Untying food aid may short farmers: NFU

Canada’s decision to completely decouple its food aid from requirements to source that aid domestically could short farmers both in developing countries and here at home, the National Farmers Union warns. The federal government on Wednesday opened up its food aid procurement policy to allow up to 100 per cent of its food aid to […] Read more

Canada boosts food aid, lifts limit on sourcing

Canada has untied its remaining limits on where federally-funded food aid can be sourced, and has pledged to spend 28 per cent more on such aid this year. Food aid programming will get $230 million this fiscal year, up $50 million, International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda said in a release Wednesday. Canada will also open […] Read more


Food prices to bite Canada’s grocers: report

Faced with the “Wal-Mart effect,” Canada’s grocery retailers can’t depend on price hikes to cope with rising food prices, according to a new report from the George Morris Centre. The Guelph-based ag think tank on Tuesday released a new report on sales and pricing challenges in the Canadian food and beverage sector. It noted that […] Read more

New markets beckon to Canadian food firms: report

While rising costs, the rising dollar and slowing economies such as the U.S. put pressure on Canadian food processors, they should look to other export markets as well as their own “underserved” ethnic populations, according to a new report from Rabobank. The Dutch firm, which bills itself as the “premier” bank to the global food […] Read more


N.S., Nunavut approve APF extensions

The Nova Scotia and Nunavut governments have officially agreed to extend funding for some federal/provincial Agricultural Policy Framework (APF) programming. Each will extend its share of funding up until April 1, 2009 at the latest. The extension applies to four out of five ag programming pillars of the five-year APF: renewal, innovation, environment and food […] Read more

Report calls for radical food policy reforms

An organization supported by the United Nations and the World Bank has called for a radical change in food policy to better serve the poor and hungry if the world is to cope with a growing population and climate change while avoiding social breakdown and environmental collapse. The report by more than 400 scientists was […] Read more


New fire safety program for rural Alberta

 The Alberta Environmental Farm Plan Company and the Alberta Fire Chiefs Association have launched a new safety program aimed at protecting rural landowners, their families and emergency personnel in the event of a fire or other emergency. The Rural Emergency Plan (REP) is a personalized, easy-to-use tool that helps rural landowners prepare for personal and […] Read more

Pasture available for drought-stricken cattle producers

The Ministry of Agriculture has announced some assistance for cattle producers in southwest Saskatchewan. Agriculture Minister Bob Bjornerud said there are a number of grazing opportunities available in northeast Saskatchewan through the Saskatchewan Pastures Program (SPP). “We recognized that with current drought conditions in the southwest, cattle producers are short of pasture,” Bjornerud said. “We […] Read more


Seeding starts in Saskatchewan

Seeding has started in the southwestern areas of the province, according to Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture’s weekly crop report. Peas and spring cereals were reported to have been seeded during the past week. In comparison, most northern and central areas are one to three weeks away from seeding. Using a diagonal line through the grainbelt […] Read more

Farmland values up sharply

The average value of Canadian farmland increased 7.7 per cent during the last six months of 2007, Canada’s highest increase since 2002. This is higher than the 3.6 per cent increase in the first six months of 2007. Most provinces continue to see growth in farmland values, with British Columbia experiencing a huge 14.5 per […] Read more