Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer take part in a joint news conference on the closing of the seventh round of NAFTA talks in Mexico City. (Photo: Reuters/Edgard Garrido)

Canada reports progress on NAFTA, says ‘we’re not there yet’

Reading Time: 3 minutes Ottawa/Mexico City | Reuters — Mexico, Canada and the U.S. have made good progress in their bid to modernize the NAFTA trade pact but still have work to do, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said Wednesday. Freeland also said she would be flying to Washington for a meeting on Thursday with U.S. Trade Representative Robert […] Read more

John Morriss. (File photo by Dave Bedard)

Morriss, Pakosh, Streichs named to ag hall of fame

Reading Time: 2 minutes The Manitoba farmers who developed the rotary separator for combines, the co-founder of Versatile and the long-time editorial director for the website you’re reading are bound for Manitoba’s Agricultural Hall of Fame. The hall of fame on Monday unofficially announced its 2018 group of inductees, ahead of its annual meeting Wednesday in Portage la Prairie […] Read more


A crenellated walkway on top of the Great Wall of China. (Cia.gov)

China slaps tariffs on U.S. frozen pork, wine

Reading Time: 2 minutes Beijing | Reuters — China has slapped extra tariffs of up to 25 per cent on 128 U.S. products including frozen pork, as well as on wine and certain fruits and nuts, in response to U.S. duties on imports of aluminum and steel, China’s finance ministry said. The tariffs, to take effect on Monday, were […] Read more

(CBSA-asfc.gc.ca)

U.S. optimistic about quick NAFTA deal, Canada more downbeat

Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Wednesday expressed optimism that talks to modify NAFTA could be wrapped up quickly, but a top Canadian official was more downbeat, saying much work remained. The U.S. wants to speed up the slow pace of negotiations on the US$1.2 trillion North American Free Trade Agreement, […] Read more


(Lindsay Irrigation video screengrab via YouTube)

Ontario power utilities offer farm water pump rebate

Reading Time: 2 minutes Ontario farmers buying certain types of high-efficiency water pumping systems for irrigation, horticulture or stock watering could now be up for rebates. Hydro One and Niagara Peninsula Energy (NPEI) on Friday announced the AgriPump rebate program, which the two electricity utilities described as the first plan of its kind in the province. For farmer customers […] Read more

Andre Corbould (centre), shown here briefing then-Governor General Michaelle Jean (r) in Whistler, B.C. during the 2010 Olympics, is Alberta’s new deputy agriculture minister. (GG.ca)

Alberta names new deputy ag minister

Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta’s deputy provincial environment minister, a civil engineer and 28-year veteran of the Canadian Forces, has been named the province’s new top agriculture bureaucrat. Premier Rachel Notley on Tuesday put through an order in council appointing Andre Corbould as Alberta’s deputy minister of agriculture and forestry effective Wednesday, replacing Beverly Yee. Corbould, the province’s deputy […] Read more


(Valley Irrigation video screeengrab via YouTube)

‘Clean’ tech adoption up for federal funding

Reading Time: 2 minutes Provinces and territories can apply starting April 1 for chunks of a three-year, $25 million federal fund to support programs that encourage on-farm adoption of precision ag tools or use of renewables from ag waste. Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay on Monday launched the fund, to flow through what’s dubbed the Agricultural Clean Technology (ACT) […] Read more

(Toyota.ca)

Trudeau optimistic on NAFTA as deal on autos seen possible

Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday for the first time that a deal to renegotiate NAFTA was likely, amid signs negotiators may be closer to settling one of the regional trade pact’s most contentious issues. “We remain very confident that a win-win-win deal is not only possible, but likely,” Trudeau […] Read more


(NorthGrenville.ca)

Community to ‘transform’ Guelph’s Kemptville ag campus

Reading Time: 3 minutes The home municipality for Ontario Agricultural College’s (OAC) former Kemptville campus is set to remake the site as an “education and community hub.” The municipality of North Grenville, which includes Kemptville, about 40 km south of Ottawa, closed a deal in December to purchase the Kemptville ag campus, with the official transfer due to take […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Enjoy stable diesel market while you can, analyst says

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — The short-term outlook for the diesel market in North America calls for current prices to remain largely untouched through spring planting — but it could change drastically after that. According to Tom Kloza of the Oil Price Information Service in New Jersey, prices for diesel could even get higher than crude oil. […] Read more