There's been a change in the top public servant role within Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. As of Monday (May 29, 2017), Chris Forbes is the new Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. Forbes replaces Andrea Lyon, who has moved on to become the Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet.... Read More
Category: Western Canada
Consumers need to know where their food comes from. Why don’t we have more agriculture in the classroom? Those are recurring conversation themes and questions AgScape executive director Colleen Smith encounters every day. They’re challenges the Ontario agriculture industry has been grappling with since the Ag In The Classroom program was launched 25 years ago.... Read More
After years of discussion about the idea, the federal government has launched consultations on creating a national food policy. “Developing this food policy is an exciting opportunity for Canadians to have their say about how government can help address those opportunities and challenges that exist in our food system," said Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay, announcing... Read More
Many dairy and poultry farmers across Canada breathed a sigh of relief on Saturday night as Andrew Scheer defeated front-runner Maxime Bernier to become the leader of the Official Opposition and the Conservative Party of Canada. One of Bernier's main promises during the campaign was to dismantle supply management (SM) — the quota system that... Read More
Last week, the Alberta government introduced Bill 17, the Fair and Family-Friendly Workplaces Act, which updates Alberta’s Labour Code and Employment Standards Code. Since the bill covers all workers in Alberta, it requires some further digging to parse out what applies to agriculture and farms. On Friday, Shaun Haney spoke with Oneil Carlier, Minister of... Read More
As peas and fababeans emerge, at least one potentially devastating pest already has made an appearance — the pea leaf weevil. In this Pulse School episode, we talk about how to deal with the weevils if you are seeing them now, economic thresholds for control, and how to avoid them in the future. Pulse research... Read More
Conservative Party of Canada members from across the country are in Toronto this weekend for the conclusion of a leadership race that dates back to October 19, 2015, when Stephen Harper stepped down after losing the federal election to Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party. The winner will become the leader of the Official Opposition... Read More
The federal government has announced another $4.47 million in funding for the Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence being built near Saskatoon. David Lametti, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, announced the funding on Friday at the University of Saskatchewan. Originally announced in 2015, the centre will have its... Read More
Grain markets headed into the American Memorial Day long weekend with a bearish tinge as a result of some better weather. The Canadian Loonie gained 0.45% for the week on the Bank of Canada keeping interest rates unchanged at 0.5%, which pushed canola prices down 1.1% since last Friday. Oats were the winner of the... Read More
There were 23 cases of farm equipment coming in contact with power lines or poles in Saskatchewan last week, according to SaskPower. At last count, there had been 67 incidents since May 1. Those numbers might seem high, but they're not. At least relative to history. "Compared to last year, these numbers are consistent," says... Read More