Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Diesel costs in Western Canada are roughly eight to 10 cents higher on average than anytime in 2017, and an industry expert warns that gap could grow even more with a potential surge of U.S. construction. “I think we’re already seeing more evidence of a robust, consumption-driven U.S. as more disposable income […] Read more
Rising diesel could surge with U.S. infrastructure plan
OFA pre-election policy targets broader economic development
Reading Time: 3 minutes Stable rural areas and thriving farms can help urbanites with some of their biggest challenges. That’s the message from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture going into next year’s provincial election. The OFA talked about how it is framing its election strategy at its annual meeting, which ran Monday and Tuesday in Toronto. “With the election […] Read more
Alberta, feds back Lethbridge potato processing plant
Reading Time: 2 minutes The federal and Alberta governments are set to cover over $22 million in costs related to the construction of Cavendish Farms’ new potato processing plant at Lethbridge. The two levels of government on Monday announced $20 million for the City of Lethbridge for related municipal infrastructure developments, through the federal/provincial Clean Water and Wastewater Fund […] Read more
Diesel prices soften, but watching U.S. infrastructure plan
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Sinking prices for crude oil and a softer Canadian dollar have kept diesel prices relatively low for Canadian farmers in 2017, and they could be heading lower, as long as U.S. President Donald Trump’s infrastructure plan doesn’t get in the way. “I would probably say in Canada you’re going to see numbers […] Read more
CRTC makes broadband a basic service
Reading Time: 2 minutes Gatineau | Reuters — Broadband internet access will be considered a basic service in Canada, the country’s telecom regulator said Wednesday, setting a higher target for download speeds and creating a fund that could see providers paying more to help meet those goals. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) said it was establishing a […] Read more
Debate: Sask. farmers aim to bridge digital gap
Reading Time: 2 minutes Infrastructure has always been top of mind for many rural Saskatchewan residents — but rural infrastructure needs in 2016 can’t all be met with gravel, graders and culverts. With a provincial election around the corner, improving digital and cellular service was a focal point in an ag leaders’ debate held in Saskatoon Tuesday. The Why […] Read more
Supply management the hot button at ag debate
Reading Time: 3 minutes CNS Canada — Representatives from Canada’s five main parties met Wednesday in Ottawa to discuss and debate farm policy ranging from risk management to transportation and rural infrastructure ahead of the Oct. 19 federal election. The hot button issue of the debate, however, was Canada’s supply management systems for dairy, poultry and eggs. The topic […] Read more
The roads of Zambia
We’ve always known the country’s agriculture potential is massive. Now there are signs it is being opened up
Reading Time: 10 minutes Associate editor Maggie Van Camp travelled to Zambia through an International Federation of Agricultural Journalists investigation into the country’s challenges and opportunities. One farm was ultra-modern and 74,000 acres, she reports. Others struggle with basic subsistence. The future may need both. Driving to Nsongwe, Zambia from tourist-rich Livingstone is a tooth-rattling, 30-minute adventure through a […] Read more
Editor’s Desk: Something about 2015
Reading Time: 2 minutes All of us can probably already list the events in 2015 that are NOT going to reshape our farms or make us look back a few years from now with pride that we were here at the time. Topping that list of no-shows is the federal election, scheduled for this fall. From east to west […] Read more
Brazil says key soy road won’t be paved until 2016
Reading Time: < 1 minute Brasilia | Reuters –– An important road for soy and corn shipments linking to ports in northern Brazil will not be paved until 2016, the country’s transport minister said on Tuesday. President Dilma Rousseff said last year that the highway, known as BR-163, would be ready by mid-2015 as the government tries to relieve crowded […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
