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Agriculture

Canadian farmers facing harvest cash-flow crunch, talking support

Laura Rance 4 minute read Saturday, Sep. 13, 2025

Canadian farmers are understandably disappointed the federal government’s response to China’s punishing import tariffs on canola, pork, peas and seafood hasn’t so far included direct compensation.

After all, the duties are widely seen as retaliation for Canadian tariffs effectively locking Chinese electric cars out of the local market — a policy decision that had nothing to do with agriculture. This is the second time in recent memory China has targeted Canadian farmers to score points on unrelated issues. It’s unlikely to be the last.

While the full impact remains unclear, when Canada’s second-largest canola customer imposes tariffs of 75.8 per cent on seed and 100 per cent on oil and meal, it’s a safe bet demand will be curbed and prices will be lower than they would have been otherwise. Industry estimates place the eventual costs in the range of $2 billion.

However, commodity prices this year are depressed across the board — for a host of reasons. Much of the new-crop canola has yet to be harvested and very little has been sold.

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Kinew calls for Ottawa to help canola farmers hurt by China’s tariffs

Gabrielle Piché 3 minute read Preview

Kinew calls for Ottawa to help canola farmers hurt by China’s tariffs

Gabrielle Piché 3 minute read Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025

Premier Wab Kinew is calling for “immediate action” from Ottawa following a sky-high levy placed on Canadian canola seed imports to China.

China announced a preliminary anti-dumping duty of 75.8 per cent Tuesday. The tax takes effect Thursday.

Canola seed was Manitoba’s biggest export to China last year, bringing in $649 million. Farmers are preparing for this year’s harvest in the coming weeks.

“The Chinese government has clearly launched these tariffs at this time of year to cause maximum impact and maximum uncertainty,” Kinew said Wednesday, speaking at the Manitoba Legislative Building.

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Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025

TIM SMITH / THE BRANDON SUN FILES

Canola seed was Manitoba’s biggest export to China last year, bringing in $649 million.
TIM SMITH / THE BRANDON SUN FILES Canola seed was Manitoba’s biggest export to China last year, bringing in $649 million.

Manitoba agricultural firm building two new facilities

Gabrielle Piché 2 minute read Preview

Manitoba agricultural firm building two new facilities

Gabrielle Piché 2 minute read Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025

In a late celebration of new ownership, a Manitoba grown agricultural company has sunk shovels in Brandon and Russell, Man.

AgWest Ltd. has begun building identical 20,000-sq.-ft. facilities in the two communities.

The farm equipment retailer announced its construction plan last year, upon marking its one-year anniversary of ownership by Dutch firm Mechan International.

“It’s probably long overdue, but it’s massive,” Anthony Chwaluk, AgWest’s Russell branch manager, said of the new build.

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Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025

SUPPLIED

AgWest Ltd. has broken ground on a new Russell, Man., facility.
SUPPLIED AgWest Ltd. has broken ground on a new Russell, Man., facility.

Taking on tomorrow’s taters: U of M research chair’s focus is on sustainable spuds

Maggie Macintosh 2 minute read Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025

The University of Manitoba has created a special research position dedicated to sustainable spuds.

Linda Schott is the province’s inaugural research chair in potato sustainability, U of M announced in a news release Tuesday.

Schott has been tasked with studying soil productivity, irrigation, disease management and variety development.

“We envision the University of Manitoba becoming a school of choice for students and researchers passionate about the sustainable production of potatoes,” Martin Scanlon, dean of the faculty of agricultural and food sciences, said in a release.

Ottawa, province tab $6M for 19 Manitoba food-sector firms

Alex Lambert 3 minute read Preview

Ottawa, province tab $6M for 19 Manitoba food-sector firms

Alex Lambert 3 minute read Wednesday, Jul. 23, 2025

BRANDON — The Maple Leaf Foods plant in Brandon will seek to upgrade its equipment and increase efficiency after the Manitoba government announced $6 million in funding for processing facilities across the province.

“It is uncertain times. We need strong farms and we need good, strong food processors,” Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn said at a news conference on Wednesday.

The $6 million will be split between 19 companies — including meat processing, agriculture, dairy and brewing — with more than $1 million going to Maple Leaf and $2.5 million to the McCain Foods production plant in Carberry.

The federal government is covering 60 per cent of the funding, with the province putting in the rest, Kostyshyn said.

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Wednesday, Jul. 23, 2025

Tim Smith / Brandon Sun

Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn speaks with Municipal and Northern Relations Minister Glen Simard (from left), director of operations for Canada Packers Inc. Rob Ackerblade and Maple Leaf Foods plant manager Jim Brown standing by in Brandon Wednesday.
Tim Smith / Brandon Sun Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn speaks with Municipal and Northern Relations Minister Glen Simard (from left), director of operations for Canada Packers Inc. Rob Ackerblade and Maple Leaf Foods plant manager Jim Brown standing by in Brandon Wednesday.

Drought aid announced for Interlake farmers

Tyler Searle 2 minute read Wednesday, Jul. 23, 2025

The federal and provincial governments have launched drought support for livestock producers who are coping with parched pasture land and hungry cattle.

The hot, dry summer is limiting pasture growth crucial for feeding livestock. Such conditions prompted some Interlake municipalities to declare agricultural emergencies, including Armstrong, Coldwell, St. Laurent and Woodlands.

In response, Manitoba Agricultural Services Corp. will provide funding through its AgriInsurance program and expedite claim payouts so producers can quickly source livestock feed, the governments said in a joint news release. The program, which protects against shortfalls and losses caused by natural events, will include a slate of “practical changes,” Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn said in a statement Wednesday.

Those include reduced yield appraisals for drought-stricken crops, deferred premium deductions for forage insurance and partial payments on forage claims, he said.

Drought forces Interlake RMs to declare emergencies; cattle inductry threatened

Scott Billeck 2 minute read Preview

Drought forces Interlake RMs to declare emergencies; cattle inductry threatened

Scott Billeck 2 minute read Friday, Jul. 18, 2025

Two Interlake municipalities have declared agricultural emergencies as a persistent drought threatens the cattle industry.

The Rural Municipality of St. Laurent declared a state of agricultural emergency on Wednesday. The following day, the RM of Coldwell declared a state of agricultural disaster.

Both governments have appealed to the federal and provincial governments for assistance to source and pay for cattle feed. The dry conditions, which have sparked wildfires in northern regions, severely limit the production of feed.

St. Laurent Reeve Richard Chartrand said Friday that farmers have recently observed a significant shortage in the grass used for baling.

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Friday, Jul. 18, 2025

The Rural Municipality of St. Laurent and the RM of Coldwell have declared agricultural emergencies as a persistent drought threatens the cattle industry.(The Canadian Press files)
The Rural Municipality of St. Laurent and the RM of Coldwell have declared agricultural emergencies as a persistent drought threatens the cattle industry.(The Canadian Press files)

Innovation Farms network grows by 6K acres

Free Press staff 1 minute read Tuesday, Jul. 15, 2025

A Manitoba research farm is expanding by 6,000 acres, with a large swath dedicated to potatoes.

JP Wiebe Ltd. in MacGregor has joined the Innovation Farms network. Potato crops cover roughly 2,600 acres of its operation.

Enterprise Machine Intelligence and Learning Initiative (EMILI) already oversees research at a 5,500-acre commercial farm in Grosse Isle as part of Innovation Farms.

The MacGregor addition will allow for testing of technologies growing potatoes and related crop rotation and irrigation, EMILI announced, alongside representatives of Farm Credit Canada, on Tuesday.

Digital agriculture languishing in Canadian fields

Laura Rance 4 minute read Preview

Digital agriculture languishing in Canadian fields

Laura Rance 4 minute read Saturday, Jul. 5, 2025

Frustration oozes out of the opening lines of a report highlighting the current state of adoption for digital agriculture in Canada.

“Digital agriculture offers powerful tools to address Canada’s pressing agricultural challenges, but the current approach isn’t delivering results,” says the analysis compiled by Manitoba-based EMILI and the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute.

“Despite the potential to increase yields by 20 per cent, while reducing environmental impact, Canada captures just three per cent of global agtech venture capital investment compared to 55 per cent in the United States.”

If the trend continues, the report forecasts fewer Canadian agtech companies and fewer innovations to support Canadian farmers, which places the sector at a competitive disadvantage relative to more “digitally advanced nations.”

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Saturday, Jul. 5, 2025

SUPPLIED

A drone-mapping tech demonstration takes place at Innovation Farms, the Manitoba field space EMILI uses for testing new ag technology.
SUPPLIED A drone-mapping tech demonstration takes place at Innovation Farms, the Manitoba field space EMILI uses for testing new ag technology.

Waving Canadian flag on two-way street of trade

Laura Rance 4 minute read Saturday, Jun. 28, 2025

I gave up my Friday night pizza dates with Tom Gore around the same time Donald Trump started his trade war with Canada.

It was a forced breakup, but I didn’t mind. Tom was my favourite wine until it was pulled from liquor store shelves as part of the federal and provincial governments’ response to the imposition of tariffs on U.S. imports from Canada.

There’s been so much background noise in the aftermath that it’s been hard to keep track. All I know is Tom and all his California cohorts are still in exile, and the alternatives I’ve found are such that I don’t miss them.

Apparently, I’m not alone. Sales of U.S. wine to Canada are, by some accounts, down 94 per cent, and sales of Canadian alcoholic beverages are up, probably the most noticeable effect of our collective disenchantment with our largest trading partner.

AmericasAgForum2025 seeks co-operation on weighty issue of food security

Laura Rance 4 minute read Preview

AmericasAgForum2025 seeks co-operation on weighty issue of food security

Laura Rance 4 minute read Saturday, Jun. 21, 2025

OLDS, Alta. — The “world’s most pressing issues” outlined in documents for G7 leaders meeting in Kananaskis, Alta., week seem complicated, unsolvable and worsening. One of those leaders even left early, reportedly to deal with another war.

Meanwhile, delegates attending a simultaneous meeting just up the road at Olds were saying — in a manner of speaking — “hold my beer.”

It was no coincidence the shadow summit organized by the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture with support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development took place on the same days in the same province as the G7 summit.

“The summit’s agenda does not include discussions on agriculture or food security, despite the critical role these sectors play in the economic, social, and environmental development of the Americas,” says a communiqué promoting the event. “This event will serve as a positive and inclusive space for dialogue, bringing together government officials, industry representatives, academics, development experts and students, to explore solutions that enhance agriculture, food security, sustainability, innovation and trade.”

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Saturday, Jun. 21, 2025

Manuel Otero, director general of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, says agriculture must be part of any conversation about world security. Photo: Laura Rance
Manuel Otero, director general of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, says agriculture must be part of any conversation about world security. Photo: Laura Rance

Promising alternatives highlighted in U of M study of cropping systems

Laura Rance 4 minute read Preview

Promising alternatives highlighted in U of M study of cropping systems

Laura Rance 4 minute read Saturday, Jun. 14, 2025

The 2021 drought was one of the worst in Prairies history, but it was serendipitous in one way.

It coincided with University of Manitoba research designed to better understand how different cropping systems perform under warmer and drier conditions, which many scientists predict will be our future.

A dry 2020 growing season, followed by winter precipitation that was one-third of normal set the stage for the yield-crippling event of 2021. Manitoba crop yields plummeted by a range of 22 to 37 per cent and by as much as 70 per cent in some municipalities, according to a provincial government report.

The U of M research suggests the crops and farming practices of today will become less profitable under such scenarios. But it also found some promising alternatives.

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Saturday, Jun. 14, 2025

JEFF MACINTOSH / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
JEFF MACINTOSH / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES

Renewed marketing, product development keys to improved pork sales: report

Laura Rance 4 minute read Preview

Renewed marketing, product development keys to improved pork sales: report

Laura Rance 4 minute read Saturday, May. 31, 2025

Canadian pork producers are likely to chew slowly as they digest a report released this week by one of the largest agricultural creditors in the U.S.

While the paper by CoBank focuses on U.S. pork production and consumption trends, the North American hog and pork industries are highly integrated. Whatever happens in this report’s wake, if anything, will spill across the border to influence the Canadian sector.

Nearly one-quarter of the pigs born in Canada are sent to the U.S. for feeding and slaughter. Sixty per cent of those live hog exports are weanlings sent to U.S. feeding operations. Canada also exported US$1.7 billion in pork products to the U.S. in 2024, while importing US$850 million back.

CoBank says the U.S. industry’s continued reliance on export sales to places like Mexico, China, South Korea and Canada for nearly a quarter of its production is becoming too risky because of “new trade policies” creating more volatility in global trade.

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Saturday, May. 31, 2025

JOHN LOCHER / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES

Pigs eat from a trough at the Las Vegas Livestock farming operation in Nevada
JOHN LOCHER / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES Pigs eat from a trough at the Las Vegas Livestock farming operation in Nevada

Provincial seeding progress ahead of 5-year average despite rain delay

Laura Rance 4 minute read Preview

Provincial seeding progress ahead of 5-year average despite rain delay

Laura Rance 4 minute read Saturday, May. 24, 2025

It was common to see quads and ATVs temporarily replacing seeding equipment on many fields across southern Manitoba after heavy rains over the Victoria Day weekend.

Driving across farm fields with these types of recreational vehicles is usually discouraged because of the ruts they make and the damage they cause to a growing crop.

But these operators were making tracks on purpose as they crisscrossed the field connecting puddled low spots to get the water moving towards drainage ditches. In a lot of cases however, the exercise was arguably more about using up anxious energy and having something to do while being sidelined from seeding operations for up to six days.

From one day to the next, the pools of water largely disappeared into the thirsty fields on their own.

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Saturday, May. 24, 2025

TIM SMITH / BRANDON SUN

Farm land along Grand Valley Road in the Assiniboine River valley, west of Brandon.
TIM SMITH / BRANDON SUN Farm land along Grand Valley Road in the Assiniboine River valley, west of Brandon.

Saga of B.C. ostrich farm nears necessary conclusion

Laura Rance 4 minute read Preview

Saga of B.C. ostrich farm nears necessary conclusion

Laura Rance 4 minute read Friday, May. 16, 2025

There’s a wide range of emotions circulating in the aftermath of a British Columbia court ruling this week that amounts to a death sentence for more than 400 ostriches.

In addition to grief and anger, there is also relief.

In a 137-page ruling, the Federal Court justice hearing the case made a heart-wrenching decision, while expressing sympathy for a family devastated by the pending destruction of these birds on the orders of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Their owners, Universal Ostrich Farm near Edgewood, B.C., have vigorously campaigned to block December’s directive to cull the whole flock after tests confirmed 69 sick and dying birds were infected with highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza.

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Friday, May. 16, 2025

KATIE PASITNEY PHOTO

A herd of ostriches is seen on a remote farm in Edgewood, B.C., in an undated photo supplied by Universal Ostrich Farms Inc.
KATIE PASITNEY PHOTO A herd of ostriches is seen on a remote farm in Edgewood, B.C., in an undated photo supplied by Universal Ostrich Farms Inc.

Heat is on as seeding season revs up

Laura Rance 4 minute read Saturday, May. 10, 2025

They say the difference between a good farmer and a bad farmer is half an inch.

Seeding half an inch too deep, half an inch too shallow or getting half an inch of rain can make all the difference between a crop that emerges in anemic-looking patches or one that bursts out of the ground to cover the landscape like a 1970s-style shag carpet.

Farmers can’t control the rain, wind or temperature. Their skill lies in the ability to connect the seed with whatever moisture is available in the soil until the skies deliver another shot of precipitation.

Despite minimal runoff this spring, moisture was considered adequate for getting the crop off to a good start. Heat and wind can make a big difference to how quickly the top soil dries out, however, and there was no shortage of either as seeding rolled into high gear across the Prairies this past week.

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