Reforming business risk management (BRM) programs, such as the AgriStability program, has been top of mind for many across the agriculture industry. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau proposed changes to the program at the federal-provincial-territorial agricultural ministers' meeting in November, which the federal government says would increase AgriStability payouts by 50 per cent, but the... Read More
Category: Western Canada
Farmers in Alberta will see a significant reduction in their crop insurance premiums for the 2021 growing season. Announced January 25 by the Alberta government and the Agricultural Financial Services Corporation (AFSC), a 20 per cent reduction will save farmers more than $55 million on their crop insurance premiums this year. Minister of Alberta Agriculture... Read More
After a year of building, prototyping, and delivering services to select customers and partners, the Omics and Precision Agricultural Laboratory (OPAL) has been launched by the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S). OPAL was founded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the National Research Council of Canada, and... Read More
The Manitoba Pork Council has announced the hiring of a new general manager. Cam Dahl, currently the chief strategy officer for Cereals Canada, will be joining the provincial pork organization as of February 22, 2021. Dahl served as the founding CEO of Cereals Canada for several years prior to its merger with the Canadian International... Read More
Now that inauguration day has come and gone in the U.S., many Canadians are wondering what impacts the Biden administration will have on Canada. Top of mind for the agricultural sector: what will trade relations look like? Narrowing it down even more, what will Biden's approach be to the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA)? Tyne Morgan,... Read More
We're starting this Beef Market Update off on a positive note: retail demand. Retail sales are looking really strong as we head into the last week (?!) of January — and about a month out of the holiday season, notes Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange. As she explains, there is usually a bit... Read More
The federal government has announced $162.6 million in additional funding for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) over the next five years, and $40 million per year in added funding for the agency on an ongoing basis after that. The funding boost, announced by Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, and Health Minister Patty Hajdu on Friday,... Read More
If you know about mental health battles, you know. However, if you don't, understanding what your partner or someone close to you is going through can be tricky. Knowing what they need can sometimes be a bit of a battle. And if you are someone that faces mental health difficulties, feeling misunderstood can be isolating.... Read More
Protein Industries Canada (PIC) announced an investment Friday into a program that will introduce youth in Kindergarten through Grade 12 to the career opportunities available to them in the plant-protein, agri-food, and digital agriculture sectors. As part of a $2 million co-investment with the Enterprise Machine Intelligence & Learning Initiative (EMILI), national STEM outreach charity... Read More
With consultations underway for the Responsible Grain code of practice, farmers are expressing varied levels of support and frustration towards the concept. Echo chambers have developed on both sides of the issue, with what I perceive to be the majority of farmers in the middle looking for facts and understanding of what Responsible Grain is... Read More