Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has issued mandate letters to his ministers, outlining the Liberal government's priorities for the session of Parliament that started last month. The letters were made public on Thursday (Dec. 16), 51 days after the cabinet was sworn in, and the second last day of sitting in the House of Commons before... Read More
Category: Western Canada
The economic state of affairs for Canada right now is an interesting mix of rising prices, decreasing unemployment, and strong demand for export goods. There are both positive and negative factors at play in Canada's economic recovery from the pandemic. Craig Klemmer, principal economist at Farm Credit Canada says that we're seeing different levels of... Read More
There are an estimated 100 million pounds of hay pledged to the Hay West '21 initiative waiting for a ride west from the Maritimes, Quebec, and Ontario. The federal minister of agriculture, Marie-Claude Bibeau, on Wednesday (Dec. 15) pledged up to $3 million in support for the program to help cover the cost of hay... Read More
A month into the job as Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Economic Development, Nate Horner says he's catching up with producer groups in the province and working to get up to speed on the priorities for Alberta agriculture. Up first on the docket following his appointment was the Federal-Provincial-Territorial ministers meeting last month, where... Read More
New details on how the federal government plans to rebate carbon taxes paid by farmers in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta were included in the Dec. 14 fiscal update presented by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland. The Liberal government had previously promised, in the lead-up to the federal budget in spring 2021, that it would refund... Read More
Looming vaccination mandates that are set to apply to truckers crossing the Canada-U.S. border in January are already affecting cross-border supply chains, according to several speakers at the annual Fields on Wheels Conference hosted by the University of Manitoba. The Canadian government says it will require all truckers entering the country to be vaccinated by... Read More
As farmers continue to look for answers to questions they are faced with on their farm, the need for on-farm research programs continues. One of these on-farm research programs is the Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions Plot2Farm program. Jeremy Boychyn, agronomy research extension specialist with Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions, was at the Prairie Cereals... Read More
Bill C-208, an act to amend the Income Tax Act, received royal assent in June of 2021. The act, which governs the rules and regulations regarding the transfer of agriculture businesses between family members, was applauded by many in the farming industry. Farm business advisors and accountants might be telling farmers and ranchers that changes... Read More
Canadian Pacific Railway is the new owner of Kansas City Southern as of December 14, 2021, although KCS must continue to operate independently until the U.S. Surface Transportation Board approves the North American railway marriage. Upon closing of the US$31 billion deal on Tuesday, the shares of KCS were placed into a voting trust, and... Read More
Every selection tool shifts the weed spectrum, and that includes farmer-controlled decisions such as tillage, crop rotation, and seeding rate. It also includes non-farmer controlled selection tools, such as wet or dry weather cycles. To unpack what we can learn from shifting weed patterns, we go to Mike Cowbrough, weed specialist with the Ontario Ministry... Read More