General

Natural Resources Canada has gone live with a new resource web site for farmers considering renewable energy to power their operations. The Integration of Renewable Energy on the Farm (IREF) web site is billed as a “complete repository of technical information and online tools for analyzing the potential for integrating renewable energy sources onto individual […] Read more

The New Brunswick and Yukon governments officially agreed Wednesday to extend funding for some federal/provincial Agricultural Policy Framework (APF) programming in their provinces. Both the province and the territory announced they will extend their share of funding up until April 1, 2009 at the latest. The extension applies to four ag programming pillars of the […] Read more

The Ontario and Quebec governments signed up Tuesday to officially extend funding for some federal/provincial Agricultural Policy Framework (APF) programming in their provinces. The extension applies to four ag programming pillars of the five-year APF other than the business risk management (BRM) pillar: renewal, innovation, environment and food safety. The federal/provincial APF on agriculture programs’ […] Read more

Agriculture ministers for Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador have signed on the line to officially extend most of the Agricultural Policy Framework (APF) programming in their provinces through to April 1, 2009 at the latest. “Continuing programs will allow for a smooth transition to Growing Forward and will provide certainty for our farmers […] Read more

Current public policy in Canada largely overlooks the wealth of ecological goods and services available in its working farmland, a new report from the Canada West Foundation suggests. The foundation’s report, released Thursday, said other jurisdictions” “relatively new” public policy tools “have the potential to correct this oversight by simultaneously protecting farmland, supporting rural communities, […] Read more

Manitoba farmers will no longer be allowed to apply fertilizers near rivers, lakes, wetlands, streams or drains starting next year. The provincial government on Tuesday announced new regulations not only for farms but for wastewater treatment plants, golf courses, parks and homeowners. The regulation also puts new limits on development of septic fields, manure storage […] Read more

Plans to set a market price for carbon and a domestic carbon emissions trading market include a place for farm projects, the federal government confirmed Monday. Environment Minister John Baird on Monday released the government’s greenhouse gas regulatory framework, which includes new regulations on Canada’s oil sands, coal power and other industries as well as […] Read more

The federal government has opened a Food and Drugs Act Liaison Office in Ottawa to handle the public’s issues with Canada’s food and drug laws. The Act is the federal legislation that governs food and drugs made in or imported into Canada and their safety, labels and label claims. According to a government press release […] Read more

A review of regulations affecting Canadian farming and an AgriFlex fund to regionalize farm business risk management are among the recommendations of the federal Liberals’ Opportunities in Agriculture task force. The task force, headed by Liberal ag critic Wayne Easter and a Quebec candidate, Cindy Duncan MacMillan, released its report Thursday after rolling out some […] Read more