Washington/Toronto | Reuters — Contentious U.S.-Canada trade talks ended on Friday with no deal to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement after the mood soured, and President Donald Trump notified Congress of his intent to sign a bilateral trade pact with Mexico. U.S. and Canadian trade officials set plans to resume their talks on […] Read more
U.S. to move ahead with Mexico pact, keep talking to Canada
U.S., Mexico reach NAFTA deal, turning up pressure on Canada
Washington | Reuters — The U.S. and Mexico agreed on Monday to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), putting pressure on Canada to agree to new terms on auto trade and dispute settlement rules to remain part of the three-nation pact. Auto stocks soared and financial markets firmed on the expectation that Canada […] Read more
Hot, dry weather sees crop conditions continue to decline
Alberta crop conditions as of August 21, 2018
Reading Time: < 1 minute Provincially, crop conditions continue to gradually decline and are more than 8 points below the 5 year average of 65.4 per cent. As expected, the South region saw little reprieve from the endured drought and the crop conditions suffered with only 39.6 per cent rated as good or excellent. In contrast, the conditions experienced in […] Read more
Corona owner pours more funds into weed producer
Reuters — Corona beer maker Constellation Brands will invest a further $5 billion in Canada’s top cannabis producer Canopy Growth, doubling down on one of a growing number of bets by the alcohol industry in legal pot. Constellation was among the first major alcohol producers to invest in marijuana production when it pumped about $245 […] Read more
Hemp growers eye new markets for 2018
CNS Canada — Hemp producers across Western Canada will potentially gain access to lucrative new markets thanks to changes for this year’s harvest. For the first time, hemp growers are allowed to harvest their plants’ buds, leaves and flowers, after receiving an exemption from Health Canada. The market opportunities will be significant, said Ted Haney, […] Read more
Saskatchewan highways minister moves to ag file
Saskatchewan’s highways and infrastructure minister is going off-road in his next cabinet assignment as minister of agriculture. David Marit, the MLA for the southwestern riding of Wood River since 2016, was named Wednesday by Premier Scott Moe to pick up the ag portfolio from Lyle Stewart. Stewart, the MLA for the south-central riding of Lumsden-Morse, […] Read more
Ontario delays start date of retail cannabis sales
Toronto | Reuters — Ontario’s newly elected Tory government said Monday it will delay the start date of recreational marijuana sales in the province and will allow private retailers to sell cannabis rather than government-run stores. Ontario will allow private retailers to sell recreational marijuana starting on April 1, officials from the province’s Progressive Conservative […] Read more
Hot weather stressing crops, harvests seeing lower yields
Alberta crop conditions as of August 7, 2018
Reading Time: 2 minutes Since mid-July, variable precipitation has occurred across the province, with enough rain in some areas, while others are under dry conditions, especially in the southern part of the province. Hot temperatures added to the stress on crops and forages in dry areas, causing heat stress and pushing maturity quickly, resulting in lower than normal yields. […] Read more
G20 ag ministers slam protectionism, pledge WTO reforms
Buenos Aires | Reuters — Agriculture ministers from the G20 countries criticized protectionism in a joint statement on Saturday, and vowed to reform World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, but did not detail what steps they would take to improve the food trade system. In the statement, they said they were “concerned about the increasing use […] Read more
NAFTA teams ready to ‘start solving’ stalled issues, Mexico says
Washington | Reuters — Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo said on Friday that the negotiating teams for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) are ready to kick off talks again after they stalled last month. NAFTA talks between the U.S., Mexico and Canada had stalled since June when the U.S. imposed tariffs on Mexican […] Read more