Our latest so-called national crisis led to calls for police to arrest protesters and tear down blockades, but perhaps we should be thinking about how to prevent conflicts like this from happening in the first place. It’s amazing how much can change in just a few days. Canada’s Agriculture Day on Feb. 11 brought together […] Read more
Fraser: Rail blockades should be a lesson for all
Players confident with ASF outbreak response plan
Plan offers a “test” for potential new organization
Glacier FarmMedia – The federal government and industry partners have expressed confidence in plans to prevent and, if needed, combat an outbreak of African swine fever on Canadian soil. Beyond working with the United States and Mexico, Canada has partnered with the provinces and industry groups to come up with an action plan for ASF. […] Read more
Fraser: In ag marketing, emotions need to start trumping facts
Emotional transparency 'actually goes a long way'
Go to an agricultural event and someone will inevitably point out how bad farmers are at getting their message to consumers. As annoying as it is, those comments underscore an increasingly important theme in Canadian agriculture: communication. It used to be enough to grow and market your crops, but that has changed dramatically over the […] Read more
Being Canadian and competitive can be challenging
Maple Leaf Foods official says Canadian scale and regulation hinder global competitiveness
Glacier FarmMedia – A senior official at Maple Leaf Foods says Canadian policies, programs and regulations are hurting economic growth and competitiveness. Rory McAlpine, senior vice-president, government and industry relations, made the remarks during a speech at the Canadian Agricultural Economics Society policy summit held in Ottawa from Jan. 23 to 24. Why it matters: […] Read more
Industry leaders weigh in on seed royalty review
'Other markets... have already moved past this'
Syngenta’s Trevor Heck isn’t choosing a route for collecting seed royalty rates — but says the federal government needs to “move forward on some type of value capture” model. “Right now, you know, if we don’t have that within the seed industry, it’s going to be very difficult to be able to get the level […] Read more
Ottawa’s Agriculture Day gathering a sector-wide affair
Agriculture Day celebrations across Canada on Tuesday included a conference in Ottawa with roughly 500 attendees from across the ag sector. Hosted by Agriculture More than Ever, the event aimed to bring together people involved in agriculture, food and agribusiness. “We’re having a gathering to celebrate Canadian agriculture and food and the contributions that we […] Read more
University students backed by 4-H for leadership
Four students honoured Feb. 10 at Ottawa event
Four Canadian university students inspired in their career paths by their 4-H experiences are getting an extra boost from the organization. The annual Leadership Excellence Awards of Distinction (LEAD), presented Monday during the 4-H Leadership Awards event in Ottawa, aim to recognize 4-H participants who, according to the organization, “demonstrate 4-H values in the way […] Read more
Subsidy for grain dryer upgrades in Alberta draws critics
Concerns are being raised over a new program for grain drying being offered to Alberta residents. The federal and Alberta governments recently announced Alberta farmers seeking to make grain dryer improvements will have access to funding through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The Efficient Grain Dryer Program aims to cover costs for energy efficiency improvements to […] Read more
Opinion: Managed trade changes global trade order
China-U.S. deal heralds new era of two-country trade focus
Glacier FarmMedia – I suspect farmers of a certain vintage think more about China than they ever expected. Given the significance that Chinese decisions have on Canadian producers, it is easy to forget the trade relationship between the two countries is less than 30 years old. Yet here we are, once again curious to know […] Read more
Probe eyes possibility of ‘co-ordinated behaviour’ in Big Ag
Competition Bureau probes majors' response to FBN's Canadian launch
Canada’s Competition Bureau is investigating leading agriculture companies for allegedly attempting to drive a California-based online farm-supply retailer out of the Canadian market. Documents filed in Federal Court show Federated Co-operatives, Cargill, Winfield United Canada, Univar Canada, BASF Canada Inc., Corteva and Bayer CropScience (and, by extension, Monsanto Canada) are all under investigation. Investigators with […] Read more
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