Saskatchewan farmers and ranchers have $700,000 flowing their way from the Water Security Agency (WSA), in an effort to improve responsible agricultural management projects such as watersheds. The pilot program is being labeled as the Agricultural Water Management Fund. “Effective water management may be one of the most important factors driving Saskatchewan’s growth in the […] Read more

Sask farmers, ranchers get cash for water management

Industry-led code of conduct for food retailers on horizon
Fees create 'uncertainty' for producers, processors
A report from a federal-provincial working group says the retail sector has levied an increasing number of fees on suppliers, and is proposing the formation of a code of conduct as a potential solution. Canada’s agriculture ministers are now calling on industry to lead the process. They had formed the working group to study the […] Read more

Tensions build over Argentina’s beef export ban
Rural associations pledge pause in livestock trading
Buenos Aires | Reuters — Argentine farm groups will halt trading of livestock in protest against a 30-day government ban on beef exports aimed at bringing down domestic prices, the country’s main producer groups said in a joint statement Tuesday. The South American country’s centre-left Peronist government unveiled the ’emergency measure’ to tamp down high […] Read more

As ‘Cannabis 2.0’ kicks off, industry strangled by limited retail outlets
Reuters — A year after Canada legalized use of recreational marijuana, cannabis stocks have lost half their market value, and investors betting that the launch of higher-margin pot-infused drinks and other products will quickly lift shares may be in for a bumpy ride. So-called cannabis 2.0 — legalization of marijuana derivatives including edibles, beverages, extracts […] Read more

Ag minister announces launch of Canadian food policy
Canada has its first food policy, an initiative to increase access to safe, nutritious and culturally diverse food, and to cut food waste. Marie-Claude Bibeau, minister of agriculture and agri-food and parliamentary secretary, Jean-Claude Poissant made the announcement Monday in Montreal. “The Food Policy for Canada is our road map for a healthier and more […] Read more

U.S. biodiesel lobby drops effort to adjust tax credit
Chicago | Reuters — The biggest U.S. biodiesel lobbying group has dropped its nine-year push to convert a US$1-per-gallon tax credit available to blenders of the biofuel into one for producers, the vice-president of federal affairs said on Friday. The tax credit benefits companies that blend biodiesel into fuel sold at U.S. gas stations. It […] Read more