Agriculture

Agriculture

Cattle stand in a pasture on a farm in Alberta Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Canada’s agriculture sector divided on Mercosur free trade deal

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:31 PM EST

OTTAWA - Industries in Canada's agriculture sector are divided on whether a free trade deal with the Mercosur group would benefit the country as Canada and the South American trading bloc look to strike a deal by year's end.

Representatives from the Canadian Cattle Youth Council gathered on Parliament Hill last month to warn that a free trade deal with Mercosur could jeopardize beef production in Canada and pose risks to food safety.

"The government itself warns that our food supply chains rely too heavily on foreign suppliers, and that Canada relies on imported beef to meet demand," said Canadian Cattle Youth Council President Judson Christopherson. "You don't fix that by making Canadians more reliant on food from abroad."

But Michael Bourque, president and CEO of Fertilizer Canada, said in a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier this year that a trade agreement with Mercosur is a chance for Canada to strengthen its position as a global supplier of crop nutrients.

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Horse wrangler John Scott holds his 12-year-old Leopard Appaloosa horse, named Taffy, at his ranch near Longview, Alta., on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Meet Taffy, the horse set to trot through a Calgary hotel in Grey Cup tradition

Dayne Patterson, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Meet Taffy, the horse set to trot through a Calgary hotel in Grey Cup tradition

Dayne Patterson, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026

CALGARY - Taffy has braved imitation gunfire, smoke and flames. 

The off-white horse with brown speckles will now have to use that expertise to calmly walk through a Calgary hotel.

This week the 12-year-old leopard Appaloosa will swap out the vowel in his name to take on the role of Tuffy, the fabled title for whichever horse is set to recreate the CFL Grey Cup tradition of walking through a hotel in the host city.

"He's just got the right disposition, the right mind to be around people, music, noise," said John Scott, standing in wet, trodden dirt on his ranch just beyond the doors of the stable where Taffy was saddled.

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Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026

Agriculture

Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Heath MacDonald rises during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Federal government defends closure of seven research facilities

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Federal government defends closure of seven research facilities

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Wednesday, Sep. 23, 2026

OTTAWA - The federal government will not reverse a decision to close several agricultural research facilities across the country, a move the opposition Conservatives are calling a threat to Canada's food security.

In May, the House of Commons committee on agriculture and agri-food recommended the government keep open seven agricultural research centres and experimental farm sites that it planned to close as part of a governmentwide cost-cutting exercise.

In a response to that report released this week, the government said the decision to close the sites reflects a deliberate shift to prioritize "investment in research expertise and activities" over operations and maintenance costs.

"This approach was taken to improve cost efficiency, while sustaining investment in innovation that strengthens the agriculture and agri-food sector and helps grow the economy," said the report. 

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Wednesday, Sep. 23, 2026

Agriculture

B.C. Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and, Sport, Lana Popham speaks during a FIFA World Cup 2026 update in Vancouver, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

B.C. minister Popham won’t run for a sixth term, deepening snap election speculation

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

B.C. minister Popham won’t run for a sixth term, deepening snap election speculation

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press 1 minute read Monday, Sep. 21, 2026

VICTORIA - B.C. cabinet minister Lana Popham says she won't run for a sixth term, deepening speculation about a snap election being called. 

Popham's announcement follows the resignation of Opposition B.C. Conservative leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay on Sunday. 

Popham, the current minister for agriculture, says in a written statement provided by the B.C. NDP caucus that her decision not to run again was difficult.

She was first elected in Greater Victoria in 2009 and became the province's first female agriculture minister in 2017. 

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Monday, Sep. 21, 2026

Agriculture

The RCMP logo is seen in Surrey, B.C., on Friday April 13, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Man dies in farming accident in southwestern Manitoba, RCMP say

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Man dies in farming accident in southwestern Manitoba, RCMP say

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Saturday, Sep. 19, 2026

WINNIPEG - Manitoba Mounties say a 66-year-old man has died in a farming accident.

Blue Hills RCMP says man appears to have been struck by farming equipment in the rural municipality of Glenboro South Cypress, about 170 kilometres west of Winnipeg.

Police say the man was from the nearby community of Ninette, Man.

RCMP and Manitoba Workplace Health and Safety are investigating the death.

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Saturday, Sep. 19, 2026

Agriculture

Prime Minister Mark Carney visits a berry picking farm with local Liberal byelection candidate Daniel Gobeil, left, in Saguenay Thursday, August 6, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

Dairy farmer turned Liberal MP vows to be voice for tariff-hit Quebec region

Émilie Bergeron, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Dairy farmer turned Liberal MP vows to be voice for tariff-hit Quebec region

Émilie Bergeron, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Saturday, Sep. 5, 2026

OTTAWA - Newly elected Liberal MP Daniel Gobeil says his experience as a dairy farmer and agricultural leader will help him be a voice in Ottawa for a Quebec region on the front lines of the Canada-U.S. trade war.

The former president of Quebec's dairy producers says he may already have contributed to Canada's approach to the Trump administration, even before voters in Chicoutimi—Le Fjord elected him to Parliament in an Aug. 31 byelection.

"My opinion was taken into account, even when I was still a candidate," Gobeil said in an interview on Friday with The Canadian Press.

Gobeil, who also served as vice-president of Dairy Farmers of Canada, said Prime Minister Mark Carney gave him a "receptive ear" during the campaign as Canada negotiated with the United States.

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Saturday, Sep. 5, 2026

Agriculture

Debora Rodrigues knits a maple leaf mitten as she watches the gold medal women's hockey game between Canada the United States, at the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics, at a pub in Ottawa on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Canadian wool and yarn producers look to untangle themselves from the U.S.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Canadian wool and yarn producers look to untangle themselves from the U.S.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Saturday, Sep. 5, 2026

OTTAWA - U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs have led to a tangle of red tape and extra expenses for Canadian wool producers and hobbyists, and some are walking away from their U.S. customers altogether.

Judy Enright Smith, who owns the Wabi Sabi yarn shop in Ottawa, said she's running out of patience. The last time her American supplier visited, she wore an "Elbows Up" T-shirt.

"At first, it was business," she said. "Now, it's personal."

The U.S. has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on greasy wool imports and some finished wool products, affecting Canadian wool producers who ship their product south to be scoured.

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Saturday, Sep. 5, 2026

Agriculture

KAP hires interim executive director

1 minute read Friday, Aug. 28, 2026

Keystone Agricultural Producers has hired an interim executive director as it searches for a replacement for the outgoing Colin Hornby.

The organization announced on Friday that it has hired Jim Smolik from an interim management company. It will continue to search for a permanent executive director while Smolik leads the organization.

Smolik will start on Sept. 8.

He said he is familiar with the organization after working with KAP on a contract basis in the past.

Agriculture

A pumpjack draws out oil and gas from a well head with a canola field in the background near Cremona, Alta., Tuesday, July 15, 2025. Canada has the third largest oil reserves in the world and is the world's fourth largest oil producer. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

The president says the U.S. doesn’t need anything from Canada. Exports say otherwise.

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Preview

The president says the U.S. doesn’t need anything from Canada. Exports say otherwise.

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026

OTTAWA - "WE DON'T NEED CANADA, THEY NEED US!" U.S. President Donald Trump's social media post this week was a continuation on a theme he's maintained throughout the trade war: that his country doesn't need anything from Canada.

Experts — and exports — say that's not the case.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has urged the federal government to use some exports as leverage at the negotiating table — and after Trump's latest escalation, he called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to cut off the supply of things like oil and gas, potash and critical minerals.

So far, Canada has been unwilling to take that step.

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Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026

Agriculture

Cam Dahl, left, general manager of Manitoba Pork and Rick Prejet, chair of Manitoba Pork, pose for a photo at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, after they met with their American counterparts, on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kelly Geraldine Malone

Pork and politics: Canadians bring trade pitch to Iowa state fair

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Pork and politics: Canadians bring trade pitch to Iowa state fair

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Monday, Aug. 17, 2026

DES MOINES - Pork is a popular topic at the Iowa State Fair as hungry patrons mow down on barbecue and curious children gaze with wide eyes at the state's biggest pig.

But the 11-day fair in Des Moines has also proven an important opportunity for Canadians to make their case at a time of tumult in the Canada-U.S. relationship.

"Sometimes you just need to remind people in Iowa that that relationship is really beneficial for them," said Rick Préjet, chair of Manitoba Pork, at the state fair on Friday.

Préjet and Manitoba Pork general manager Cam Dahl were among a Manitoba-led Canadian delegation to the fair who met with local politicians and industry groups, including the Iowa Pork Producers Association.

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Monday, Aug. 17, 2026

Agriculture

A goat belonging to Greg Krauter, who was forced to evacuate his Summerland, B.C., property with his seven goats due to the Bald Range wildfire, stands in the back of his truck outside an evacuee centre, in Penticton, B.C., on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026. The Bald Range wildfire in British Columbia's south Okanagan region has forced 20,000 people out of their homes in the Peachland and Summerland areas. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

From goats to porcupines, these animal evacuees escaped B.C. wildfire

Nono Shen, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

From goats to porcupines, these animal evacuees escaped B.C. wildfire

Nono Shen, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026

When a wildfire roared toward Summerland, B.C., staff from the Interior Wildlife Rehabilitation Society had to evacuate about 30 animals from the facility in an hour.

Eva Hartmann, founder of the sanctuary, said the centre was destroyed — but the animals have all been safely relocated to a wildlife centre in Kamloops, B.C., about 220 kilometres northeast.

They include bats, skunks, a porcupine, a baby beaver named Poppy, two otters, 14 water birds and three turtles, said Ryan Cope, a volunteer.

"So, it was a bit of a Noah's Ark menagerie getting them out, and they really only had an hour to get out before the fire blew through the property," said Cope, adding that it was chaotic to corral the birds to their respective kennels.

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Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026

Agriculture

Cattle walk and graze at a ranch as the Bradley Creek wildfire burns in the distance, in Vernon, B.C., Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Why some B.C. farmers stay to fight, despite wildfire evacuation orders

Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Preview

Why some B.C. farmers stay to fight, despite wildfire evacuation orders

Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026

When Tom Davison's son-in-law invested in firefighting equipment for their orchard near Vernon, B.C., after a wildfire swept past in 2021, Davison wasn't sure the hoses would get much use.

He figured the blaze, which caused smoke damage to the property, would be a once-a-century experience.

But after high winds pushed flames up to the fence line of Davison Orchards' property on Aug. 1, Davison said he was grateful for his son-in-law's foresight that helped protect the orchard that has been in the family for five generations.

"The fact that he had the proper equipment on site was really a big part of why we were able to do what we did that night," he said.

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Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026

Agriculture

Cows graze on a dairy farm in Granby, Que., on Thursday, July 23, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Dairy farmers warn against concessions as U.S. tariff deadline looms

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Dairy farmers warn against concessions as U.S. tariff deadline looms

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026

OTTAWA - Canadian dairy farmers are warning against any concessions involving their sector as trade talks intensify with the United States ahead of President Donald Trump's tariff deadline.

A new round of 50 per cent American tariffs on a range of Canadian goods is set to take effect on Aug. 19. Unlike most of Trump’s other tariffs, these would have no exemptions for goods that comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement on trade.

The supply management system that protects Canadian dairy has been cited by the U.S. as a key irritant in trade negotiations and Trump has complained repeatedly about the level of U.S. dairy farmers' access to Canada's market.

Dairy Farmers of Canada says it's urging the federal government not to offer any more concessions on dairy or supply management in talks with the United States.

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Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026

Agriculture

The RCMP crest hangs at a headquarters building in Surrey, B.C., on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

Alberta RCMP charge man with theft, forging documents in cattle rustling case

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Alberta RCMP charge man with theft, forging documents in cattle rustling case

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Friday, Jul. 31, 2026

DIAMOND VALLEY, ALBERTA - Mounties say a man has been charged in an investigation into the theft and fraudulent sale of cattle in southern Alberta.

RCMP say officers received a report of cattle rustling in February.

They say five long-horned cows were stolen from a pasture in the Eden Valley area, about 110 kilometres southwest of Calgary.

RCMP say they later determined a person sold cattle through auctions in Fort Macleod and Picture Butte and provided documentation believed to be fraudulent.

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Friday, Jul. 31, 2026

Agriculture

The closed rail line and Port of Churchill in Churchill, Man., Tuesday, July 3, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

Port of Churchill to ship grain for first time since 2020

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Port of Churchill to ship grain for first time since 2020

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Wednesday, Jul. 15, 2026

CHURCHILL - The owners of the Port of Churchill in northern Manitoba say grain is set to move through the terminal for the first time since 2020.

Arctic Gateway Group says the restart of grain shipments on Friday is another step toward revitalizing the deepwater Arctic port.

The Indigenous-owned company didn't say how much grain it expects to flow through the port this year.

It says that along with grain, the port will ship potash, zinc and supplies destined for Nunavut.

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Wednesday, Jul. 15, 2026

Agriculture

A picture of Prime Minister Mark Carney shaking hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping is seen on the cover of the weekend edition of the China Daily newspaper as a reader thumbs through the pages in Beijing, China on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

China imposing 73.5 per cent anti-dumping tariffs on Canadian pea starch

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

China imposing 73.5 per cent anti-dumping tariffs on Canadian pea starch

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Tuesday, Jun. 30, 2026

OTTAWA - China is imposing a 73.5 per cent tariff on pea starch from Canada starting Wednesday.

The Chinese commerce ministry says the levy is the result of an anti-dumping investigation it launched in August last year that found Canadian products were dumped in China.

Pea starch is commonly used as a thickener and stabilizer in food products, animal feed and medication.

Tensions between Canada and China eased after Prime Minister Mark Carney visited Beijing in January and struck a new strategic partnership with Chinese President Xi Jinping on trade irritants.

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Tuesday, Jun. 30, 2026

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