Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — La Nina conditions were present in August, and have a 75 per cent chance of continuing through the Northern Hemisphere winter of 2020-21, a U.S. government weather forecaster said on Thursday. The La Nina pattern is characterized by unusually cold temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. A borderline moderate La Nina event is […] Read more
La Nina present, 75 per cent chance seen through 2020 winter
Conservatives look to southern Ontario for new ag critic
O'Toole promotes deputy critic Lianne Rood to first chair
Reading Time: 2 minutes The federal Conservatives’ new leader has gone to the other side of Toronto to find his new critic for agriculture and agri-food. Lianne Rood, the rookie MP for the riding of Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, was named Tuesday by fellow southern Ontario MP Erin O’Toole to replace southwestern Alberta MP John Barlow as the Conservatives’ shadow minister for […] Read more
Dreyfus reportedly in talks to sell stake to Abu Dhabi’s ADQ
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Commodity trader Louis Dreyfus Corp. is in talks to sell a stake to Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. For the privately held company, which has been facing a challenging business environment, bringing external investors would be a first in its 169-year […] Read more
Pandemic planning: Write it down, add it up
It's the big lesson of 2020. A business plan is practically guaranteed to up your game, make you more money, and keep you happier and healthier. So what are you doing this winter?
Reading Time: 6 minutes The number gap is stark. In fact, it’s hard to think where you’d find one that’s wider: 88 per cent of farmers who have a written business plan say their plan has so many benefits (both to the farm and to themselves as farmers) that it more than pays for itself. Yet only 21 per […] Read more
Pandemic planning: Groundwork
What will Canada's food system look like as we roll toward 2021? And how will you be able to build on those changes to make the family farm more resilient, more sustainable, and a better business?
Reading Time: 8 minutes Resilience has two halves. The part that automatically comes to mind is the way a truly resilient business can take a punch without shutting down. It can survive a bout of bad weather, bad markets, a black swan. But there’s something else too. It isn’t just that a resilient farm keeps breathing. It’s that a […] Read more
Editor’s Note: Where are the big ideas?
Reading Time: 2 minutes One of the reasons why agriculture has mainly adapted so quickly to COVID-19 is that farmers are used to dealing with black swans. But it isn’t the only reason. Don’t misunderstand me. I don’t want to underestimate the real pain that some sectors have faced. Whether that’s the logistical nightmare of beef processing or the […] Read more
Seed groups weigh options as CSGA rejects merger
Grower group's membership calls nay on Seeds Canada amalgamation
Reading Time: 2 minutes The boards of five national seed sector groups planning a major merger are considering their next move after a less-than-unanimous vote on the proposal. Members of the Canadian Plant Technology Agency (CPTA), Commercial Seed Analysts Association of Canada (CSAAC), Canadian Seed Growers’ Association (CSGA), Canadian Seed Institute (CSI) and Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA) had […] Read more
Alberta’s AFSC to refund hail premiums on drowned crops
Agency taking applications until Sept. 11
Reading Time: 2 minutes Grain growers in Alberta’s Peace, northeastern and northwestern farming regions whose waterlogged crops are deemed “non-viable” can now file for full refunds on AFSC hail insurance premiums. AFSC, the province’s Agriculture Financial Services Corporation, announced Wednesday it will accept such applications from eligible growers from now until Sept. 11. Applications will be available online through […] Read more
‘Lightning siege’ sparks wildfires across California wine country
Almost 11,000 strikes reported over 72 hours
Reading Time: 2 minutes Vacaville, California | Reuters — Lightning strikes sparked dozens of wildfires in northern California’s wine country on Wednesday, burning dozens of structures and forcing thousands to flee their homes. California was hit by nearly 11,000 lightning strikes in 72 hours, sparking 367 fires, nearly two dozen of them major, as the state suffered a record […] Read more
New finance minister Freeland no longer to spearhead U.S. relations
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — Chrystia Freeland will no longer be in charge of spearheading diplomatic relations with the United States now that she is Canada’s new finance minister, three government sources told Reuters Wednesday. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had made Freeland his main U.S. go-between when he named her deputy prime minister after last year’s […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
