely frustrated with the challenges Bill C-234 has faced in the senate, and for good reason. As I have watched the shenanigans in the senate the past month, I have been searching for a word that describes the vibe of the situation as the supposed "independent" senators have allegedly taken marching... Read More