Cash advance deadline extended

Cattle and hog producers now have until Sept. 30, 2010 to repay cash advances they got from the federal Advance Payment Program (APP). The first $100,000 of each producer’s advance will continue to be interest free. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture had recently asked the government for such an extension as part of the CFA’s

Farmers urged to lobby for rail costing review

The millions of dollars the railways are reported to have overcharged western grain farmers underscores the need to review railway costs – and to update the formula used to determine how much the railways can earn hauling grain. So said Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) spokeswoman Maureen Fitzhenry in an interview last week: “We need to


Grain Growers of Canada enjoy lobbying success

“I personally cannot remember a time over the last decade that our issues have been the government’s issues.” – Ross Ravelli Grain Growers of Canada members revelled in their lobbying successes and plotted strategy for ongoing battles at their recent annual meeting here. “I personally cannot remember a time over the last decade that our

Throne speech light on details for farmers

“We will invest billions of dollars in renewable energy sources, including biofuels, wind, solar, geothermal and tidal power.” – Prime Minister Stephen Harper Agriculture got more mention than usual in the throne speech and the first remarks by Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the start of the new Parliament last week, but with scant few


Cancer, pesticides and posturing

If you went to Toronto expecting to get a clear, unequivocal answer on the issue of whether pesticides used in agricultural production can be linked to cancer, you might as well have saved yourself the disappointment and gone to the Royal Winter Fair instead. As tempting as that was, it was a worthwhile exercise sitting

Conservatives want to put Agri-Flex on table

“…we have to make sure whatever we agree to do is not countervailable.” – Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz wants to meet his provincial colleagues before the end of the year to sound them out on introducing the Agri-Flex proposal from the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. “We’d like to start the discussion


Stand up for farm organizations

There is little debate about the fact that farming is a unique and volatile industry which requires special attention from our governments. The question of who should be speaking on behalf of farmers is a far more contentious issue. Currently, general farm organizations like Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) speak on behalf of all of Manitoba’s

Ritz returns, Transport gets a new look

“Farming is the backbone of the Canadian economy and in times of global economic uncertainty this government is committed to continue putting farmers first.” Gerry Ritz is staying on as agriculture minister in Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s new cabinet. But there’s plenty of change in other key portfolios. As was generally expected, Jim Flaherty remains


Farm groups want a voice at pesticide meeting

“Farmers are a lot more conscious of the impact of pesticides and the need to apply them properly.” Some farm groups want to be sure delegates to a Canadian Cancer Society conference on agricultural pesticides get the farmers’ side of the story. “We want to ensure the voice of producers is heard on the need

CWB and Primo Foods launch national pasta promotion

“We want Canadian consumers to value this wheat as much as our export customers do.” – IAN WHITE, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE CANADIAN WHEAT BOARD Television commercials and other promotional messages will soon be telling Canadian consumers pasta is made from Prairiegrown durum wheat. They’re part of a national campaign launched last week between