Southwestern Alberta MP John Barlow, shown here at a parade in 2016, is again the federal Conservatives’ agriculture critic. (JohnBarlowMP.ca)

Conservatives’ Barlow to return as federal ag critic

NDP, Bloc incumbent critics to return

Reading Time: 3 minutes A former agriculture critic for the federal opposition Conservatives will again handle the file when the House of Commons resumes sitting in two weeks. Conservative leader Erin O’Toole on Tuesday named John Barlow, MP for the southwestern Alberta riding of Foothills, as shadow minister for agriculture, agri-food and food security. As ag critic, Barlow replaces […] Read more

The emotional and financial sides of farming are inseparable, Jared Gardner and Hilary Foote say. In fact, it can be a path to success.

Keep the money

Here’s a concept that’s making this Oregon farm community more profitable. Could it help you?

Reading Time: 10 minutes This is not a typical Country Guide story. It couldn’t be. Jared Gardner didn’t start out as a farmer. It’s just that every step of his life has moved him inexorably and sometimes surprisingly towards not only building up a livestock farm but also a regional food system that promises to put more money in […] Read more


Beef is on display at a Walmart in Beijing on Sept. 23, 2019. (File photo: Reuters/Tingshu Wang)

Beef cattle producers ‘encouraged’ by new CPTPP applicants

U.K., China, Taiwan seek memberships; no additional dairy, feather access on table

Reading Time: 3 minutes With their exports on an upswing, the organization for Canada’s beef cattle producers says it’s “encouraged to see other countries’ interest” in joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade bloc. The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association on Oct. 18 noted the official applications to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) from the United Kingdom, China and […] Read more

File photo of a container vessel being unloaded at a U.K. port. (Sterling750/iStock/Getty Images)

Britain, New Zealand strike free trade deal

Reading Time: 2 minutes London/Wellington | Reuters — Britain and New Zealand have reached agreement in principle on a free trade deal designed to reduce tariffs, improve services trade, and take London one step closer to membership in a broader trans-Pacific trade agreement. Prime ministers Boris Johnson and Jacinda Ardern sealed the deal in a Zoom call on Wednesday […] Read more


Sea surface temperature anomalies over the Pacific Ocean in degrees Celsius for the week centred on Oct. 13, 2021. (CPC.ncep.noaa.gov)

Another La Nina winter predicted

Polar vortex to chill Prairies, more snow further east, AccuWeather says

Reading Time: 2 minutes Data compiled by a U.S. federal weather forecasting agency show La Nina conditions have developed over the central Pacific Ocean and are likely to linger through February. And La Nina, in turn, is expected to produce hard cold snaps over the Prairies, above-normal precipitation over southern British Columbia and relatively mild temperatures with more snow […] Read more

Federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland appears at a news conference in Ottawa on Sept. 24, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Blair Gable)

Canada to wind down broad-based COVID aid programs

Feds opt for targeted measures as economy recovers

Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — Canada will not extend existing broad-based COVID-19 support programs for companies and individuals when they expire on Saturday because the economy is recovering well, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Thursday. Instead, Ottawa will introduce more targeted and less costly measures for hard-hit sectors such as the tourism industry. The new […] Read more


A view near the Canadian end of the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Windsor and Detroit and is considered one of North America’s busiest trade routes. (Steven_Kriemadis/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. to lift restrictions Nov. 8 for vaccinated foreign travelers

Reading Time: 4 minutes Washington | Reuters — The White House on Friday will lift COVID-19 travel restrictions for fully vaccinated international visitors starting Nov. 8, ending historic restrictions that had barred much of the world from entering the U.S. for as long as 21 months. The unprecedented travel restrictions kept millions of visitors out of the U.S. from […] Read more

(Andreus/iStock/Getty Images)

Hay-starved Prairies fertile ground for online scammers

At least $64,000 lost in Alberta alone, RCMP says

Reading Time: 2 minutes High demand, scarce supplies and rising prices for hay and other feeds due to this summer’s drought on the Prairies have made a market for online scammers, RCMP warn. The urgency driving such transactions may cause ranchers, farmers and farm workers to make purchases “without taking time to properly verify or research production sources,” Alberta […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Shortages leading to price increases

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Prices for feed grains are swinging higher because of shortages, according to Mike Fleischhauer of Eagle Commodities Ltd. in Lethbridge. “One thing we are sure of is we are running out of inventory, barley for sure, and we’re 11 months away from new crop,” he said. This year’s severe drought and excessive heat […] Read more

File photo of a Conagra production facility at Oakdale, Calif., about 150 km east of San Francisco, on Dec, 18, 2015. (Photo: Reuters/Fred Greaves)

Conagra flags price increases to cushion inflation impact

Prepared foods firm raises sales forecast

Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Conagra Brands said on Thursday it would increase prices again on its frozen meals and snacks to help cushion the blow of higher inflation, after the diversified food maker raised its annual sales forecast and topped quarterly results. Packaged food companies are grappling with inflation as the U.S. economy rebounds, while spending heavily […] Read more