A still image taken from CCTV video shows Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg on Jan. 14 in court, where on retrial for drug smuggling he was sentenced to the death penalty in Dalian in China’s Liaoning province.

Political gamesmanship casts shadow over canola sector

China is still buying Canadian canola and the entire industry is hoping that doesn’t change

Reading Time: 3 minutes Concerns in the canola sector are mounting in lockstep with the growing tensions between China and Canada. “Everybody is very concerned about it,” a senior Canadian grain company official told Commodity News Service Canada. “If the conflict isn’t resolved, (canola) will be the obvious target, and that’s a deep concern to everybody.” The situation began […] Read more

Photo: File

Stalled farm bill could move fast after Democrat House win

Washington | Reuters – Congress may swiftly resolve a drawn-out impasse on the U.S. Farm Bill now that Democrats are poised to retake control of the legislative body, the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee said on Wednesday. Collin Peterson, ranking member and presumptive new chair of committee, said passing the crucial agricultural legislation was going […] Read more



Plebiscite on provincial beef checkoff being held

Vote is being held until Nov. 13

Reading Time: < 1 minute Producers are being urged “to get out and vote” in a plebiscite on whether to make the $2 provincial beef checkoff non-refundable. “This is your opportunity to have your voice heard,” said Norine Moore, chair of the Alberta Agricultural Products Marketing Council. Currently, producers can request a full or partial refund of the checkoff. The […] Read more


Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at a press conference June 9, 2018 at the G7 summit in Charlevoix, Que. (G7.gc.ca via Flickr)

Trudeau vows to impose carbon tax, opponents push back

Ottawa | Reuters – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday said he would fulfill a promise to impose a carbon tax on provinces unwilling to combat climate change, prompting instant protests from a voter-rich part of the country. Trudeau, whose ruling Liberals face an election in October 2019, told a news conference that all the money […] Read more

young farmer touching ripe golden wheat in field

Five Alberta Wheat positions open

Deadline for nominations is Oct. 31

Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Wheat is accepting nominations for one director and three regional reps in Region 3, as well as the director-at-large position, which represents all five of its regions. Elections for the Region 3 positions, if required, will take place at the Next Level Farming meeting at the Lacombe Memorial Centre on Nov. 13. Voting for […] Read more


Alberta Barley seeking nominations

Alberta Barley seeking nominations

Deadline is Oct. 31

Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Barley is seeking nominations for 25 positions — two directors in Regions 5 and 6; one director-at-large for Regions 1, 3, 5, and 6; and 22 delegate spots. Any farmers seeking a director or director-at-large position must submit paperwork via fax to Alberta Barley at 1-403-291-0190 or by email to [email protected] by Oct. 31. […] Read more

Allison and Mike Ammeter both serve on commission boards and both say they’ve seen the difference those organizations make.

Those who serve make a difference — for you and other farmers

Serving on a farm group’s board won’t earn you a medal, but the work benefits the ag sector

Reading Time: 3 minutes For Allison and Mike Ammeter, being a farmer goes far beyond actual farm work. “Farming is a whole lot more than putting seed in the ground and harvesting it,” said Allison Ammeter, who farms alongside her husband near Sylvan Lake. “A lot of it is looking at the really big picture — provincially, nationally, and […] Read more


Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard attends a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France March 5, 2018.  Photo: REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

Tariff relief for Canada’s farmers at issue in Quebec election

Montreal |Reuters – Quebec farmers want further relief from a global tariff dispute ahead of Oct. 1 elections in the mostly French-speaking Canadian province, which has seen a recent rise in nationalist sentiment. Quebec’s ruling Liberals, centrists but separate from the federal Liberal party, launched their campaign on Thursday. They trail in polls behind the center-right Coalition Avenir Quebec […] Read more

Access to the U.S. market is an integral part of Canada's beef exports.

Tread lightly with tariffs, says CCA

Reading Time: < 1 minute The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association says it backs Ottawa’s stance in standing up to “illegal U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum.” But the farm group says it continues to remind federal officials “that the Canadian beef sector is highly dependent on trade with the U.S.” The retaliatory Canadian tariffs include items such as beef jerky […] Read more