Reading Time: 3 minutes Forget waterhemp. Cannabis might be Canada’s fastest spreading weed. Since being legalized in October 2018, cannabis production exploded across the country. From oils and edibles to dried flowers and other products, consumer demand continues to rise. But regulations, production woes and massive overcapacity have dragged the industry into a period of consolidation. The overall market […] Read more
The cannabis market is huge, but so are the losses
The sector wants lower taxes and less regulation, but over-expansion has crippled many companies
Regulations, versatility pull hemp in different directions in West
Crop 'still struggling with reaching its full potential'
MarketsFarm — Accounting for 60 per cent of Canada’s 1,100 cultivation licenses as of 2020, according to Health Canada, Western Canada is the country’s most important region when it comes to hemp production. But while there are more products on store shelves, more cultivars than ever before and high prices for the crop, demand for […] Read more
Over half Canada’s farm revenue now goes to biggest farms, census finds
More women operators, more sustainable practices, more growing under glass
While it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the number of larger farms by sales in Canada is rising and the number of smaller farms is declining, Canada’s newest ag census also shows larger farm classes now capturing the majority of total ag revenue. Statistics Canada on Wednesday began releasing data from its 2021 Census of Agriculture, […] Read more
Pot producer Canopy Growth to cut 250 jobs in profitability bid
Reuters — Canopy Growth Corp. said it would lay off about 250 employees as part of a cost-cutting plan as the Canadian pot producer tries to achieve long-elusive profitability. Most Canadian marijuana companies have struggled to turn a profit despite more than three years of cannabis legalization due to fewer-than-expected retail stores, cheaper rates on […] Read more
Saskatchewan budget aims to spur ag investment
Potash, crude oil resource revenues help cut deficit
Sweetening existing tax credits on big-ticket investments, and setting up a new Crown corporation to support Indigenous investors, are among the items expected to help encourage new value-added ag projects in Saskatchewan’s latest budget. Provincial Finance Minister Donna Harpauer on Wednesday released her 2022-23 budget with $17.6 billion in expenditures on $17.2 billion in revenues, […] Read more
British Columbia braces for more heavy rain
Ottawa | Reuters — British Columbia is facing more heavy rains as the province tries to recover from massive floods and mudslides, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth told reporters on Tuesday. Farnworth said crews were working to shore up dikes and dams, adding some roads would be closed protectively. Flooding over Nov. 14-16 in Canada’s […] Read more
Pot company Hexo to shut production sites, cut jobs
Reuters — Pot producer Hexo Corp. said Tuesday it will close three production sites in Canada in early 2022, affecting 155 employees, as part of its integration plans following recent acquisitions. Gatineau, Que.-based Hexo said it will cease operations at its Kirkland Lake and Brantford facilities in Ontario at the end of January and at […] Read more
With new markets opening up, demand for new hemp varieties emerging
New uses mean a new spectrum of genetic traits for hemp breeders to tailor for
Reading Time: 5 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Canada has taken on a leading role in hemp production since the crop was legalized in 1998. Initially it was grain and products like hemp hearts and then nutraceuticals like cannabidiol. But now Canada is staking out a new leadership area in the hemp sector: genetics. It’s still comparatively early days for […] Read more
Canada to wind down broad-based COVID aid programs
Feds opt for targeted measures as economy recovers
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada will not extend existing broad-based COVID-19 support programs for companies and individuals when they expire on Saturday because the economy is recovering well, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Thursday. Instead, Ottawa will introduce more targeted and less costly measures for hard-hit sectors such as the tourism industry. The new […] Read more
Canopy eyes U.S. expansion via weed gummies maker
Ontario firm to pay US$297.5 million for Wana Brands
Reuters — Canada’s Canopy Growth Corp. said on Thursday it would buy weed gummies maker Wana Brands for US$297.5 million, as the world’s biggest pot producer looks to expand in the U.S. cannabis market. Demand for pot edibles such as gummies has risen during the pandemic, as people stuck at home turn to cannabis-related products […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
