Health Canada is in the process of revamping the Canada Food Guide, with an emphasis on encouraging Canadians to eat more vegetables and plant-based protein, potentially at the expense of dairy and meat consumption. The government has come under criticism for not seeking input from the agriculture and agri-food sector, as no witnesses from the... Read More
Category: Western Canada
Regulations, by their nature, are country or region specific, but they can have spillover effects into other markets. This is the case with many crop protection products between trading partners — a ban or restriction in one region can have trickle-down impacts on use and even access in another. Many North American farmers have been... Read More
Switch to longer rotations, reduce soil movement, grow resistant varieties — the list of keys to managing against clubroot disease has become familiar for many canola growers in Western Canada, but an Alberta farmer with years of experience farming with high clubroot concentrations has another piece of advice: don’t be afraid to talk about it.... Read More
India's government has made it even more expensive to export products — including pulse crops — into the country. On Tuesday, India announced a 10 percent increase to its duty on chickpeas, raising the import tariff from 30 to 40 percent. The move comes days after the India's finance minister introduced a new surcharge to... Read More
The price of wheat is down, yes, but there are premiums for protein, and RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson thinks there's an opportunity to cash in. In this episode of the Wheat School, Johnson looks at new nitrogen research from University of Manitoba researcher Amy Mangin. It provides evidence of how growers can pump up their... Read More
The federal government introduced amendments to the Fisheries Act on Tuesday aimed at restoring "protections to all fish and fish habitats that were lost with changes that were made in 2012." "I am pleased we are introducing amendments to the Fisheries Act that will restore the protections for fish and fish habitat that were lost... Read More
by Greg Porozni, Alberta farmer and Cereals Canada director As part of the 2017 New Crop Missions, "Team Canadian Wheat" visited Canada’s top customers and provided them with technical data and support. Who are Canada’s top customers? Some of the answers, like Japan, will be no surprise to anyone, but many would not expect to... Read More
I wrote a column last week that caused quite a stir, as was the intention. My tongue-in-cheek title did what it was intended to do: it sparked conversation and some lively debate, but it also got some tempers flaring over the increased regulatory burden farmers not just endure, but must also pay for. Read Top... Read More
There's consensus that healthy soils with higher organic matter deliver a range of benefits from supplying nutrients, to building soil structure, to increasing water-holding capacity, and reducing erosion. But are enough farmers taking the required steps to increase soil health and organic matter? United States Department of Agriculture research agronomist Shannon Osbourne believes a stronger... Read More
Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay attended a Saskatchewan Pulse Growers' regional meeting in Regina on Monday and announced around $575 thousand in funding for pulse crop market development projects. The minister's visit comes amid market uncertainty for the Canadian pulse industry with India — Canada's largest export customer — having imposed 30 and 50 percent... Read More