climate change Archives - Country Guide

Intelligent, interconnected digital technologies will be the key value features of the next generation of farm equipment.

Machines vs. climate

Shrewd machinery purchases have always been essential on the farm, but not like this. Emerging technologies mean huge potential payoffs for getting it right, and even bigger penalties if you don’t. Think precision farming. Think surviving climate change

By Scott Garvey September 30, 2021

Reading Time: 8 minutes In the last two or three decades, farmers have been offered a dizzying array of new features on ag equipment. There’s more power, more capacity, auto guidance, the list goes on. Yet now, looking to the future, it will be even more crucial to make the best possible purchase decisions and to integrate your technology […] Read more

EU flags in front of the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels. (Jorisvo/iStock/Getty Images)

General, Markets, Reuters, Weather

EU parliament committee approves farm subsidy reforms

By Kate Abnett September 10, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes Brussels | Reuters — The European Parliament’s agriculture committee on Thursday approved a deal to overhaul the European Union’s huge farming subsidies, including new measures aimed at making agriculture greener. The committee approved three pieces of legislation, which from 2023 will govern spending from the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) — a scheme that will […] Read more

Scientists emphasize that the effects of climate change are already here. Photo: Getty Images

Reuters

Once-in-50-year heat waves now happening every decade: U.N. climate report

By Jake Spring August 9, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes Reuters – Extreme heat waves that previously only struck once every 50 years are now expected to happen once per decade because of global warming, while downpours and droughts have also become more frequent, a U.N. climate science report said on Monday. The report www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1 found that we are already experiencing those effects of climate […] Read more

General, Machinery, Weather

Federal budget plays to mixed reviews from ag groups

Funding for green initiatives, carbon pricing rebate plan hailed

By D.C. Fraser April 24, 2021

Reading Time: 5 minutes The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) says it is “pleased” the 2021 federal budget included some of the recommendations it had made. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s first budget, released April 19, included significant spending to help producers transition to a greener economy and cited agriculture as a foundational pillar of Canada’s future. “CFA will be […] Read more

General, Machinery, Reuters, Weather

Top court upholds federal carbon pricing policy

Farm groups, fearing unsustainable costs, press for next steps

By Nia Williams, Steve Scherer March 26, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes Calgary/Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s Supreme Court ruled in favour of the federal government’s carbon pricing policy on Thursday, upholding a central pillar of Prime Minister Justin’s Trudeau’s climate plan and infuriating some provinces that opposed it. The country’s top court said climate change is a threat to Canada as a whole and upheld the […] Read more

Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, with Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna (l) and Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault (r), speaks at the Dominion Arboretum in Ottawa on Dec. 11, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Blair Gable)

General, Machinery, Weather

No credit expected for farmers’ past work in new carbon market

Work on protocols for specific projects to begin this spring, department says

By D.C. Fraser March 6, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes Draft regulations for Canada’s new carbon market show Canadian farmers won’t receive credit for removing any greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from the atmosphere prior to 2017. Federal Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson on Friday announced the offset market, to be known as the Federal Greenhouse Gas Offset System. A 60-day public consultation period on draft regulations […] 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

Tom Vilsack speaks to farmers at a rural agricultural co-operative at Guira de Melena in Cuba on Nov. 13, 2015. (Photo: Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini)

General, Markets, Reuters

U.S. Senate confirms Vilsack as Biden’s ag secretary

Pandemic leaves USDA 'a lot of work to do'

By Tom Polansek February 24, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed Tom Vilsack to head the Department of Agriculture, returning the former Iowa governor to the job he held under ex-President Barack Obama. The 100-member Senate approved Vilsack 92-7. He needed a simple majority in the Democratic-controlled chamber to be confirmed. As secretary of the sprawling department, Vilsack […] Read more

General, Markets, Weather

Budget could include new BRM program, ag labour plan

Proposal for 'AgriResilience' program goes to Freeland

By D.C. Fraser February 20, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes A new pre-budget report from the House of Commons’ finance committee is recommending several measures directly related to agriculture — including sought-after tweaks to AgriStability and creation of an entirely new business risk management program. The multipartisan committee heard testimony and received submissions from more than 800 groups and individuals. Mostly-virtual meetings took place in […] Read more

Crops, Reuters

USDA can steer farm aid money to fight climate change, Vilsack says

By Karl Plume February 3, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — The White House wants to tap a pool of funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Credit Corp. (CCC) to support on-farm efforts to fight climate change, Tom Vilsack, President Joe Biden’s nominee to run the USDA, said Tuesday. The Depression-era program of up to $30 billion in annual funding was tapped […] Read more

Iqaluit confirms ‘exceedingly high levels’ of fuel in water supply

Olymel CEO dies of ‘sudden’ cancer

Prairie cash wheat: CWRS bids up with U.S. futures

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