News

No one likes a new tax, regardless of the purpose behind it. Building new schools, improving healthcare programs and fighting climate change are all valid pursuits, but the tactics are hotly debated and Canada’s new carbon tax is no exception.   The basics of the national carbon tax The national climate framework, defined about two … Continued

With as much as we hear these days about the importance of farm succession planning, you’d think that every Canadian farm would have a plan in place. The shocking truth is that the vast majority do not. According to the 2016 Statistics Canada Agriculture Census, only 8.4 percent of Canadian farms have a written succession … Continued

There are a lot of unknowns right now regarding the trade relationship between the United States (U.S.) and Canada.   As negotiations around the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) remain ongoing between the two countries, farmers across Canada are waiting to see how their livelihood might be affected by the final outcome.   What … Continued

There are a lot of factors influencing the global commodity markets these days. Between Trump politics, NAFTA negotiations, market access issues in India, uncertainties with Chinese trade tariffs and the usual concerns about weather, farmers might be feeling a little overwhelmed when considering their marketing plans this year. “The political environment today is as kooky … Continued

In 2017, something big happened in the area of mental health for Canadian farmers: people started talking about it. And one of the instigating factors behind it was that Kim Keller got pissed off. Keller, a farmer and advocate, had been trying to raise awareness on the topic of farmers’ mental health for many years. … Continued

For the past five years, we’ve been hearing about how shortcomings in the grain transportation system have restricted the movement of Western Canadian crops. Some good news on the topic came in late May with the passage of Bill C-49, federal legislation that seeks to amend the Canada Transportation Act (CTA) through several provisions aiming … Continued