General

In their zeal to be environmentally sustainable, food production systems should concentrate less on their carbon footprint and more on production and distribution, says a new study. Improving the way food is grown, harvested, transported and consumed provides greater environmental benefits than simply counting food miles, according to the three-year global study published this week. […] Read more

A decrease of almost $900 million in federal ag program spending for 2008-09 from 2007-08 levels, coming largely from business risk management programming, is “nothing short of a disgrace” given Canada’s troubled livestock sector, according to the federal Liberals’ ag critic. However, the document cited in the Liberals’ claims contends the reduced spending comes largely […] Read more

The chair of the Commons standing committee on agriculture aims to turn off the tap of farm program funds for major corporations and small-scale hobby farmers alike. Larry Miller, the Conservative MP for the Ontario riding of Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound since 2004, recently introduced Bill C-479, a private member’s bill to amend the Department of Agriculture […] Read more

The federal government has pledged over $5 million to support farm safety outreach through the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA). The funding announcement Thursday at CASA’s annual meeting in Fredericton confirms Ottawa’s continued support for the association through the federal/provincial Growing Forward ag policy framework. The funding is expected to go toward creation of safety […] Read more

We welcome your comments on any Daily News articles you see here. Every Friday, when applicable, we’ll post the best reader comments of the week. If you’d like to submit comment on any news item you see on this site, click on “Comment on this article” at right. If you’d like your comment to be […] Read more

Uncertainty in commodity markets led to wide fluctuations of grain and oilseed prices in 2008. However, annual average prices of grains and oilseeds remained considerably higher than their 2007 levels. In terms of quantities produced and yields, 2008 was a good year for Canada’s grain and oilseed producers. A good harvest of grains and oilseeds […] Read more

This year’s “lacklustre” pricing in ag commodities is expected to improve only modestly in 2010, beyond which TD Economics sees a “favourable” longer-term outlook. TD Bank Financial Group’s economic forecasting and research arm released its latest report on the state of Canadian farming last week, documenting the effects of excess global supplies in major ag […] Read more

Opportunity is expected to knock for Canadian agri-food exporters through a new agreement on economic co-operation between Canada and Kuwait. International Trade Minister Stockwell Day and Kuwait’s Commerce and Industry Minister Ahmad Rashed Al-Haroun signed the agreement Wednesday in Ottawa. “Kuwait offers many opportunities for Canadian companies in the oil and gas sector, engineering and […] Read more

UPDATED, Nov. 5 –– Our giveaway has so far yielded three winners who will receive copies of the national best-selling cookbook The Big Cook. AGCanada.com and its affiliated websites announced Monday morning that they would give away four autographed copies: one each to the first person to contact us by e-mail, by forwarding their Daily […] Read more

The federal government’s plan to extend maternity, parental, sickness and compassionate care benefits through the Employment Insurance (EI) program to farmers and other self-employed Canadians is seen as a major potential boon for rural Canada. Federal Human Resources Minister Diane Finley announced the planned benefits Tuesday morning in introducing what the government calls the Fairness […] Read more