Labour vacancies cost Canadian farmers in 2018 nearly double what they cost four years earlier, according to research released recently by the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council. Why it matters: More farmers are either not expanding or inefficiently operating their farms because of a lack of labour. That’s a problem for Canadian agricultural competitiveness. The […] Read more
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Ontario expected to have largest farm labour shortage
Large equipment that sits idle will mean greater economic impact of labour shortages in other provinces
U.S. judge cuts $2 billion Roundup verdict against Bayer to $86 million
Reuters – A California judge on Thursday reduced a $2 billion jury verdict, slashing the award for a couple who blamed Bayer AG’s glyphosate-based weed killer, Roundup, for their cancer to $86.7 million. Superior Court Judge Winifred Smith of the California Superior Court in Oakland said the jury’s billion-dollar punitive damage awards were excessive and […] Read more
Province makes internet investment promise official
Conservatives commit to improve rural internet and cellular phone service
The Ontario government is investing $315 million over five years to expand internet access and cell phone service to more rural and remote families in the province. Premier Doug Ford made the announcement July 23 in Lucan, with several cabinet ministers in attendance. “Twelve per cent of communities don’t have cell signal or high speed […] Read more
Ag in Motion continues to grow in fifth anniversary year
In its fifth anniversary year, Ag in Motion welcomed 30,474 attendees through the gates and featured 552 exhibitors. Wednesday, July 17 was the biggest day on record for the show in its five-year history, with attendance reaching 12,660. “The show just continues to grow,” says Show Director Rob O’Connor. “We’re up to 552 exhibitors – […] Read more
UK autonomous farming project expands
The Hands-Free Hectare project will be working 35 hectares this year
Extra funding has been made available to a unique autonomous crop farming project in the United Kingdom, allowing it to expand. Initially launched in 2016 by Harper Adams University and Precision Decisions, the Hands Free Hectare project was designed to demonstrate that one hectare of grain could be grown to harvest without humans setting foot […] Read more
Listening tour shows demand continues for agriculture leadership skills
AALP has provided that training for 35 years to the Ontario agriculture sector
Gabrielle Ferguson set out last fall to hear what the Ontario agriculture sector had to say about leadership programming. The new director of the Rural Ontario Institute’s Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (AALP) met with farmers, agriculture and rural businesses and organizations from Ridgetown to Ottawa to Thunder Bay at trade shows, kitchen tables, in board […] Read more
First rural strategies aim at high speed internet
There are few details yet beyond internet announcements
The federal government has launched two strategies designed to create economic development in rural Canada. Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Rural Economic Development, released Rural Opportunities, National Prosperity concurrently with High-Speed Access for All: Canada’s Connectivity Strategy. She said consultations pointed to high-speed broadband as the most immediate need in rural areas. Why it matters: About […] Read more
U.S. government to pay $15 minimum per acre to farmers hurt by China trade war
Washington | Reuters – The U.S. government will pay farmers hurt by President Donald Trump’s trade war with China a minimum of $15 per acre under an aid package to be unveiled before the end of this week, Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Tuesday. “We’ll have information for you before the week ends,” he told […] Read more
The natural heritage debate
Provincial land use direction continues to raise concerns with farmers who haven't been consulted
Farmers are worried that a change in the designation of their land to “natural heritage” will affect their ability to farm in the future. Farmers in Huron County are the latest to struggle with the designation of some of their land as “natural heritage”. Why it matters: The ability of farmers to cultivate land they […] Read more
France’s Hulot calls on parliament to vote against EU-Canada trade deal
Paris | Reuters – Popular former environment minister Nicolas Hulot on Monday urged the French parliament to vote against the EU-Canada trade deal in a last-minute bid to block the agreement. The EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) provisionally took effect from September 2017, but still needs to be approved by all 28 EU […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
