Ritz earns title of most lobbied cabinet minister - again Wednesday, February 5, 2014 by SUSAN MANN Farm leaders had a lot to say to federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz last year when he received 102 prearranged contacts from industry groups. That number made Ritz the most lobbied cabinet minister last year, according to an article in the Jan. 27 issue of the Hill Times, a weekly Ottawa-based newspaper covering politics and government. It’s the second year in a row the federal ag minister has topped the lobby popularity list. Just under half of the contacts, 44, were about international trade. Ritz’s communications director, Jeff English, says in an email the contacts are “anything that’s prearranged,” such as a phone call or meeting. The Hill Times article says it was Dairy Farmers of Canada that communicated with Ritz the most last year, followed by Chicken Farmers of Canada and the Canola Council of Canada. Dairy Farmers of Canada was also on the list of groups talking to International Trade Minister Ed Fast, who had a total of 76 prearranged contacts, putting him in the top five of the most lobbied cabinet ministers last year, the Hill Times says. An emailed statement attributed to Ritz and supplied by English says agriculture is a major economic driver responsible for one in every eight jobs and is the third largest contributor to Canada’s GDP. In addition, agriculture is the largest manufacturing sector in Canada. “As minister, I meet regularly with forward-thinking groups to discuss how to advance Canada’s diverse agriculture industry by creating opportunities at home and abroad,” the statement says. According to the 2012/13 annual report of the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada, there are more than 5,000 lobbyists registered to lobby federal public office holders. BF Market analyst links grocer competition with food spending decline Principal field crop stocks in Canada are up 30 per cent and it's affecting market prices
Stinger Spade Bits kit from Spyder Friday, September 20, 2024 By Braxteen Breen, Whether you are constructing/repairing fencing and other structures around the farm, you can get those tasks completed on the farm quickly with the Stinger Spade Bits kit from Spyder. The Spade Bits kit provides an economical solution for someone who wants to make... Read this article online
$18.4M Boost for Canadian Cereal Grain Innovation Thursday, September 19, 2024 Gate Project Receives Major Funding for Research Canada's position as a pioneer in cereal grain research is set to strengthen with the Gate Capital Campaign raising $18.4 million. This funding will support the Global Agriculture Technology Exchange (Gate) initiative, a project... Read this article online
BASF introduces Surtain herbicide for field corn growers Tuesday, September 17, 2024 Field corn growers in eastern Canada have a new crop protection product available to them. After about 10 years of research and trials, BASF has introduced Surtain, a residual herbicide for corn that combines PPO inhibitor saflufenacil (Group 14) and pyroxasulfone (Group 15) in a premix... Read this article online
We Didn’t Start the Fire! Impacts of Wildfire Smoke on Corn Monday, September 16, 2024 Assistant Professor of Corn Production at Purdue University’s College of Agriculture, Daniel Quinn, PhD. recently provided fascinating insights into the impacts of fire on major corn producing areas, many of which have been impacted by smoke from wildfires. Quinn was the keynote... Read this article online
New home for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario Saturday, September 14, 2024 The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) has announced it has moved into its new office building in Ingersoll. Located at 274620 27th Line in Ingersoll, the new office will serve as the hub for CFFO’s ongoing efforts to advocate for and support Ontario’s Christian farmers.... Read this article online