Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland walk with copies of the 2023-24 budget on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on March 28, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Patrick Doyle)

Interest-free cash advances get extra lift in federal budget

Fertilizer diversification, solids non-fat processing also up for funding

Federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s latest budget envelope for Canadian farmers up against rising costs of production includes a temporary boost to the interest-free portion of cash advances. Freeland’s 2023 federal budget, released Tuesday, includes $13 million in 2023-24 for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to temporarily increase the interest-free limit for loans under its Advance […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Canada’s small, high-protein malt barley crop poses challenges

MarketsFarm — The hot and dry 2021 growing season cut significantly into Canada’s barley production, with the weather also leading to higher protein levels for what was harvested. “It will be an extremely tight and difficult year for the malt processors and ultimately for the brewers as well,” said Peter Watts, managing director of the […] Read more


File photo of South African malting barley. (Sunshine Seeds/iStock/Getty Images)

South Africa’s barley growers face bleak outlook on alcohol ban

Ban reinstated against COVID-19 surge

Johannesburg | Reuters — South African barley farmers are bracing for a tough market ahead as demand for the grain used to make beer falls and stockpiles grow after a ban on the sale of alcohol was reinstated as the country battles a surge in COVID-19 cases. The government in December enforced its third ban […] Read more



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Ethanol makers see demand surge on hand sanitizer stockpiling

Reuters — Some ethanol producers worldwide said demand is up for their products due to customers stockpiling hand sanitizer — which can be made using the biofuel — as the coronavirus outbreak worsens. The COVID-19 coronavirus has infected more than 110,000 people in 105 countries and territories and 3,800 have died, according to a Reuters […] Read more

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Labatt to partner with Tilray to tap cannabis drink market

Toronto | Reuters — Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer, and Canadian pot producer Tilray Inc. are partnering in a US$100 million joint venture to research cannabis-infused non-alcoholic drinks for the Canadian market, the companies said Wednesday. The alliance, the latest in a string of deals by global alcohol and tobacco giants in Canada’s cannabis […] Read more



An unauthorized outdoor cannabis “grow” operation found by RCMP northwest of Winnipeg in August 2013. (Photo courtesy Manitoba RCMP)

Canadians spent $5.7 billion on cannabis in 2017

Ottawa | Reuters — Canadians spent an estimated $5.7 billion on cannabis in 2017, Statistics Canada said on Thursday, with the country on track to legalize recreational use of the drug nationwide later this year. About 4.9 million Canadians between the ages of 15 to 64 purchased both medical and non-medical cannabis last year, the […] Read more