Grain companies have laid out their priorities for the current review of the Canada Grain Act, with consultations underway until April 30. There have been multiple attempts to update the Act going back to the early 2000s, but they've all been derailed before reaching the point where the legislation was changed. As Wade Sobkowich, executive... Read More
Category: Canadian Agriculture Policy
Everyone has a different motivation to get involved in agricultural policy — sometimes family is an influence, other times it's the drive to advocate on behalf of a certain commodity. Essex, Ont., farmer Brendan Byrne was elected at the beginning of February to the position of chair for Grain Farmers of Ontario. Before being appointed,... Read More
Sometimes when you find yourself waiting in line at the elevator you get grouchy. Sometimes though, you find yourself leveraging that grouchiness into a role in shaping agricultural policy. Devon Walker runs a grain farm near Lashburn, Sask., with his wife and their three girls, and just recently transitioned to the full management of the... Read More
The theories range from "evil" American milk making its way into Canada, to mistreatment of cows or mysterious supplements fed to cows, to enzyme activity; but any sort of factual explanation for why some Canadians are saying butter has either changed consistency at room temperature or changed in flavour since August 2020 remains a mystery.... Read More
Grain Farmers of Ontario has elected its new board chair. Brendan Byrne is the director for District 1 (Essex) and has served on the board since 2015. He farms with his father and family in Essex County. GFO represents Ontario‘s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean, and wheat farmers. “I’m honoured to be elected the next... Read More
Turkey Farmers of Ontario has received funding of nearly $560,000 to finalize and launch a new insurance product to protect Ontario turkey producers from losses associated with outbreaks of avian influenza. The funding is through the federal government's AgriRisk Initiatives. This new insurance product will be mandatory for all turkey farmers in Ontario and, once... Read More
Ottawa's decision to not expand carbon tax exemptions as called for by farmers and farm groups needs to be revisited, according to the Special Representative for the Prairies in the federal cabinet. Winnipeg South Centre MP Jim Carr has served as Prime Minister Trudeau's Prairie representative since 2019, and was promoted back into Cabinet in... Read More
In the last federal election, Saskatchewan and Alberta sent zero Liberals to Ottawa, leaving the Prairie Provinces under-represented in cabinet. The government's answer to the issue was to name Manitoba MP Jim Carr as Special Representative for the Prairies. So, what does that actually mean? Jim Carr explains that it's his role to not only... Read More
Not only is Tom Vilsack set to return as U.S. secretary of agriculture, he's also open to bringing back U.S. country-of-origin labelling (COOL) for beef and pork; but only if it doesn't lead to retaliation from trading partners, such as Canada, under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. Vilsack, who was ag secretary when the Obama... Read More
From business risk management fatigue, to the carbon tax, to adapting to changing labour demands, there's plenty to cover regarding Canadian policy right now. It may be February, but horticulture farms and businesses are trying hard to navigate ever-changing COVID-19 travel rules in an effort to bring employees to Canada. Plus, not one but two... Read More