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

NFU takes demand for ban on investor ownership to Parliament Hill

Organization's youth caucus concerned amid ‘transition crisis’

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


Photo: Reuters

NFU claims victory for wheat producers after CGC reversal

The changes would've seen the export grade standard applied to deliveries to country elevators

The National Farmers Union (NFU) is calling a reversal of wheat-grading changes a “tremendous success for farmers,” according to news release, Friday. On Friday morning, the Canadian Grain Commission repealed upcoming grading changes in response to complaints from producer groups. In a news release, the CGC simply stated it was repealing the alignment of primary […] Read more

The author writes that while the new APF is a step in the right direction to help farmers mitigate climate change, it isn’t nearly as ambitious as is required to meet the amount of risk farmers face with regards to the increase in severe and frequent adverse weather events.

Opinion: Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership delivers on dollars but falls short on climate ambition

It’s not clear how many of the federal-provincial cost-share program dollars will go toward emissions reduction programming

On July 20, federal, provincial and territorial ministers of agriculture gathered in Saskatoon to finalize a five-year multilateral agricultural policy framework (APF) that promises to have a significant impact on Ontario farmers in the future.  This multi-billion-dollar framework includes several distinct programs, and when they are combined, they represent the main funding mechanism by which […] Read more

Although agriculture is exempt from most employment standard rules, any increase in the minimum wage will eventually affect farmers' bottom line.

Farmers eye potential impacts from minimum wage hike

Despite agricultural exemptions, pay rates are typically affected

The significant increase to minimum wage recently announced by the provincial government garnered a muted, and in some cases, positive response from Ontario’s agricultural sector. This is a contrast to reaction from the sector in 2018, when the last major increase occurred. According to one of the loudest voices of dissent from 2018, Hamilton-area broccoli […] Read more


Kingston area loses well-known farm advocate

Peter Dowling dedicated his career to fair agri-food policy

A key participant in a number of high-profile advocacy campaigns of the National Farmers Union (NFU), Howe Island organic dairy farmer Peter Dowling, passed away unexpectedly on Sept. 6. Dowling, survived by his wife Dianne and children Patrick, Emily and Tim, had been living with Parkinson’s for a number of years but passed away from […] Read more

Yara executive touts fertilizer as greenhouse gas solution

Yara executive touts fertilizer as greenhouse gas solution

Company believes more efficient production will avoid destroying forests for extra cropland, but other groups disagree

Fertilizer companies can do more good than bad when it comes to combatting greenhouse gases, according to Yara’s chief executive officer. Svein Tore Holsether said agriculture is responsible for one-quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. “On the one hand, that is a big challenge, but it is also a very big opportunity,” he told analysts […] Read more