New federal program encourages private solutions to farm risk management Wednesday, June 19, 2013 by SUSAN MANN The federal government is resurrecting an old idea to encourage the farming industry and the private sector to develop new risk management tools for farmers. On Monday, Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Pierre Lemieux announced that up to $15 million is available for developing and adopting new private sector or producer-funded agricultural risk management tools. The money will be made available under Growing Forward 2’s AgriRisk Initiatives program. Al Mussell, George Morris Centre senior research associate, says before the initial Growing Forward program was introduced in 2008 there was a program called private sector risk management partnerships. It was designed to provide resources for developing insurance-type programs and other options for industries to mitigate risks that were complimentary to existing business risk management programs, such as crop insurance. Mussell says at the time of the private sector risk management partnerships program there were “quite a number of pretty innovative projects that came out.” He notes he can infer from the government introducing the AgriRisk Initiatives program that “there is renewed interest on behalf of governments in having programs like that again. I think it makes good sense.” The government press release says the AgriRisk Initiatives program is to facilitate industry-led research and development along with the implementation and administration of new insurance-based tools for the agriculture, agri-food and agri-products sectors. Applications are now being accepted. The government will allocate a total of up to $3 million a year over five years for the program to fund research and development projects on potential new industry-led risk management products and services. Approved projects can be eligible for up to $500,000 annually. The money under the program can be used for: Research and development costs. Data collection and analysis. Legal and actuarial costs. Consultations. BF Marsh flood ruins farmers' growing season Farm owners fear a long-running pipeline project will damage soil
Renew CUSMA? Grain groups say yes—but with changes Wednesday, December 17, 2025 The Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA)—known as USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement) in the US and T-MEC (Tratado entre México, Estados Unidos y Canadá) in Mexico—is the trade pact that, on July 1, 2020, replaced NAFTA (North American Free Trade... Read this article online
Plants flip genetic switch to survive sudden cold, study finds Wednesday, December 17, 2025 One things for sure—weather happens. When a sudden cold snap hits a farm, it can destroy seedlings slow growth. It can make the season's growth 'iffy' going forward. But like a ray of sunshine, results from a new study offer farmers hope. Scientists have discovered how plants... Read this article online
CFIA extends BIOPOWER SC claims to young ruminants Wednesday, December 17, 2025 Lallemand Animal Nutrition has announced that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has extended its approved claims for BIOPOWER SC, a viable yeast product (Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-1077) classified as a gut modifier in Canada. The new approval adds... Read this article online
Equipment Ontario Welcome to Two Trusted Dealers to Network Tuesday, December 16, 2025 Equipment Ontario Incorporated has announced a significant expansion of its dealership network with the addition of two well-established and highly regarded businesses: ESM Farm Equipment Ltd. and Bob Mark Equipment Sales & Rentals. ESM Farm Equipment Ltd., a New Holland Agriculture... Read this article online
PigTek offers new warranties on select products Tuesday, December 16, 2025 Following recent updates to its feed line offering, PigTek of Milford, Indiana, has announced new five-year limited warranties on select products. The company’s anchor bearing, stainless-steel boots, and stainless-steel control units now come with the industry-leading warranties for... Read this article online