Canola in flower in a field near Stockholm, Saskatchewan in late July, 2024. | Greg Berg photo

Editor’s Rant: Over/underwhelmed

Whether existing ag programs fit the bill or not, expect the feds to try to shoehorn problems into them

Successive federal governments have been working to get out of the ad-hoc farm payment business — so whether existing programs fit the bill or not, it’s unsurprising when the feds try to shoehorn problems into one or more of those.

Photo: Getty Images

Advance payment changes called for

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture policy summit examined several topics the industry is dealing with right now, including trade, and saw a major commodity group rejoin the organization

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture policy summit examined several topics the industry is dealing with right now, including trade, and saw a major commodity group rejoin the organization









Parliament Hill, in Ottawa – Ontario, Canada. Photo: Ulysse Pixel

Producers welcome change to cash advance program 

After much lobbying, federal government increases interest-free portion of program to $250,000

The interest-free portion of the federal Advance Payments Program will be $250,000 this year, much to farmers’ relief. The amount had been set to drop back to $100,000 at the end of this month after sitting at $350,000 for 2023.