Flush farmers have a reputation for reinvesting in their operations, which has a positive impact on the economy. (Luca Piccini Basile/iStock/Getty Images)

StatsCan shows 2020 farm income up significantly

Farm cash receipts were up more than expenses

Canadian farm income, no matter how it’s measured, was up a lot in 2020, data released Wednesday by Statistics Canada show. Canadian net farm income of $18.1 billion is up $4.8 billion from 2019 — a 36.5 per cent increase. Another measure — realized net farm income (RNFI) — saw farmers take in $9.9 billion, […] Read more

U.S. President Joe Biden test-drives the new Ford F-150 lightning truck at Dearborn, Michigan on May 18, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Leah Millis)

Ford wires its electric trucks for business customers

Tesla, GM seen positioning electric pickups as 'lifestyle vehicles'

Detroit | Reuters — Ford Motor Co.’s newly revealed electric version of its best-selling F-150 pickup doubles down on a bet that the company can beat Tesla and other rivals by giving new technology a familiar face and convincing longtime fleet and business customers that going electric saves money. Ford officially unveiled the battery electric […] Read more


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Manitoba cautions on manganese in well water

About a third of wells exceed updated limits, province says

A significant number of wells in Manitoba may be carrying water with manganese levels well above new health standards, particularly for infants. The province on May 3 issued an advisory for owners of private wells that their water “may exceed a new health-based guideline” for the trace element. The element occurs naturally, and commonly, in […] Read more

Brandon-Souris MP Larry Maguire speaks to Bill C-208 on Nov. 25 in the House of Commons. (Video screengrab from Parl.gc.ca)

Tory MP’s bill on farm transfer tax treatment moves ahead

Private member's bill now awaits Senate approval

A Manitoba Conservative MP’s bill to standardize the tax treatment for sales of farms and other small businesses has cleared the House of Commons and is en route to the Senate. Brandon-Souris MP Larry Maguire’s Bill C-208, which was introduced for first reading in February last year, passed third reading in the Commons on Wednesday. […] Read more


Average sea surface temperature anomalies over the equatorial Pacific Ocean for the week centred on May 5, 2021 compared to 1981-2010 base period. (CPC.ncep.noaa.gov)

La Nina done, U.S. CPC says

Neutral weather likely through summer

Reuters — A U.S. government weather forecaster said on Thursday La Nina has ended and El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) neutral conditions are likely to continue through the Northern Hemisphere summer. “ENSO neutral” refers to periods in which neither El Nino nor La Nina is present, often coinciding with the transition between the two weather patterns, […] Read more

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Ontario’s RMP rolling out ‘later than usual’

Details pending, Agricorp says

Ontario farmers’ coverage under the provincial Risk Management Program (RMP) won’t be affected by ‘a bit later’ rollout this spring, the program’s handlers say. Agricorp, the province’s farm program delivery agency, reiterated in a statement Tuesday that the RMP “will be available in 2021 (and) program details will be shared with customers as soon as […] Read more


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Rural, remote crime targeted in Tory MP’s bill

Bill would consider crimes' settings during sentencing

An Alberta Conservative MP is trying to tackle rural crime by introducing a law that would punish more severely those accused of targeting remote, and vulnerable, people or property. Red Deer-Lacombe MP Blaine Calkins introduced his private member’s bill for first reading in the House of Commons on Tuesday. “Rural Canadians too often don’t feel […] Read more

(Thinkstock photo)

Federal budget plays to mixed reviews from ag groups

Funding for green initiatives, carbon pricing rebate plan hailed

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) says it is “pleased” the 2021 federal budget included some of the recommendations it had made. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s first budget, released April 19, included significant spending to help producers transition to a greener economy and cited agriculture as a foundational pillar of Canada’s future. “CFA will be […] Read more


Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland arrives to a news conference prior to delivering the budget in the House of Commons in Ottawa on April 19, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Blair Gable)

Federal budget to offer direct payments to farmers for carbon pricing

Other new 'green growth' funding also on deck

The federal government’s 2021 budget offers up new spending to support farmers combatting climate change through targeted investments — and, in some cases, direct payments. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland released the budget Monday, showing the majority of new spending will take place over three years and be largely focused on “green growth.” “Budget 2021 announces […] Read more

Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole speaks at Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Nov. 19, 2020. (File photo: Reuters/Blair Gable)

Conservatives’ new climate plan puts price on carbon

New poll ranks carbon tax costs highest among farmers' springtime concerns

Canada’s ag sector is expected to serve as a carbon sink, a renewable fuel source and a beneficiary in the federal Conservative Party’s new climate change plan — which now includes putting a price on carbon. Party leader Erin O’Toole announced the new plan Thursday — after a long campaign of vehemently opposing such policy. […] Read more