Farmland in British Columbia and Quebec increased the most in value in 2020, with Alberta rounding out the top three according to Farm Credit Canada's annual farmland value report. Despite COVID-19, on average, Canadian farmland values increased by 5.4 per cent, following a just-slightly lower 2019 value of 5.2 per cent growth. Land in British... Read More

The federal government announced its draft regulations for a national carbon offset framework, and while the kinks still need to be worked out, the first protocol that is intended to proceed is for soil organic carbon. As such, I've been working to lay out what this may entail and why carbon sequestration may not be... Read More

The U.S. government is moving ahead with countervailing tariffs on phosphate fertilizer from Morocco and Russia following a U.S. International Trade Commission ruling on March 11 which sided with American fertilizer producer Mosaic. The ITC decision clears the path for the U.S. Department of Commerce to begin levying duties of 19.97% on imports from Moroccan... Read More

Almost a year in the making, and nearly two years from the time an application could have been submitted, Canada's status as a negligible-risk country for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is one step closer. Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) announced this week that the Scientific Commission of the World Organization for... Read More

If Canada celebrated Auto Industry Day, the Prime Minister and national leaders would boast of our modern technology, our ingenuity and automation, our global competitiveness and production figures, regardless of where we rank in the world order. But on Canada's Agriculture Day, politicians celebrated small, quaint, pastoral perceptions of agriculture, as opposed to owning the... Read More

Soy Canada has announced Brian Innes will be joining the organization as its new executive director. Innes is currently vice-president of public affairs for the Canola Council of Canada, and past-president of the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance. “Brian brings to Soy Canada an extensive background in agriculture and government,” says Ernie Sirski, Chair of Soy... Read More

A Conservative private member's bill that aims to address the risks from biosecurity breaches and trespassing on farms was approved at the second reading stage in the House of Commons on Wednesday. Brought forward by Foothills MP John Barlow, Bill C-205 would amend the Health of Animals Act to "make it an offence to enter,... Read More