Latest Newsletter

Tag Archives farmland — page 3

Ari Westhaver of the NFU demonstrating on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Nov. 22, 2023. (Jonah Grignon photo)
Markets

NFU takes demand for ban on investor ownership to Parliament Hill

Organization's youth caucus concerned amid ‘transition crisis’

By
Members of the National Farmers Union (NFU) gathered on Parliament Hill Wednesday to demand a ban on investor ownership of farmland. The demonstration was organized by the NFU Youth Caucus and Farm Workers’ Working Group. The goal was to demand protection of food sovereignty and help farmers, especially young ones, gain more access to farmland. […] Read more
A tract of Amazon jungle burns as it is cleared by farmers at Rio Pardo in Brazil’s Rondonia state on Sept. 15, 2019. (File photo: Reuters/Ricardo Moraes)

Brazil tells landowners to stop setting fires in Amazon ‘climate emergency’

Properties could be embargoed, agency says

By
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazil’s government told ranchers and farmers on Friday to stop setting fire to the Amazon rainforest as clouds of dense gray smoke make the air increasingly unbreathable in the northern city of Manaus, threatening sanctions if they do burn areas of land. “Fire is not natural in the Amazon, it […] Read more
Vivian and Chris Crump used funding from ALUS to create wetlands on their farm.
News

ALUS gets new provincial funding

Program helps farmers pay for projects that protect species at risk

By
At the Crump farm near Ilderton, runoff from 400 nearby acres, grazing by too many cattle and an elevation change of 35 feet in a short distance led to a strained ecosystem. Now, Chris and Vivian Crump have added wetlands, created more controlled grazing, managed the runoff from the barns and farmyard, planted 2,500 trees […] Read more
Real estate apps are already big business in residential markets. If they cut transaction costs, why not in agriculture too? Photo: Getty Images

U.S. Lawmakers seek to limit corporate, foreign ownership of farmland

Farm groups, lawmakers are concerned that foreign, investor ownership is driving up prices and threatening national security

By
Washington | Reuters – U.S. lawmakers from both parties are pushing legislation that would limit who can own American farmland, with a latest effort from Democratic Senator Cory Booker aimed at curbing corporate ownership. Farm groups and lawmakers are concerned that land buys by investors and foreign countries are driving up farmland prices and threatening […] Read more
Suzanne Armstrong, CFFO director of policy and research, going over member survey results at CFFO’s recent provincial meeting in Elora.
News

Balancing farm severances with the need for housing

CFFO supports intensified housing within existing settlement boundaries

By
The debate on balancing housing demand with agricultural land protection continues to build as agricultural associations draft provincial planning statement letters. It was a hot policy topic at the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario’s June provincial meeting in Elora, where members shared their concerns before the Aug. 4 comment deadline. Why it matters: Housing continues […] Read more
(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Saskatchewan drainage work rebates expanded to farmers

Channel clearing, drain maintenance program shares eligible costs

By
A program to help rural Saskatchewan municipalities and local authorities cover costs of channel clearing and maintaining drains for flood prevention will now expand to include individual landowners. The province’s Water Security Agency (WSA) said Friday its $1 million cost-share rebate program will expand its eligibility beyond RMs, conservation and development area (C+D) authorities and […] Read more
View of the site where the gigafactory for electric vehicle battery production by Volkswagen Group’s battery company PowerCo SE will be built in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada April 21, 2023.
News

Opinion: Distracted by shiny objects

Public investments in the Volkswagen battery plant should have been earmarked for agriculture

By
The federal government is investing up to $13.7 billion in subsidies for Volkswagen to build a new electric vehicle battery plant in the St. Thomas, Ont., area. It’s an investment that supporters say paves the way for a green technology transition, bettering the environment as a whole, while providing much-needed jobs to thousands. Detractors have […] Read more
OFA director Ethan Wallace said the provincial government was receptive to the agriculture community’s concerns over the proposed planning statement.
News

Province halts lot severance policy after industry input

Extended consultation period will allow for further input on housing plans

By
The Ontario government has agreed to pause its proposed planning statement and Bill 97 pending further discussions.   The announcement was made May 30 in a joint release by 14 Ontario agricultural organizations. Why it matters: If passed, the proposed plan would see farmland permanently lost in Ontario. The statement as proposed would allow up to […] Read more
Frost on land in Brazil’s Santa Catarina state. (Edson Hardt/iStock/Getty Images)
Crops

Brazil justice grants Congress more time on bill limiting Indigenous rights

Case pits Indigenous against Big Ag

By
Brasilia | Reuters — A Brazilian Supreme Court justice on Wednesday asked for more time to study a case pitting the country’s Indigenous people against its powerful farm sector, a decision that is likely to give lawmakers more time to pass a measure favouring Big Agriculture. The decision by Justice Andre Mendonca, an Evangelical pastor […] Read more
File: Ontario farmland.
Crops, Livestock

To buy or to rent?

Rent-to-price ratio can help farmers decide what’s best for them

By
Higher interest rates don’t seem to be affecting the ratio between land values and land rental costs — at least not yet. Farm Credit Canada’s latest analysis of farmland rental prices shows they’re roughly maintaining their traditional linkage, says J.P Gervais, the organization’s chief economist. WHY IT MATTERS: Understanding the rent-to-price ratio for farmland can […] Read more

Cyber-Savvy Farmer

Glacier Farmmedia Podcast