Bibeau Archives | Country Guide

Ag ministers withdraw AgriStability reference margin limit

Program's compensation rate unchanged but 'remains on table'

By Dave Bedard March 25, 2021

Reading Time: 4 minutes In a move expected to provide $95 million in additional farm support per year, Canada’s ag ministers have agreed to remove the reference margin limit from the AgriStability farm income stabilization program. “That’s it! The ‘reference margin limit’ of the #AgriStability program is over! And it will be retroactive to 2020!” federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude […] Read more

File photo of a pea crop south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 1, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

General, Machinery, Weather

New federal program to help develop on-farm carbon sinks

Plan to build out AAFC's 'Living Labs' concept across country

By Dave Bedard March 19, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes The federal government plans to put up $185 million over the next 10 years for farmers to work with scientists and others on new ways to pull carbon out of the air. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson on Thursday announced the Agricultural Climate Solutions (ACS) program, which the government said is […] Read more

Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau speaks to media in Winnipeg on Feb. 13, 2020. (Dave Bedard photo)

General

Yes or no now on AgriStability changes, ag minister says

Farm and commodity groups line up to press provinces for decision

By Dave Bedard March 18, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes Ottawa’s proposals for changes to the AgriStability farm income stabilization program require a yes or no answer from participating provinces, not more discussion, the federal ag minister said Wednesday. “It has been just over 110 days since we made the offer to the provinces to improve AgriStability,” Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and Winnipeg MP Jim […] Read more

Winnipeg South Centre MP Jim Carr speaks to the Canadian Crops Virtual Convention on March 2, 2021. (CCVC video screengrab)

Crops, Machinery, Weather

Carbon tax rebate on grain drying fuels coming

Jim Carr reiterates Bibeau's pledge from last week

By Allan Dawson March 4, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes Farmers can expect a rebate on carbon taxes paid on fuels used to dry grain, Jim Carr, the federal cabinet’s special representative for the Prairies, told the Canadian Crops Virtual Convention on Tuesday. However, he didn’t provide any details. “There is promising news on this front,” Carr told the meeting, hosted by the Canola Council […] Read more

University of Guelph professor Evan Fraser, shown here in cartoon form discussing food security initiative “Feeding 9 Billion,” has been named co-chair of the new Canadian Food Policy Advisory Council. (Feeding9Billion.com video screengrab via YouTube)

General, Machinery, Markets

Advisory council named to steer national Food Policy

By D.C. Fraser February 20, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes Development of Canada’s Food Policy is taking a major step forward with the naming Friday of a new advisory council featuring industry, academic and government members tasked with guiding the policy. Public consultations on a “Food Policy for Canada” started in 2017, leading to the release of a 2018 report from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada […] Read more

Dairy Cattle, Livestock

Dairy farmers must register to get further trade compensation payouts

Expect letters soon explaining process, AgMin says

By Dave Bedard January 20, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes Dairy farmers wanting to get in on a three-year, $1.405 billion federal compensation program for market share lost to free trade deals must register for the program by March 31 in each of those years. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Tuesday laid out further specifics for the Dairy Direct Payment Program, which is set to […] Read more

General

Provinces’ feet held to fire on AgriStability

Ministers' meeting co-chairs push for progress to allow changes to be made retroactive for 2020

By Allan Dawson January 20, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes The co-chairs of Canada’s agriculture ministers’ meeting are pushing to get proposed improvements to AgriStability in place sooner than later. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and her Ontario counterpart, Ernie Hardeman, “urge all provincial and territorial ministers to support the proposed changes to the AgriStability program,” they said in a joint statement Tuesday. At a […] Read more

File photo of Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau speaking to media in Winnipeg in March 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Crops

Bibeau says government committed to federal plant breeding

Seed royalty consultations stalled

By Allan Dawson December 17, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes The Canadian government is committed to plant breeding, federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau told members of the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation on Tuesday. Some farmers and seed industry officials suspect Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) variety development work, along with many other programs, will be on the chopping block post-COVID-19 as the government tackles its […] Read more

Crops, Machinery

Bibeau promises help to farmers on rising carbon tax

Funds expected to help farmers cut emissions

By Allan Dawson December 17, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes A steadily rising carbon tax has a lot of Western Canada’s grain farmers wondering how they’ll compete in world markets against competitors not subjected to a similar tax. “I think the world market is also looking towards a greener economy and always more sustainable agriculture,” federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said when the question was […] Read more

Manitoba Agriculture Minister Blaine Pedersen speaks at Ag Days in Brandon on Jan. 21, 2020. (Manitoba Co-operator file photo by Alexis Stockford)

General, Markets, Weather

AgriStability proposal could have hidden cost, Pedersen warns

Manitoba's ag minister warns Bibeau's plan may hurt crop insurance, AgriInvest funding

By Allan Dawson December 2, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa’s proposal for an improved AgriStability program could give farmers short-term gain for long-term pain, Manitoba’s agriculture minister Blaine Pedersen warns. At the online federal-provincial-territorial agriculture ministers’ meeting on Friday, federal Agriculture Minister Marie Claude Bibeau proposed dropping AgriStability’s maximum reference margin, and increasing the compensation rate from 70 to 80 per cent retroactively this […] Read more

Bayer, Corteva in ‘two-dog battle’ over U.S. soy market

CBOT weekly outlook: Focus to shift after USDA’s largely stand-pat WASDE report

Prairies hit hard by drought

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