(Video screengrab from CBSA-asfc.gc.ca)

Trade talks a dicey situation, Coyne says

Winnipeg | CNS Canada — With Canada in the midst of negotiations for two different trade agreements, the North American Free Trade Agreement and Trans-Pacific Partnership, trade concerns are getting muddled, according to Andrew Coyne. “We need to be conscious of diversifying our trade interests beyond just North America. It would be extremely foolish that […] Read more

Rooting the dietary guidelines in sound science

Free Market Reflections with Steve Dittmer

“There’s a lot of stuff in the Guidelines that was right 40 years ago but that science has disproved. Unfortunately, sometimes, the scientific community doesn’t like to backtrack.” That was David McCarron, nutrition researcher at the University of California-Davis nearly two years ago, commenting on the U.S. Congress ordering a comprehensive review of the way […] Read more





Photo: File

Stop using antibiotics in healthy animals, WHO urges farmers

London | Reuters – The World Health Organization urged farmers on Tuesday to stop using antibiotics to promote growth and prevent disease in healthy animals because the practice fuels dangerous drug-resistant superbug infections in people. Describing a lack of effective antibiotics for humans as “a security threat” on a par with “a sudden and deadly […] Read more

Canola oil was Canada’s second-highest-valued export in 2016, at US$2.3 billion.  Photo: File

Reports highlight strengths, weaknesses of Canadian ag exports

Commodity News Service Canada – There is room for improvement in the Canadian agricultural export market with competition from new markets globally, according to a pair of reports released by Farm Credit Canada. The FCC Ag Economics, Trade Ranking Report: Agriculture and FCC Ag Economics, Trade Ranking Report: Manufactured Food give overviews of Canada’s global […] Read more


Feds announce tax support for farmers

Feds announce tax support for farmers

In a news release distributed today linked to Budget 2017, Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay announced tax relief to help farmers who received compensation under the Health of Animals Act from livestock destroyed due to the bovine tuberculosis outbreak in 2016 and 2017 in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The federal government also released its 2017 list of designated regions for livestock […] Read more

(Stephen Ausmus photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Alberta back in national chicken quota arrangement

A new federal-provincial agreement for allocating broiler chicken quota will formally include Alberta Chicken Producers for the first time since 2013. Chicken Farmers of Canada announced Thursday it has a new federal-provincial agreement (FPA) in hand, including a new quota allocation methodology. The new deal was concluded Tuesday, CFC said, when the Farm Products Council […] Read more



Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister, shown here in April 2016. (Dave Bedard photo)

Farm fuel to be exempt from Manitoba carbon tax

Farm fuel will be exempt from a carbon tax, Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister said in an interview Thursday on the eve of announcing his government’s Made-in-Manitoba Climate and Green Plan. “It does exempt some farm costs — farm fuel, for example,” he said. “I know we’ll get pushback from some industry groups that are not […] Read more