A private member's bill that would have required a GM label to sell "any food that is genetically modified" was defeated in the House of Commons on Wednesday. Quebec NDP MP Pierre-Luc Dusseault introduced the draft legislation (read the Bill C-291 here), with NDP agriculture critic Ruth Ellen Brosseau speaking in favour of it. As... Read More
Category: Eastern Canada
18 months after former Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced he was stepping down, the race to become the next leader of the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC), and the Official Opposition, is into its final days. Rona Ambrose gave her final major speech as interim leader this week, and CPC members from across the country... Read More
Farm and crop industry groups are welcoming the legislation introduced by Transport Minister Marc Garneau on Tuesday. Bill C-49 would, among other things, give shippers the ability to charge reciprocal penalties to railways for poor performance, clarify of the definition of "adequate and suitable" service, and increase requirements for railway reporting and contingency planning —... Read More
With fields drying out and warming up soybean planting is moving full steam ahead in Ontario. In many cases the spring conditions are dictating that farmers take a ‘plant now, spray later’ approach. It’s an obvious choice, but the challenge for many is how to manage fast-growing, large weeds that can quickly take a bite... Read More
Cork-screw corn, good-looking western spring crops, heat unit discrepancies — it's been a wild week of major seeding progress in Western Canada, while much of Ontario's planting progress has been hamstrung with extremely cold and wet weather. Some Ontario farmers, including Wheat Pete's Word host Peter Johnson, are on to plan C for field prep... Read More
Several of Canada's largest farm organizations are united in calling for a comprehensive review of the government's business risk management (BRM) programs for farmers. In government lingo, the BRM acronym refers to AgriStability, AgriInvest, AgriRecovery and AgriInsurance (which includes crop insurance) — all programs that are intended to help farmers manage against volatile weather and... Read More
The agri-food industry needs more highly qualified people, and the University of Guelph’s Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) is looking for ways to help meet the demand. Producing more graduates is both a challenge and tremendous opportunity, says OAC dean Dr. Rene Van Acker. A study released five years ago indicated that there were three jobs... Read More
CropLife Canada has named Pierre Petelle as its new president and CEO. Petelle, who has served as vice-president of chemistry for the crop protection and plant technology trade association since 2012, replaces Ted Menzies, who stepped down in January. “The board of directors is unanimous in its enthusiasm for having Pierre lead CropLife Canada. Pierre... Read More
By Sean Mitchell and Dr. Alfons Weersink Wet, cool weather is raising concerns about planting delays in Ontario. With these concerns comes the possibility that, when planting resumes, producers will opt to plant soybeans in lieu of what previously would have been corn. This is due to a combination of relatively attractive soybean prices, a... Read More
Every time a cow takes a lame step or stands for a long period of time she’s sending a signal. Farmers who read those signals and respond with efforts to improve cow comfort are rewarded with increased cow longevity and more profit in their pocket. That’s the return on investing in Cow Signals, according to... Read More