Reading Time: 3 minutes New federal agriculture minister Heath MacDonald hopes to engage farmers across Canada on the issues that matter most.

New agriculture minister hopes to engage farmers
Heath MacDonald says interprovincial trade and Pest Management Regulatory Agency reform are among his priorities

Report aims to show animal agriculture’s interconnections
CAPI hopes to broaden policymakers' perspective
Reading Time: 3 minutes A new report for the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute seeks to educate policymakers about the impact of animal agriculture on economic, social and environmental levels. The report, titled Forces Impacting Animal Agriculture In Canada: A Synthesis, delves into the issues surrounding cattle, dairy and poultry production in the country and how it is interconnected within […] Read more

Think outside the agriculture box for labour, ag and tech leaders say
Agriculture in the Classroom is reaching non-farming students with inspiration for ag jobs, panelists say
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ag and tech leaders encouraged employers to think outside the agricultural box when looking to hire workers in order to expand the labour pool. “I’m one of the lucky ones,” said Brenna Mahoney, general manager of Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP). Mahoney entered the industry with no agriculture experience. She had training in human resources and […] Read more

Manitoba legislature’s agriculture leaders to return under new management
NDP scores majority over incumbent Tories
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

OAC to offer new master’s program in plant agriculture
New program would run alongside research-based degrees
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ontario Agricultural College is seeking approvals to offer a new master’s degree in plant agriculture, which would designate plant science professionals operating at a grad-school level but not on the traditional research-based path. OAC said Wednesday its proposed new “master of plant agriculture” (MPAg) program would allow recent graduates and professionals to “quickly upgrade education […] Read more

Saskatchewan ag minister to oversee water agency
Marit gets additional duties in cabinet shuffle
Reading Time: < 1 minute Saskatchewan’s minister of agriculture will take on added responsibility for the provincial Water Security Agency following a cabinet mini-shuffle. Premier Scott Moe on Tuesday named David Marit, MLA for the southwestern riding of Wood River since 2016 an minister for agriculture and Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. since 2018, as minister responsible for the WSA. In […] Read more

P.E.I. names new deputy ag minister
Gordon MacFadyen replaces Brian Matheson
Reading Time: 2 minutes Prince Edward Island’s Premier Dennis King has named a new top bureaucrat for the province’s agriculture ministry and others, to manage a fresh round of post-election ministerial mandate letters. Gordon MacFadyen, most recently executive director of fiscal management and assistant secretary to Treasury Board with the provincial finance department, was announced Aug. 8 as deputy […] Read more

At Ag in Motion: 4-H’ers get bigger-picture view of ag industry
Saskatchewan teens have fun at leading ag show
Reading Time: 3 minutes Whether they were there to learn about leadership, careers in agriculture or just hang out with friends, some happy young people from Saskatchewan 4-H came out in force to Ag in Motion on Wednesday. Shelby Longworth, the provincial programs manager for 4-H Saskatchewan, said the group of older teens wanted to attend for a diverse […] Read more

Activists target Ontario hog farm with ransomware
'We are dealing with adversaries whose motivation is not money'
Reading Time: 3 minutes A ransomware on a small Ontario hog business is something a cybersecurity expert says needs more attention from the agriculture industry. Instead of cash, the attackers demanded the hog business owners publicly admit to what they alleged to be livestock mistreatment. The occurrence was unique and alarming, says Ali Dehghantanha, Canada research chair in cybersecurity […] Read more

Alberta ag minister, ag critic hang onto seats in election
Governing UCP retains smaller majority
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta’s incumbent agriculture minister and official opposition ag critic both appear set to return to the legislature as Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservatives (UCP) are expected to form a majority government. At about 1 a.m. Alberta time on Tuesday, Smith’s UCP was elected or leading in 49 of 87 constituencies; all remaining 38 went to […] Read more