Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Wheat Commission is concerned grain transportation in Canada is being put at risk with the failure to pass Bill C-49, The Transportation Modernization Act, prior to Christmas. The delay in Senate approval of the legislation until the New Year could mean serious repercussions for farmers since they ultimately bear the cost of delayed shipments, […] Read more
Transport act delay could be costly
Alberta Federation of Agriculture questions government move
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Alberta Federation of Agriculture wants to know why the province is dissolving the Agriculture Operation Practices Act Practice Review Committee. The move would eliminate “the pool of farmers and ranchers who can be designated to hold an inquiry should there be a nuisance complaint lodged against a farming operation,” said federation president Lynn Jacobson. […] Read more
Feds announce tax support for cattle producers
Measures will assist those hit by bovine TB outbreak and in areas affected by drought
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta and Saskatchewan cattle producers affected by bovine TB outbreak in 2016 and this year will receive additional tax relief. Farmers who received compensation under the Health of Animals Act from livestock destroyed due to the bovine tuberculosis outbreak in 2016 and 2017 in Alberta and Saskatchewan are eligible for livestock tax deferral provisions. These allow them to defer a […] Read more
Veterinarian school funding decision creates controversy
School’s dean says it makes sense to consolidate in Calgary but association says it’s capping training in the midst of a vet shortage
Reading Time: 3 minutes The dean of the province’s vet school is defending the NDP government’s decision to consolidate veterinarian education in Alberta — but the association representing the profession says it’s short sighted. The province announced last month it will be pulling its $8 million in funding from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon to expand […] Read more
U.S. senators seek ban on pesticide chlorpyrifos
New York / Reuters – A group of Democratic senators hopes to ban a pesticide the U.S. government has greenlighted for use, according to a bill unveiled on Tuesday in a challenge to Republican President Donald Trump’s push to loosen environmental regulations. The bill, introduced by Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico, would outlaw chlorpyrifos, […] Read more
Ottawa still considering eliminating deferred grain cash tickets
Alberta crop commissions say federal finance officials don’t understand the serious impact of eliminating the tax break
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa is extending the public consultations on the “potential elimination” of deferred grain cash tickets by two months. But Alberta farm leaders say federal finance officials have “little understanding” of the importance of the income tax break and “the far-reaching implications if farmers were to lose access to this tool.” “We believe that the government […] Read more
Farm workers can unionize — but don’t panic just yet
Ag minister says workers should have that right, but predicts ‘extremely low unionization rates’
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s business as usual on Kevin Serfas’s farm after the provincial NDP government tabled a bill that will give farm workers the right to unionize. “My initial response yesterday was shock and horror,” the Turin-area farmer said in an interview May 26. “But as I did a little more reading into it, I’m a bit […] Read more
Have your say on the next Growing Forward
Online survey runs until May 8
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta producers have a chance to offer their ideas on what should be in the successor to the current Growing Forward 2 agreement, which expires on March 31, 2018. The online survey includes discussion about key priorities, including markets and trade; science, research and innovation; risk management; environmental sustainability and climate change; value-added agriculture and […] Read more
Alberta Wheat fighting to keep tax deferral
Ottawa is missing the point when it says grain farmers shouldn’t get a special tax break, says Alberta Wheat chair Kevin Auch
Reading Time: 3 minutes A tax break for grain farmers that Ottawa is considering taking away is deserved and benefits the entire grain sector, says the chair of the Alberta Wheat Commission. “I guess we are asking for special tax treatment but it’s because of our special circumstances,” said Kevin Auch. Following its recent budget, the federal government said […] Read more
ALMA reaches the end of the road
The agency’s eight-year legacy was celebrated, and future plans outlined at its last FutureFare conference
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency held a final meeting cum celebration before its dissolution at the end of October. “It’s been a heck of a ride. This is emotional,” ALMA board chair Dave Chalack said to an audience of about 260 industry partners, board directors, and staff at the agency’s last FutureFare conference. The […] Read more
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