The former CEO of Gay Lea Foods says “the worst is behind us now” on the repercussions of signing the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with the European Union in 2016.

United response needed to supply management threats

Outgoing Gay Lea CEO says there will continue to be opportunities for Canadian dairy

Recently retired Gay Lea Foods Cooperative CEO Michael Barrett believes opportunities will open up for the Canadian dairy sector as farmers in other parts of the world feel pressure from governments to limit their environmental impact. Dairy supplies into the global marketplace from New Zealand and the European Union are going to be limited due […] Read more

As globalization fades new strategies needed

As globalization fades new strategies needed

Don’t expect a return to normal geopolitical conditions — at least not if you think the past several decades were normal. That was Janice Gross Stein’s message March 8, in an opening address to the Canadian Crops Convention. The noted political scientist and founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy […] Read more

For the past several generations Canada has produced an abundance of food, which meant lots of work marketing it around the world.

Opinion: New food demand brings opportunities

What’s Canadian agriculture’s plan to embrace them?

I’ve followed Steve Verheul’s career for a long time. His years as Canada’s lead negotiator for agriculture trade deals, and then as Canada’s lead trade negotiator, parallel the years I’ve written about agriculture trade. Few people have been as integral as Verheul has been to Canada’s leadership in pushing for open trade around the world. […] Read more

Regional presence could boost Indo-Pacific trade

Regional presence could boost Indo-Pacific trade

Unpredictable, arbitrary trade barriers still a concern in the region

The opening of a new agriculture office in the Indo-Pacific region is being welcomed as a potential new model that could help companies sell more agriculture products there. The federal government recently announced its new Indo-Pacific strategy which encourages greater Canadian involvement in the area, which is expected to be home to two-thirds of the […] Read more

Political tensions have contributed to the lack of Chinese demand for U.S. corn. China has also began accepting Brazilian corn now that phytosanitary concerns have been rectified.

China giving the U.S. the cold shoulder on corn

Political tensions between China and the U.S. and between Russia and the Ukraine continue to disrupt markets

Ontario corn prices appear to be consolidating. Export demand for Ontario has been minimal over the past month; therefore, the domestic prices have been based on local feed values. Ethanol producers appear to have sufficient coverage for nearby positions. Soybean exports continue to exceed expectations while demand from the domestic crush was driven by stronger […] Read more


Ontario Corn Fed Beef has had strong showing at tradeshows in Japan, Taiwan and Vietnam with the return to in-person events.

Export markets grow for Ontario Corn Fed Beef

Promoting the benefits of Ontario beef has grown the market nationally and internationally

The pandemic hindered market development for Ontario’s beef industry over the last few years but there were successes. One of them was Chuck’s Roadhouse, a high-volume steakhouse with 60 restaurants that featured Ontario’s Corn Fed Beef (OCFB) this summer, John Baker told Beef Industry Convention attendees last month. Why it matters: Sales volumes of Ontario […] Read more

Dominc Barton, right, author of the Barton report that encouraged an increase in agri-food exports, was part of a panel with Claire Citeau of CAFTA, left, and Mairead Lavery, CEO and president, Export Development Canada during a conference on how Canada can solve food security problems Jan. 31 in Ottawa.

Unlocking markets in a time of uncertainty

Canada has opportunity to boost lagging exports in a world looking for more food

Canada needs a new agriculture and food strategy as political, pandemic and economic shocks to the global food system render the way Canada has thrived in the world no longer viable. That was the message at a conference in Ottawa Jan. 31, hosted by leading agriculture policy think tanks and attended by agriculture leaders in […] Read more

File photo of a pedestrian crossing in front of the World Trade Organization headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland on Dec. 9, 2019. (Photo: Reuters/Denis Balibouse)

U.S. wants WTO dispute system fixed by 2024

Appeals body frozen since Trump era; Washington 'very committed' to reform

Geneva | Reuters — The United States is entering a third phase of talks with countries to reform the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) hobbled trade dispute arbitration system and aims for it to be “fully functioning” by the end of 2024, the U.S. ambassador to the WTO told Reuters on Thursday. The WTO’s appeals bench, […] Read more


U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said in a statement following a meeting with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Nov. 28, that “we must find a way forward soon.”

U.S. threatens legal steps over Mexico’s planned GMO corn ban

Planned ban would see imports of yellow corn cut in half

Glacier FarmMedia – The United States threatened legal action Nov. 28 against Mexico’s plan to ban imports of genetically modified corn in 2024, saying it would cause huge economic losses and significantly impact bilateral trade.  The countries are already in dispute resolution talks over Mexican energy policies, which the United States argues violates the U.S.-Mexico-Canada […] Read more

Photo: Thinkstock

Brazil moves closer to China corn exports as Beijing approves traders

Beijing/Sao Paulo | Reuters – Chinese customs updated its list of approved Brazilian corn exporters on Wednesday, a move a Brazilian agriculture official said could jumpstart sales of corn to the world’s second-largest economy. The approvals could reshape global trade flows and result in fewer sales for farmers in the United States, the world’s top corn supplier. […] Read more