Reading Time: 2 minutes Manitoba’s incumbent agriculture minister and lead opposition agriculture critic are headed back to the legislature — but under a new seating plan. Opposition leader Wab Kinew’s New Democrats are expected to form a majority government coming out of Tuesday’s provincial election, unseating incumbent premier Heather Stefanson’s Progressive Conservatives. Just after 1 a.m. Wednesday, NDP candidates […] Read more
Manitoba legislature’s agriculture leaders to return under new management
NDP scores majority over incumbent Tories
Prairie Forecast Update: Wet weather for southern Manitoba, southeastern Saskatchewan
Update issued Oct. 2, covering Oct. 2-4
Reading Time: 2 minutes The strong area of low pressure that the weather models have been forecasting to impact the eastern half of the Prairies on Tuesday and Wednesday is starting to take shape. The latest model runs show the low pushing northward into western Manitoba early on Tuesday morning and then moving off toward northwestern Ontario by late […] Read more
Editor’s Note: A journey for us all
Reading Time: 2 minutes As you visit the new Country Guide homepage, we hope you’ll get a taste of the changes we will be bringing to Canada’s national farm management magazine in coming months. These will be our most significant changes in 15 years, the year we adopted “Strategic. Business. Thinking.” as our tagline. We now think of that […] Read more
Prairie Forecast: Summer tries to hang on
Issued Sept. 27, covering Sept. 27 to Oct. 4
Reading Time: 3 minutes For being this far into fall, the weather models have been surprisingly accurate. Heck, I didn’t even need to send an update for the last issue! Not sure if I can be as optimistic for this forecast period, as we are moving deeper into fall and starting to see the first hints of winter trying […] Read more
Prairie Forecast: Warm fall weather to continue
Issued Sept. 20, covering Sept. 20-27
Reading Time: 3 minutes Even with some uncertainty in the last forecast, the weather models did a surprisingly good job. At one point it looked like I was going to have to send out an update as the models started trending toward a cooler pattern, but they quickly reversed back to a warm pattern. This brought the expected heat […] Read more
Will oil hit US$100? It already did in some markets
Saudi Arabia, Russia 'in solid control'
Reading Time: < 1 minute London | Reuters –– With oil investors and traders focused on an oil-price rally that has come close to US$100 a barrel, some grades of crude oil are already trading above that milestone, highlighting an expectation of tight supply. The outright price of Nigerian crude Qua Iboe surpassed $100 a barrel on Monday, according to […] Read more
Major grocery chains agree to help stabilize prices, feds say
Any moves must not undercut farmgate prices, government warns
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s five major grocery chains have agreed to help the government in its bid to stabilize soaring prices, a senior minister said on Monday, following talks to address an issue that is hurting the ruling Liberals. Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne made the announcement after two hours of what he said were […] Read more
Hurricane Lee churns toward New England, Eastern Canada
Nova Scotia may see storm surge up to three feet
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Hurricane Lee barreled across the North Atlantic toward New England and Eastern Canada on Friday, threatening to bring drenching rains, powerful winds and a life-threatening storm surge to the region over the weekend. Lee is expected to weaken into a strong tropical storm before making landfall in southwestern Nova Scotia as a strong […] Read more
Trudeau summons top grocers over rising food prices
Major grocers' level of profit 'does not make sense,' PM says
Reading Time: 3 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday said he had summoned the country’s top grocers to help find solution to the surging food prices and vowed to cut federal taxes on new rental buildings, as he fights an affordability crisis that has dented his party’s opinion poll ratings. After meeting with Liberal […] Read more
UN rapporteur calls Canada’s TFW system ‘breeding ground for modern slavery’
Tomoya Obokata says government needs to better protect worker rights and provide better residency path
Reading Time: 3 minutes A United Nations special rapporteur on modern slavery has called out Canada’s temporary foreign worker (TFW) programs, including those in the agriculture sector. Tomoya Obokata, who was appointed by the UN’s Human Rights Council, spoke in Ottawa Sept. 6 following a 14-day visit to Canada. He called the programs “a breeding ground for contemporary forms […] Read more