U.S. slaps duties on fresh Canadian mushrooms over subsidy claims

WASHINGTON - The United States has put countervailing duties on fresh mushrooms grown in Canada following a U.S. Department of Commerce investigation which the Canadian industry has called "deeply flawed."

The change, posted in the federal register on Monday, will slap most fresh mushrooms with tariffs of 2.84 per cent.

Two companies received separate duties: Champ's Fresh Farms Inc. was hit with a tariff rate of 1.62 per cent and Farmers' Fresh Mushrooms Inc. was hit with a tariff rate of 4.97 per cent.

Separate anti-dumping duties are expected to be added later this month.

Balancing act of farm risk-management programs

It’s a long-standing and generally accepted principle of Canadian agricultural policy that farmers need taxpayers’ help countering the unpredictable and wildly fluctuating risks of their operating environment.

Farmers have some measure of control over production choices. Their management can increase yields and reduce reliance on expensive production aids such as fertilizer or pesticides. They can also build an allowance for the unexpected into their game plan, such as seeking off-farm income.

But that can only go so far.

Farmers can’t plan for weather, climate, twists and turns in crop prices, the effect of external forces such as U.S. President Donald Trump’s tantrums or becoming collateral damage in Canadian diplomatic spats with China.

‘Right now … we need to get the crop in the ground and so you pay what the price is’

Soybeans are on Jason Rempel’s radar.

The Manitoba farmer has dodged rising nitrogen fertilizer prices — he pre-bought last fall — but if costs continue to climb, he’ll be seeking more soybeans for 2027.

The crop doesn’t require much nitrogen fertilizer, unlike the wheat and corn Rempel is currently spreading across his land near Landmark.

Nitrogen fertilizer prices have jumped 30 to 40 per cent in Western Canada since the United States and Israel attacked Iran earlier this year, according to Farm Credit Canada. Around one-third of global seaborne fertilizer ships through the now-blockaded Strait of Hormuz.

Quebec reimbursing farmers for fuel tax, says measure will help competitiveness

DRUMMONDVILLE - Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette has responded to pressure from the agriculture sector, promising to reimburse millions of dollars to farmers for fuel taxes linked to the province's carbon market.

Starting in July, more than 15,000 farmers will begin to be reimbursed for the fuel taxes. The government has pledged to transfer a total of $87 million to farmers for the taxes they will pay in 2026 and 2027, with the money coming out of Quebec's climate change fund. 

With Friday's announcement, Fréchette is fulfilling a commitment she had made and addressing the many complaints that had been raised for several years by the province's professional agricultural trade union, Union des producteurs agricoles, or UPA. 

On the sidelines of a biofood industry event in Drummondville, Que., Fréchette told reporters that despite the reimbursements, she didn't think farmers no longer had incentives to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Controversies and consequences: Five things to know about the census

OTTAWA - People across the country completed their census forms this week, sharing details about their lives, which languages they speak and — for those who got the long-form census — information about their social and economic situations and access to housing.

Here are five things to know about the questionnaire.

The census is more than 350 years old

The federal government's website says the first census in Canada was launched by Jean Talon, colonial administrator for New France, in 1666.

Saskatchewan seeding delayed by cold temperatures, wet soil but farmers undeterred

When you ask Brett Halstead what challenges he expects to see with seeding at his farm in Saskatchewan, his answer is simple.

"Everything."

Seeding in Saskatchewan has been delayed because of cold temperatures and stubborn spring snow, particularly in the north and east of the province.

On top of the common issue of moisture, farmers in Canada's breadbasket are dealing with war-driven commodity pricing.

Committee calls for reversal of agricultural research centre closures

OTTAWA - A House of Commons committee is recommending the government halt its decision to close agricultural research centres and experimental farm sites across Canada as part of its cost-cutting exercise.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada said earlier this year it planned to close three research and development centres and four satellite research farms.

The House of Commons agriculture and agri-food committee studied the impact of closures that include the Lacombe Research and Development Centre in Alberta, the Quebec Research and Development Centre, and the Nappan Experimental Farm in Nova Scotia.

The report said witnesses told the committee about the "significant" economic benefits of investing in agricultural science and innovation.

Farm giant’s debt woes everyone’s problem

Rumours had been circulating the virtual coffee shops for months, so news this spring that Saskatchewan-based Monette Farms had sought protection from its creditors wasn’t a shock.

Lengthy border delays fuel Manitoba’s shipping sector calls for system revamp

Seven-hour waits — or longer — are a reality for some Manitoba shippers trying to cross the Canada-U.S. border.

Think Shift appoints new chief executive on ‘AI plus AI’ approach

Rejecting return-to-office mandates, using artificial intelligence and working with more clients in the United States are top priorities for the new leader of a Winnipeg marketing agency that specializes in agriculture.

Non-profit, union wary of federal plan to amend food inspection, pest control acts

OTTAWA - A non-profit says it's concerned about the government's plan to amend food safety laws to take food security and affordability into account, and is arguing Ottawa is prioritizing trade over the health of Canadians.

The government's spring economic update outlined plans to amend the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Act and the Pest Control Products Act to "include consideration of food security and cost of food."

A Department of Finance official said the government remains committed to safeguarding the environment and protecting the health and safety of Canadians.

"Further details will be provided as legislative changes are introduced, with timing still to be announced," said the official in an email.

Solar ranch in Tennessee aims to prove grazing cattle under the panels is a farmland win-win

CHRISTIANA, Tenn. (AP) — From a distance, the small solar farm in central Tennessee looks like others that now dot rural America, with row upon row of black panels absorbing the sun's rays to generate electricity.

But beneath these panels is lush pasture instead of gravel, enjoyed by a small herd of cattle that spends its days munching grass and resting in the shade.

Silicon Ranch, which owns the 40-acre farm in Christiana, outside of Nashville, believes cattle-grazing is the next frontier in so-called agrivoltaics, which mostly has involved growing crops or grazing sheep beneath the panels.

The solar company debuted the project this week and will spend the next year working to demonstrate to farmers that much larger cattle also can thrive at solar sites. If successful, advocates say, that could jump-start new projects to meet the soaring electricity demand driven by rapidly expanding data centers — without contributing climate-warming carbon emissions — and help cattle producers hold onto their land and livelihoods.

Researchers have spent decades breeding better potatoes for chips, and their work isn’t done

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — There’s a surprising amount of science in a bag of potato chips.

Researchers have spent decades developing potatoes for chip makers that can grow in all kinds of climates, avoid diseases and pests, sit in storage for months and still deliver a satisfying crunch. They've also kept an eye on consumer trends; a shift to snack-size portions has increased the demand for smaller chipping potatoes, for example.

“The potato industry is dynamic," said David Douches, a Michigan State University professor who leads the school’s Potato Breeding and Genetics Program. “The needs change, the costs, the pressures that they have, and the markets change. So we have to adapt to that with our varieties.”

Douches has developed five new potato varieties for chips in the the last 15 years. His latest breakthrough is a bioengineered potato that can maintain a proper sugar balance when stored at colder temperatures, which can help keep potatoes from rotting. He is currently growing seeds for commercial testing of the potato, which is not yet on the market.

‘I live in Vegas’: Canadian ag producers take gamble with high fuel, fertilizer costs

CREMONA -  

A sharp jump in fuel and fertilizer prices has Canada's agriculture producers engaged in a pricey game of chance.

Prices for diesel and fertilizer have nearly doubled since the war involving the U.S, Iran and Israel, as the stalemate has choked vital oil and gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

That's impacting commodities down the line, and a shortage of fertilizer could make this upcoming crop year a gamble for farmers.

Farming groups applaud private member’s bill aimed at speeding up product approvals

OTTAWA - Canadian agriculture groups are applauding a Conservative private member's bill that would allow Canada to rely on scientific reviews of new products conducted in "trusted" countries to speed up approvals of the products here.

Conservative MP David Bexte introduced Bill C-273 on Tuesday, saying farmers in Canada can wait years to get access to products that places like New Zealand, the European Union and the United States already have approved and used safely for years.

"In some cases, these products never come to Canada," he said at a news conference outside the House of Commons.

The bill would allow Canada to give provisional approval to feeds, fertilizers, seeds and pest control products within 90 days of an application if the product has already been approved in at least two "trusted" jurisdictions.