Challenges that will shape the next farm bill — and how the U.S. eats

Changes to U.S. menus will invariably impact Canadian agriculture

Congress is again writing a multi-year farm bill that will shape what kind of food farmers grow, how they raise it and how it gets to consumers. It’s projected to cost taxpayers US$1.5 trillion over 10 years. Legislators’ response will show whether Congress supports business as usual in agriculture or a more diverse and sustainable

(RyanJLane/E+/Getty Images)

Canada concerned as COOL talk builds on Capitol Hill

The U.S. seeks ways to resurrect country-of-origin labelling without sparking another WTO complaint from Canada

Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. don’t agree on much, but in trade protectionism, there’s common cause. That’s why increasing bipartisan talk on Capitol Hill to resurrect COOL (country-of-origin labelling) for U.S.-sold beef, has Canada’s meat sector on guard. COOL is back in the headlines, seven years after a lengthy World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute


File photo of a Prince Edward Island potato field. (Onepony/iStock/Getty Images)

P.E.I. potato exports cleared for Puerto Rico

U.S. territory has no commercial potato production

A U.S. territory with an appetite for Canadian potatoes and no commercial potato production to speak of will be able to resume imports of table stock potatoes from Prince Edward Island starting Wednesday. The resumption of exports to Puerto Rico, announced Tuesday, is a spot of good news for the province’s potato sector. Export certificates

Conservative agriculture critic John Barlow speaks Nov. 24, 2021 in the House of Commons. (Screengrab from supplied video)

End date sought for P.E.I. potato export ban

A ban from Washington would be harder to reverse, Liberals say

The federal Conservatives want to see a clearly defined end zone for the Canadian government’s suspension of Prince Edward Island potato exports to the U.S. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Monday announced the suspension of certification for P.E.I. potato exports to the U.S., — a move which, according to federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau,

U.S. mulls waivers for pork plants forced to slow down

U.S. mulls waivers for pork plants forced to slow down

Move could undermine worker safety, many fret

Reuters – The U.S. Department of Agriculture is working on a proposal for a waiver system for hog plants forced by a Federal Court to slow processing lines, Secretary Tom Vilsack said recently. Waivers to allow plants to speed up processing lines again could renew concerns about worker safety but boost profits for pork companies


United States Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack.

Looks like U.S., Canada have more policies in common

The new administration supports trade, science- based decisions and GHG cuts, says Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack

The new United States administration supports free trade, science-based decision-making and climate change mitigation. And it’s seeking like-minded allies for all three. “From a USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) perspective what we are interested in is building alliances of like-minded nations on agriculture, on the role of innovation in agriculture, and on the steps that agriculture needs to take in connection with climate… ”

COOL refers to laws requiring retailers to identify the country of origin for specific commodities.

COOL call alarms Canada

New USDA head ‘happy’ to work on WTO-compliant country-of-origin labelling laws

The likely U.S. secretary of agriculture says he’ll be “happy” to again advance country-of-origin labelling (COOL) policies. Tom Vilsack, during his Feb. 2 confirmation hearing of the Senate Agricultural Committee, confirmed he is open to reintroducing COOL laws – if they comply with World Trade Organization (WTO) standards. COOL refers to laws requiring retailers to

Tom Vilsack speaks to farmers at a rural agricultural co-operative at Guira de Melena in Cuba on Nov. 13, 2015. (Photo: Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini)

Vilsack expected to return as USDA secretary

Washington/Chicago | Reuters — U.S. President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack for agriculture secretary, Axios reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The Biden transition office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report. Vilsack, who led the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under


Editorial: Biofuels fight

[Updated March 2, 2017]: What would a world with another five billion bushels of corn on the market look like? I am willing to bet that the grain growers among our readership just felt a small blood pressure spike at the very thought, anticipating dramatically lower crop prices. That figure represents the portion of the

Broiler chicken

USDA faces backlash over proposed rules

Chicken processors are crying foul over moves aimed to protect producers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed rules Dec. 14 it said will help protect chicken producers from mistreatment by the small group of meat companies that control most of the country’s production. With only a few weeks left to the Obama administration, the agency clarified that individual farmers who feel they have been treated unfairly do