A helicopter dumps water on a forest fire in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia.  Photo: Thinkstock

Canada forecasts hotter-than-average summer as peak wildfire season nears

Reuters – Canada is expecting a hotter-than-usual summer with slightly below-average precipitation in central Canada, government officials said on Tuesday, offering little relief from ongoing drought and the risk of another bad wildfire season. Last year, Canada experienced its worst-ever fire season, with more than 6,600 blazes burning 15 million hectares, an area roughly seven […] Read more



Renny Grilz (centre), resource management officer for Meewasin Valley Authority in Saskatchewan and veteran agrologist, says “farmers probably educate the conservationists more than the other way around. It helps build those relationships, that we can then use to generate more interest in conservation.”

Burnout a problem in conservation sector

Like farmers, people in the environmental profession face many uphill battles that can affect their health

Mental health challenges are a regular topic of discussion in the agriculture sector, but farmers are not the only workers with high rates of anxiety, depression and other forms of mental illness. Why it matters: People in the environmental sector face many challenges to their work and purpose. For those working in the environmental sector, […] Read more

Opinion: Is it time for a farmer venture fund?

The Agri Tech Venture Forum in Toronto is a fascinating event, and much more different than the farmer-focused events I attend. In the room are venture capitalists of all types next to agriculture technology inventors and businesses looking for that capital. People are investing their own money and gathered with others who have a similar […] Read more




A Nuffield Scholar and Senior Relationship Manager with FCC’s Indigenous financing team, Tatum Claypool is studying how Indigenous communities in other countries have navigated the systemic barriers that prevent them from growing agricultural businesses.

How Canada can support Indigenous farm entrepreneurs

Tatum Claypool, Nuffield scholar and FCC relationship manager, discusses historical barriers and current opportunities

For Claypool, Canada’s Indigenous communities are a relatively untapped resource when it comes to agricultural economic development. With favourable age demographics and a strong cultural connection with the land and agricultural production, developing farm and food enterprises would be a boon for communities where economic opportunities are few, as well as for Canadian agriculture as a whole