CFFO Blog's Blog – December 2011 Archive (4)

Canada-U.S. Trade Dispute Raises Concerns for Agri-Businesses

A Canadian Federation of Independent Business survey warns that ongoing Canada-U.S. trade tensions and tariffs threaten the viability of many affected cross-border agri-businesses.

New Canadian tariffs take effect against the U.S.

These levies include multiple ag items

Pulse Market Insight #305 – September 4, 2026

Black Sea Disruptions Shift Pulse Demand Toward Canada Over the past several years, Russia has grown into one of Canada’s largest competitors in pulse markets, especially for yellow peas into China and India, along with growing volumes of lentils and chickpeas moving into Turkey and South Asia. That’s what makes the current barriers to shipping out of the Black Sea region so important for the year ahead. The situation could change quickly, but for now the disruptions are limiting movement from two major exporters at the very time importers are lining up new-crop coverage. The early market signals suggest that demand is starting to shift toward Canada. The disruptions are landing in a year when pea supplies were already tightening. Production among major exporters is forecast just under 10.0 mln tonnes, down almost 1.5 mln tonnes from last year’s peak, with the largest declines in Canada and Russia. Effective export availability will shrink even more than the production numbers sugges

Amazing Agriculture Adventure Returns to Bring Hands-On Agriculture Learning to Manitoba Students

Agriculture in the Classroom–Manitoba (AITC-M) is pleased to announce the return of Amazing Agriculture Adventure (AAA), taking place September 22–25, 2026, at the Bruce D. Campbell Farm & Food Discovery Centre. This multi-day, interactive program gives Manitoba students the opportunity to experience agriculture firsthand through hands-on, curriculum-connected learning. Students connect directly with farmers, agriculture professionals and industry experts while exploring how agriculture connects to the food they eat, their communities, the environment and their everyday lives. This year, 1,100 students from 41 classrooms will participate in Amazing Agriculture Adventure, engaging in activities designed to spark curiosity, build agricultural literacy and create meaningful connections to Manitoba’s agriculture and food sector. “Amazing Agriculture Adventure brings agriculture to life through hands-on experiences, helping students discover where their food comes from and explore opport

Minister MacDonald announces up to nearly $895,000 to develop and test new clean technology to benefit Canada's indoor agriculture sector

Today, while visiting Hydragreens Produce Ltd. in Calgary, the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced funding of up to $894,673 for SmartGRO Bioengineering Inc. (SmartGRO) under the Agricultural Clean Technology (ACT) Program – Research and Innovation Stream. Building on the recently announced $3.2-billion National Food Security Strategy and its $750 million dedicated to controlled environment agriculture, this investment will help the Calgary-based start-up to develop and test new clean lighting technology to make year-round indoor agriculture more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. SmartGRO is developing a unique system that uses ultra-fast pulsing LED lights, combined with plant sensors and artificial intelligence (AI). The sensors collect information about the plants such as temperature, health, and growth, and the AI then changes the lighting to give the plants exactly what they need to thrive. Unlike regular LED lights that stay