Beef cattle chew cud while on pasture near Cypress River, Man., June 11, 2025.

High cattle prices fail to budge cautious beef farmer spending

Canadian beef farmers in 2025 are getting paid plenty for their cattle, but the memory of bad markets and little profit is hard to shake when it comes to big spending decisions

Canadian beef farmers in 2025 are getting paid plenty for their cattle, but the memory of bad markets and little profit is hard to shake when it comes to big investments or projects on their farms.



Aaron Stein Photo: Supplied

Stein appointed to manage AFA

Newly-hired executive director will lead formulation of strategic plan

The Alberta Federation of Agriculture has appointed Aaron Stein its new executive director. He'll be leading the formulation of a five year strategic plan for the group.

Opinion: What’s the future of farm groups?

What is the future of farm organizations? How can they continue to make an impact? What do they need to change? Those were the weighty topics the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario asked guest speaker Rene Van Acker to tackle during its annual meeting and leadership summit in late March. Van Acker is dean of

Montana farmer Michelle Erickson-Jones speaks in a TV spot for Farmers for Free Trade. (Video screengrab from FarmersForFreeTrade.com)

U.S. farm group targets Trump with free-trade ads

Washington | Reuters — A farm lobbying group is spending US$500,000 to air television ads on channels near U.S. President Donald Trump’s home in Florida to encourage free trade, with the group worried recent metal tariffs could result in retaliation against U.S. agricultural goods. Farmers for Free Trade, a bipartisan group, on Tuesday said it


John Barlow in July 2015. (JohnBarlowMP.ca)

Consultations close on tax planning proposals

Calls from farm groups and federal opposition politicians for further consultations on a proposed overhaul of the private corporation tax system have been shut down in the House of Commons. A motion Tuesday from Ontario Tory MP Pierre Poilievre, vice-chair of the Commons finance committee, calling for consultations to continue beyond their Monday deadline through

Pork producers urged to be open about what happens in their barns

Pro-industry advocacy group says consumers have ‘woken up’ and are concerned 
about modern livestock practices, but willing to listen to farmers’ side of the story

Farmers may have a lot of good science in their corner, but facts alone won’t restore public trust in the food system, according to the head of an industry advocacy group. “People are asking ethical questions and we’re giving them science-based answers, because we’re not comfortable talking about the ethics,” said Terry Fleck, executive director



Grain payment security options back in play

With Ottawa planning to switch from bonding to insurance it’s time to dust off the Scott Wolfe Management report


The federal government’s plans to revamp the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) include replacing the current bonding system with an insurance scheme to protect farmers when grain companies default on payments. CGC spokesman Remi Gosselin says an insurance program will be cheaper for the grain industry and provide better protection for farmers. More than three years

Grains Act amendments get good grade but could be higher

Proposed changes to the Canadian Grain Commission grade well with national farm groups, but they say the results could be even better. The commission’s operating costs “must be driven down through a more comprehensive streamlining of operations than the current amendments facilitate,” said Gordon Bacon, CEO of Pulse Canada and spokesman for the Canadian Special