General

Reading Time: 2 minutes The environmental portion of the federal/provincial Growing Forward farm funding policy framework has been finalized to include a $200 million, five-year federal pledge for on-farm technical help and information-sharing. “Funding will support initiatives to help farmers transfer research and knowledge into practice and to use science to improve their outcomes,” the government said in a […] Read more

Reading Time: < 1 minute Canada has pledged to more than double its investments in food security in developing countries, increasing its funding by $600 million over three years. Prime Minister Stephen Harper committed the added cash, bringing total food security program funding to $1.18 billion over three years, in an announcement Thursday during the G8 summit in L’Aquila, Italy. […] Read more

Reading Time: < 1 minute Canada’s largest rural broadband provider has signed a deal with Google Canada to provide a new e-mail platform for Xplornet customers across the country. Barrett Xplore, the Woodstock, N.B. owner of Xplornet Internet Services, will see its new platform powered by Google’s Gmail, giving its customers “enhanced e-mail features and functionality” including up to 7.3 […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada and the other major industrialized democracies in the G8 plan a US$12 billion, three-year commitment to invest in agriculture in developing countries, according to the Financial Times. The G8 will kick off its annual summit on Wednesday in L’Aquila, Italy, running until Friday. According to the summit’s official website, “all of the leaders attending […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes Agricultural exports from Canada to four European countries can expect to travel lighter, carrying a net tariff reduction of up to $5 million per year, under a new free trade deal which took effect Wednesday. Canadian exporters and producers are expected to “immediately benefit” from duty-free access to the markets in the European Free Trade […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada’s top 200 restaurant chains boosted their sales by three per cent in 2008 while cutting the number of stores by 0.7 per cent, a new study reports. Technomic, a Chicago-based food industry research and consulting firm, last week released its 2008 Top 200 Canadian Chains Restaurant Report, following the 200 chains which together command […] Read more

Reading Time: < 1 minute Canada’s producers of pulse crops, livestock feed and frozen french fries may see an end soon to tariffs between 10 and 30 per cent on exports to Jordan, once a free trade agreement (FTA) with that kingdom gets final government approval. International Trade Minister Stockwell Day on Sunday announced the official signing of the legal […] Read more

Reading Time: < 1 minute The federal government has released the final version of the “Biologique Canada Organic” logo for use starting next week on certified organic food sold in Canada. “This organic logo allows consumers to make informed, confident choices,” Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said in a release Wednesday. “At the same time, the new regulations will allow Canadian […] Read more

Reading Time: < 1 minute The federal government’s bill to broaden access to farm improvement loans has received royal assent, putting up an additional $1 billion in Crown-backed credit for use by new farmers, young farmers and farmer co-operatives. The Canadian Agricultural Loans Act (CALA), formerly the Farm Improvement and Marketing Co-operatives Loans Act, is now “greatly expanded” to allow […] Read more