A trade war could be just as damaging to farmers as a drought, so business risk management programs should be adapted to reflect this, said Tyler McCann from the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute. | Getty Images

Policy institute calls for open review of ag spending

It’s been 13 years since agricultural spending was reviewed, and some programs may no longer meet producer needs

A full-scale review of Canadian agricultural spending should be a top priority in this time of global uncertainty, said a new report from the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute.


Federal Ag Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau (r) visits the Ag in Motion outdoor farm show near Langham, Sask. on July 20, 2022. (Greg Berg photo)

Ag ministers lock in next policy funding framework

AgriStability compensation rate to rise; new EGS program planned; some agmins decry feds' approach on fertilizer emission cuts

The new federal-provincial ag policy funding framework due to take effect next April 1 will include a new ecological goods and services plan and a sweetened compensation rate for AgriStability. Following meetings this week in Saskatoon, federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and her provincial and territorial counterparts on Friday mapped out the bones of their […] Read more

A national accounting firm says farmers should talk to their advisors about how they can best benefit from their assets. As well, taxation from AgriInvest doesn’t get enough attention.

Getting the best bang for the AgriInvest buck

Proactive planning can save tax and help farmers improve their financial position

Investing time in planning AgriInvest withdrawals can save taxes and help farmers build their cash flow and retirement funds for the future. But it’s a management opportunity that too many account holders leave on the table, according to a national accounting firm.  Canadian farmers have money sitting in AgriInvest accounts that earn next to nothing […] Read more

Manitoba Agriculture Minister Blaine Pedersen speaks at Ag Days in Brandon on Jan. 21, 2020. (Manitoba Co-operator file photo by Alexis Stockford)

AgriStability proposal could have hidden cost, Pedersen warns

Manitoba's ag minister warns Bibeau's plan may hurt crop insurance, AgriInvest funding

Ottawa’s proposal for an improved AgriStability program could give farmers short-term gain for long-term pain, Manitoba’s agriculture minister Blaine Pedersen warns. At the online federal-provincial-territorial agriculture ministers’ meeting on Friday, federal Agriculture Minister Marie Claude Bibeau proposed dropping AgriStability’s maximum reference margin, and increasing the compensation rate from 70 to 80 per cent retroactively this […] Read more


Producer groups say the billion-dollar figure amounts are misleading and that individual account amounts are insignificant.

Money in AgriInvest accounts ‘disappointing’: Bibeau

Minister continues to advocate that the ‘first line’ money needs to be spent

Glacier FarmMedia – Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau maintains farmers who need cash should first look to any available money sitting in AgriInvest accounts “The last numbers I’ve seen did not show that farmers had used their accounts very much. Some sectors a little bit more, but not in a significant way the last […] Read more

File photo of Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau speaking in Winnipeg in February 2020. (Dave Bedard photo)

Bibeau not considering closing AgriInvest accounts

Minister wouldn't order farmers to pull funds

Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau is not considering ordering producers to withdraw from their AgriInvest accounts. “Not in this way. All the options are on the table for the future, but I’ve never considered asking them to withdraw, to empty their accounts, to face COVID-19,” she said in an interview Friday. Bibeau had previously expressed […] Read more

More startling was the number of accounts with a balance of zero — 10,888 — and the number with less than $10,000 in them — 62,332.

Most AgriInvest accounts less than $10,000

Farm groups say the federal data discredits argument that aid must wait until producers use up program money

Glacier FarmMedia – Data sent to the House of Commons agriculture committee shows that most AgriInvest accounts hold less than $10,000 each. Only a small percentage of accounts contain $100,000 or more, according to a letter from Agriculture Canada to the committee. Why it matters: Farm groups have been making the case that emptying out […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

No timeline yet set for BRM reforms

Changes put on hold along with ministers' meeting

Ottawa — Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has confirmed any reforms to business risk management (BRM) programs are being delayed. That confirmation came during a wide-ranging media availability Bibeau held Tuesday. In March, Tom Rosser, an assistant deputy minister at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), said the government is looking at a number of options […] Read more

Farm groups offer finance committee food security for thought

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) continues to pressure the federal government to offer more support for farmers as it looks to mitigate impacts of COVID-19. One of few parliamentary functions continuing to operate in the pandemic, the Commons standing committee on finance is responsible for studying and reporting on matters related to government spending. […] Read more