Reading Time: 2 minutes A radio news director from eastern Nova Scotia has been tapped as the provincial agriculture minister for incoming Premier Tim Houston’s Progressive Conservatives. Greg Morrow, the new MLA for Guysborough-Tracadie, was sworn in Tuesday along with the other members of Houston’s 19-member cabinet. Houston’s Tories ousted Iain Rankin’s Liberal government in the Aug. 17 provincial […] Read more
Rookie Nova Scotia MLA named agriculture minister
Greg Morrow sworn in Tuesday
Russia’s agriculture ministry pauses grain harvesting data
Reading Time: < 1 minute Moscow | Reuters — Russia’s agriculture ministry has paused its daily publication of grain harvesting data while it refines the reporting format used by the country’s growing regions, the ministry said Wednesday. Russia is the world’s largest wheat exporter, supplying it mainly to Africa and the Middle East. It competes with the European Union and […] Read more
Nova Scotia Tories’ ag critic returns as party wins election
PCs oust incumbent Liberals, form majority
Reading Time: 2 minutes The agriculture critic for Nova Scotia’s opposition Progressive Conservatives is set to return to the legislature, this time as part of a majority government, following Tuesday’s provincial election. As of about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, Tim Houston’s PCs were elected or leading in 31 of 55 ridings, followed by Iain Rankin’s incumbent Liberals with 17 and […] Read more
Tax deferrals, crop insurance changes en route against drought
Assessments underway for AgriRecovery, minister says
Reading Time: 5 minutes Updated — As the federal government looks to manage impacts of ongoing drought conditions in Canada’s West, producers in parts of five provinces can already expect to be eligible for the livestock tax deferral program. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced Thursday in Winnipeg that producers in drought-designated areas of southern Alberta, southeastern British Columbia, northwestern […] Read more
Farm transfer tax treatment bill now law, feds say
Government to add amendments against tax loopholes
Reading Time: 3 minutes Despite a previous statement from her ministry, Canada’s finance minister says a bill standardizing the tax treatment of farm transfers is now officially on the books. However, while Bill C-208 is now in federal tax law, further amendments are en route to plug legal loopholes the bill may have opened. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on […] Read more
Canada to admit vaccinated U.S. tourists
Border to open Aug. 9 after more than 16 months
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — Canada on Monday said it would allow fully vaccinated U.S. tourists into the country starting from Aug. 9 after the COVID-19 pandemic forced an unprecedented 16-month ban that many businesses complained was crippling them. Inoculated visitors from countries other than the United States will be permitted to enter beginning on Sept. […] Read more
Telus, Rabobank ag arms buy into farm data aggregator
Companies join in on deal for Minneapolis-based Conservis
Reading Time: 2 minutes The agriculture arms of one of Canada’s major telecoms providers and a major Dutch bank and financial services firm are taking a stake in a tech firm in the business of gathering on-farm data into a single window. Telus Agriculture and Rabo AgriFinance, which is headquartered in St. Louis and serves U.S. farm customers, announced […] Read more
New rule on farm transfer tax treatment put off to 2022
Farm groups protest delay
Reading Time: 3 minutes Rule changes passed in a federal bill to standardize tax treatment for sales of family-owned farms and small businesses will be delayed to the start of 2022, to the dismay of several farm groups. Bill C-208, a private member’s bill spearheaded by western Manitoba Conservative MP Larry Maguire with amendments to the federal Income Tax […] Read more
Interest rates biggest farm finance risk
Farm Credit Canada says the pace of debt growth has slowed but farmers need to have an interest rate risk management plan
Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – The expansion of Canada’s farm debt continued, but at its lowest pace in six years. Meanwhile Farm Credit Canada’s chief economist says that the potential for higher interest rates is the “darkest cloud” in that otherwise optimistic picture. Statistics Canada data showed outstanding Canadian farm debt increased by 5.9 per cent to […] Read more
Ontario names new ag minister in shuffle
Lisa Thompson replaces Ernie Hardeman
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ontario Premier Doug Ford has drawn another aggie from his existing cabinet to replace Ernie Hardeman as his agriculture minister. Ford on Friday announced a major cabinet shuffle, dropping Hardeman, the long-time MPP for Oxford, from the cabinet table and naming Lisa Thompson as minister for agriculture, food and rural affairs. Thompson, who until Friday […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
