General

The Manitoba and federal governments have co-signed their agreement on the specifics of funding for Manitoba farmers available through the new Growing Foward ag policy framework. Growing Forward is the national framework to co-ordinate federal and provincial agriculture policy, replacing the five-year Agriculture Policy Framework (2003-08) developed under the Chretien government. Of the $1.3 billion […] Read more

New legislation now in effect in Manitoba to regulate the recruitment of foreign workers is “long overdue” and should be introduced in all provinces, according to one major agri-food union. Manitoba’s Worker Recruitment and Protection Act, which took effect Wednesday, prohibiting recruitment agencies from charging fees to imported workers and requires such recruitment agencies to […] Read more

The Ontario and British Columbia governments have each co-signed their agreements with the federal government on the specifics of their funding through the new Growing Forward ag policy framework. In Ontario, the joint federal and provincial funding will be for up to $300 million over five years, while B.C.’s share, also for five years ending […] Read more

Members of a North American trade group for organic agri-food were told last week that a cross-border “organic equivalency” agreement could be reached by the time Canada’s new organic regulation takes effect this summer. An equivalency agreement would allow for the smooth flow of certified organic goods between the two countries, supporting the continued growth […] Read more

Canada’s newest Nuffield Scholar plans to study how post-secondary agriculture prorgams around the world are recruiting students to stem what she says are declining numbers. Karen Daynard, who operates ag communications firm KD Communications at Guelph, was named recently as the 2009 Nuffield Scholar by the Canadian Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust. Daynard is an Animal […] Read more

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If Canada wants an globally competitive ag industry, it’s not going to get it through public policy focused on farm income support rather than business support, a new report warns. University of Manitoba economics professor Greg Mason, writing for the Calgary-based Canada West Foundation, said in his report released Tuesday that policy “must shift from […] Read more

The federal government’s $100 million-per-year program to help farmers cope with high costs of production (COP) seems to have been cancelled without paying out to farmers at all, Liberal agriculture critic Wayne Easter says. “The Conservative government promised a program, created it, and for no apparent reason that makes sense, cancelled it,” Easter said in […] Read more

Call it counter-intuitive if you like, but a nationwide study finds no link between the proximity of an urban centre and the likelihood of a farmer working off-farm. That’s not to say farmers aren’t more likely than ever to support their farms with off-farm work. Using figures from the 2006 Census of Agriculture, Statistics Canada […] Read more

Skid-steer maker Bobcat Co. and snowmobile and ATV maker Polaris Industries have signed on for a “long-term strategic alliance” that will ultimately include co-development of new equipment. The agreement, announced last week, is meant to “leverage the complementary strengths of both companies to penetrate work-related market segments globally.” “Initially, Polaris will produce and sell highly […] Read more