Burrows MLA Diljeet Brar, shown here outside Winnipeg’s Seven Oaks General Hospital in a campaign video screengrab, is the Manitoba NDP’s new critic for agriculture. (Facebook)

Ag extension staffer named Manitoba NDP ag critic

A former Manitoba provincial ag extension co-ordinator will be the new critic for agriculture on the opposition New Democrats’ bench. Manitoba NDP leader Wab Kinew on Friday announced a new shadow cabinet, appointing Diljeet Brar as his critic for agriculture and for sport, culture and heritage. Brar, a rookie MLA elected Sept. 10 in the […] Read more

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 25, 2019. (Photo: Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)

U.S., Japan sign limited trade deal

New York | Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe signed a limited trade deal on Wednesday that cuts tariffs on U.S. farm goods, Japanese machine tools and other products while further staving off the threat of higher U.S. car duties. Trump said the deal would open up Japanese markets […] Read more



Green Party leader Elizabeth May walks off the set past moderator Paul Wells (l), Conservative leader Andrew Scheer and New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh after the Maclean’s/Citytv leaders’ debate in Toronto on Sept. 12, 2019. (Pool photo: Frank Gunn via Reuters)

Election 2019: Ag groups want the parties to pay attention

MarketsFarm — Two major national farm organizations want the political parties to pay more attention to agriculture as the federal election continues. However, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) and the National Farmers Union (NFU) have somewhat different takes as to what they see as paramount. “It’s really important that we uphold the quality of […] Read more


Food security is an issue in this election for 54 per cent of Canadians. (FatCamera/E+/Getty Images)

Food, farming not expected to be big election issues

Canadians don’t think that food and agriculture will be a significant issue in the current federal election. A survey conducted Sept. 9 and released Tuesday by Angus Reid Global with the support of Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab shows 31 per cent of Canadians believe food and agriculture will be a prime electoral issue during […] Read more

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Worst-case no-deal Brexit plan warns of food shortages

London | Reuters — The British government’s plans for a no-deal Brexit warn of severe disruption to cross-Channel routes, affecting the supply of medicines and certain types of fresh foods, and say that protests and counter-protests will take place across the country, accompanied by a possible rise in public disorder. The “Operation Yellowhammer” worst-case assumptions […] Read more


Manitoba’s agriculture minister Ralph Eichler, shown here at an Aug. 27 pre-election forum hosted by the Manitoba Farm Writers and Broadcasters Association, easily held his riding of Lakeside in the Sept. 10 provincial election. (Manitoba Co-operator photo by Geralyn Wichers)

Ag minister returned, ag critic downed in Manitoba vote

Manitoba’s Progressive Conservatives easily kept their agriculture minister while hanging onto a marginally slimmer majority government in Tuesday’s provincial election. Ralph Eichler, the Tories’ ag minister since 2016 and the MLA for the Interlake-area constituency of Lakeside since 2003, defeated New Democrat challenger Dan Rugg of Elie on Tuesday night by a spread of 4,340 […] Read more