Manitoba's challenge is to support the beef industry so that enough cattle remain on farms to maintain prairie grasslands.

Editorial: Thinking big to solve agriculture challenges

I was recently in Manitoba on a tour of farms when I came to the new education hall of the Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiative (MBFI). It’s a simple building located at the MBFI Brookdale Farm north of Brandon, but there, some interesting magic happens that could be a model to provide industry focus on […] Read more

(OntLA.on.ca)

Ontario, Canada sign $1.5 billion CAP agreement

The Canadian and Ontario governments have signed an agreement that will see $1.5 billion of Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) money available to be spent in the province. Ontario Agriculture Minister Jeff Leal said the five-year program will start April 3, which, he added, will mean a seamless transition between the current federal-provincial agriculture and food […] Read more

Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay speaks Nov. 24 at Agribition in Regina. (Agr.gc.ca)

Federal programs set for Growing Forward sequel

Market development, product development and overall sector development are among the priorities in the federal government’s five-year funding plan for the ag sector. Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay, speaking Friday at Canadian Western Agribition in Regina, announced a $1 billion suite of six federally funded programs to roll out through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The Canadian […] Read more

Gerry Ritz won’t be coming back to the House of Commons in September. (Manitoba Co-operator photo by Shannon VanRaes)

Ex-agriculture minister Gerry Ritz quits Commons

Gerry Ritz, the federal minister for agriculture and agri-food for nine years in Stephen Harper’s Conservative government, is done with federal politics. The MP for the western Saskatchewan riding of Battlefords-Lloydminster since 1997, Ritz announced via Twitter Thursday morning that he “will not be returning to my seat in the House of Commons this fall.” […] Read more

Ontario Agriculture Minister Jeff Leal (Photo courtesy OMAFRA)

Greig: A year of farm policy decisions ahead for Ontario

Ontario’s agriculture minister stands by his decision to halt a process that was expected to open up how processing tomatoes are priced in the province. Jeff Leal’s decision, announced in August, resulted in a Dec. 21 threat from Ontario’s largest tomato processors to significantly cut back their tomato purchases from Ontario farmers in 2017. Processing […] Read more


Canada invests in Canadian biomass and composites industries

Federal and provincial governments are investing up to $2.9 million to the Composites Innovation Centre Manitoba for two initiatives. The funds will go towards the development of quality standards and measurement techniques for Canadian biomass, and research into overcoming technology barriers to the adoption of natural fibres in the composites industry, a news release says. […] Read more

Okanagan producers adopt climate adaptation strategy

Agricultural producers and local governments in the Okanagan region are getting ready for the possibility of hotter, drier summers and different pest pressures under climate change. The B.C. Agriculture and Food Climate Action Initiative (CAI) brought agricultural producers together with local governments and provincial agencies to identify collaborative solutions and actions to adapt to the […] Read more

Photo: Thinkstock

Report discusses disseminating agricultural research

The Agricultural Institute of Canada (AIC) says the next suite of Growing Forward programs should include funds dedicated to communicating about research to the general public. Its 2016 Conference Report (the Report), which summarizes the need for the agricultural sector to better disseminate research results to producers, farmers, industry, academia, consumers and among the research […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Ottawa seeks feedback ahead of Growing Forward sequel

The federal government has set up a new web-based questionnaire to gather farmer and industry feedback on the Growing Forward 2 (GF2) ag policy funding framework as it develops the next framework. The next agricultural policy funding framework is due to launch April 1, 2018, the government said in a release Monday. The first phase […] Read more

CPG, whose COO and owner Kelly Beaulieu is shown here in a file photo, will get over half a million dollars in public funds for the company’s expansion.

Puree processor gets GF2 funds for expansion

A Portage la Prairie food processor that converts culled vegetables into nutritional purees has received $582,000 from the federal-provincial Growing Value program to increase its capacity. Canadian Prairie Garden Puree Products has acquired new equipment and modified its existing operation in order to cook more types of fruits, vegetables and pulse crops like chickpeas, navy […] Read more