Early March saw the White House pronounce steel tariffs that would move many countries to request exemptions.

An eventful week for trade

Free Market Reflections with Steve Dittmer

Canadians could be forgiven if they felt they dodged a bullet the first full week in March. Early in that week, President Trump announced blanket foreign steel tariffs of 25 per cent and 10 per cent on aluminum. Canada not only supplies half of the steel imported into the U.S. but half of American exports […] Read more

CCA Report: Trade, trade, trade

From the April 2018 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

I am pleased to report to you as president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA). As I take over the leadership of this organization from Dan Darling, who now serves as past president, I would like to express my sincere appreciation for his commitment to the CCA and the significant progress accomplished under his term. […] Read more



Comment: An opportunity for youth

It’s not often you hear from a pulse processor when you go to a cattle convention, but Murad Al-Katib isn’t any pulse processor. Starting with one pulse processing facility in Saskatchewan he has built AGT Foods today into an operation with plants in Canada, the U.S., Turkey, Australia, China and South Africa and more than […] Read more


Closeup of the flags of the North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA members on textile texture. NAFTA is the world's largest trade bloc and the member countries are Canada, United States and Mexico. 3D rendering with detailed textured grunge effect on closeup.

Better signs for NAFTA

Free Market Reflections with Steve Dittmer

In early January some hope for a new and improved NAFTA agreement was buried in the political and media bombast in Washington, D.C. At first glance, the release of the book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, had little to do with trade and NAFTA. We were fooled, however, because we knew only […] Read more

Closeup of the flags of the North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA members on textile texture. NAFTA is the world's largest trade bloc and the member countries are Canada, United States and Mexico. 3D rendering with detailed textured grunge effect on closeup.

CCA Report: Speaking up for NAFTA

From the February 2018 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) leadership travelled to two major agriculture policy conventions in the United States in early January to promote common interests in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and urge progress on regulatory modernization to improve the flow of trade between the two countries. The advocacy efforts are part of an increasingly […] Read more


Closeup of the flags of the North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA members on textile texture. NAFTA is the world's largest trade bloc and the member countries are Canada, United States and Mexico. 3D rendering with detailed textured grunge effect on closeup.

NAFTA notes and a warning

Free Market Reflections with Steve Dittmer

[UPDATED: Jan. 23, 2018 with ‘COMMENT’ at bottom] January 2018. The global economy is improving. The U.S. economy, drawing on Trump optimism, anticipated tax reform and more competitive American businesses seeing some profits, which should benefit Canadian businesses. U.S. beef demand is holding up decently in the face of increased supply. The 800-pound gorilla in […] Read more

Canadian beef with AAA stamp

CCA Report: More access to China

From the January 2018 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

It took two trips to Beijing for Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) vice-president David Haywood-Farmer in late 2017, but it paid off with Prime Minister Trudeau and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang announcing expanded access for Canadian beef on December 4. On the first trip, the CCA participated in the Beijing portion of Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister […] Read more



Comment: China opens some more

Prime Minister Trudeau’s five-day visit to China last month had a sense of déjà vu about it for cattle producers. The PM was there to keep alive the hope of a free trade agreement with the second-largest economy in the world, but came away with little more than his promise that Canada would continue to […] Read more