World food prices rebounded in March from a three-year low, boosted by increases in vegetable oils, meat and dairy products, according to the United Nations food agency's latest price index.
World food prices rebound from three-year low, says UN agency
Can high water use affect consumer food choices?
Not yet, but ag should be prepared if it someday does, says Alberta agricultural economist
Reading Time: 4 minutes The agriculture industry in Alberta uses a lot of water. According to provincial licence data interpreted by CBC, Albertans can expect 68 per cent of all water allocations in 2024 to be dedicated to agriculture; far ahead of industrial (22 per cent) and municipal (seven per cent) categories. For the time being, Alberta consumers seem […] Read more
Europe’s restless farmers are forcing policymakers to act
Polls suggest the general population is on farmers' side; farmers lynchpins of rural economies say leaders
European policymakers have scaled back rules to protect nature, drawn up limits on the import of tariff-free Ukrainian grains and scrapped new legislation limiting pesticide use as farmers' protests resonate with voters ahead of elections.
Australian canola a ‘thorn in our side’
The country has become a major competitive threat to Canada's canola sector, helping reduce exports to most markets
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Canada is facing stiff competition from Australia in many canola export markets. “They’re here to stay,” said Jarrett Beatty, an exporter with Parrish & Heimbecker, during the Canola Council of Canada’s Canola Utilization Forum earlier this year. “Unless they have an environmental issue, they’re going to continue to be a bit of […] Read more
National school food program announced
Federal government says program aims to start with 2024/25 school year
The federal government plans to spend over $1 billion over five years on a national school food program that will feed an additional 400,000 school-aged children a year.
EU envoys strike new deal on Ukraine food imports
Ambassadors from European Union countries reached a revised deal on Wednesday to extend tariff-free food imports from Ukraine - with restrictions - after some states complained the original agreement risked destabilizing the bloc's agricultural markets.
Local food system would reap big economic benefits researcher says
B.C. researchers found that the Okanagan could produce two thirds of its own food while maintaining exports
Assuming an average Canadian diet, the Okanagan can currently produce 88 per cent of its dairy needs, Mullinix and colleagues wrote in a report on the study. It can produce 60 per cent of its poultry needs, 34 per cent of its fruit needs (due to fruits eaten that can’t be grown in the region, or are eaten out of season), and small amounts of other food groups like grains, red meat, eggs and oils.
Agriculture workers not mentioned in TFW rule changes
Food processing sees foreign worker limit reduced by ten per cent; construction, healthcare exempted
The federal government announced Thursday that, effective May 1, some sectors would be allowed no more than 20 per cent of their workforces to be made up of temporary foreign workers (TWFs) brought in via the low wage stream—down from 30 per cent since 2022.
Polish farmers intensify protests against ‘executioner’ EU
Germany proposes income smoothing to reduce farmers' taxes in face of farmer anger
Polish farmers blocked roads with tractors and flares on Wednesday in escalating protests against EU environmental regulations and cheap food imports from neighbouring Ukraine which the bloc provisionally agreed to prolong.
Economic headwinds seen for Canadian farmers
From interest rates to the dollar to commodity prices, here’s what Farm Credit Canada sees coming
Reading Time: 3 minutes Farm Credit Canada predicts a bit of a rocky road ahead for Canadian farmers, with input prices high, commodity prices low and interest rates not expected to drop in the short term. “The sentiment of the industry is not the greatest right now,” said Desmond Sobool, FCC’s director of economics and deputy chief economist, speaking […] Read more
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