Harvesting of soybean field with combine

BRMs important to achieve $75-billion export target

The Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute issued a paper on what it heard from the industry on the Barton Report

It’s going to be a balancing act between the protection of agriculture safety net programs and the need for innovation as farmers pitch in to meet the goal of growing Canada’s food and agriculture exports. The federal government flagged agriculture as a growth area in the 2017 budget, calling for exporters to grow to $75

Yes, we can

Yes, we can

New report from the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute calls for ‘quality growth’ strategy as Canada eyes roughly doubling export share by 2027

A new report released by a Canadian think-tank urges the agricultural sector to set its sights on ‘quality growth’ as it aims to increase agri-exports over the next decade. The Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute’s report, Barton Forward: Optimizing Growth in the Canadian agri-food sector comes as the sector now eyes boosting agri-food exports to $75


People will soon have to decide which direction they want to take their farms, says one agricultural industry leader.

The missing middle

Small farms will focus on domestic markets while the bigger ones will be eyeing foreign sales and mid-size ones will disappear

It’s a tale of two kinds of farms in Canada, without much in between. The well-established trend to fewer farms will continue in the coming years as smaller operations focus on supplying local markets and the larger ones concentrate on export sales, says Ron Bonnett, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. Small farms will

Editorial: But what about the farmers?

The statistic does give you a bit of a jolt: In 2015 tiny Netherlands was No. 3 in world agri-food exports, with Canada way behind in No. 12 spot. That statistic is highlighted in the second report by the Advisory Council on Economic Growth, which was established by Minister of Finance Bill Morneau and led


Food industry wants input on manufacturing study

Food processing is a big export sector

Food processor associations — and likely other agri-food industry groups — will respond to a call for ideas on the future of Canada’s manufacturing sector. The Commons industry committee has requested written submissions on ways to boost Canada’s small, medium and large manufacturing companies. The committee opened its examination of the topic in June, with

Hand going through the field

Developing a Canadian food advantage

Farmers and the industry need to actually demonstrate that their products are produced sustainably

What would you guess is the single most important ingredient in modern food production? Good seeds? Rainfall? Fertilizer? The surprising answer is that around the world, the scarcest and most precious resource for producing food is trust. Luckily, Canada has natural advantages that could allow the people of the world to view us as their


VIDEO: Agri-food brain trust gathers in Ottawa to ask tough questions

VIDEO: Agri-food brain trust gathers in Ottawa to ask tough questions

Manitoba Co-operator reporter Shannon VanRaes travelled to Ottawa for the 2015 Forum on Canada’s Agri-food Future. The event — hosted by The Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute — asked a provocative question: can and should Canada become the world’s most trusted food system? Industry stakeholders, policy makers and producers provided their answers as Canada’s role in the work

Editorial: Trust us. Why?

Editorial: Trust us. Why?

It was no small feat achieving the kind of Trans-Pacific Partnership deal that offers export agricultural commodity groups the kind of market access they were seeking with modest, but significant, concessions on supply management. If the early reports are to be believed (details were announced just before press time), Canada’s trade negotiators deserve kudos for


omelette

Editorial: Have an omelette — cooked in butter

Many farmers bristle at the name Michael Pollan, the author of Omnivore’s Dilemma, and Cooked, two books which are not friendly to what he would call “big agriculture.” But leaving disagreements on issues such as organic food and GMOs aside, farmers might have to give Pollan credit for his dictum on eating properly: “Eat food.

vegetable garden

The ingredients for a successful food business

A new CAPI report looked at case studies of 13 successful food companies

Strong leadership, unique products and good international partners are the winning ingredients in a successful food business venture, concludes a report by the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute. Based on detailed studies of 13 successful food companies, CAPI says producing strong consumer demand through quality products enhances a business’s prospects. The report is the latest in