Agriculture

Agriculture

Brothers Patrick, left, and Christopher Butters of Butters Farms in St. Thomas, Ont. on Sunday, October 4, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nicole Osborne

Pumpkins may be tariff-free, but farmers face tough knock-on effects and high prices

Brett Bundale, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026

The Butters brothers know pumpkins. 

The second-generation southwestern Ontario farmers have carved out a niche in ornamental pumpkins, gourds and corn, seasonal crops that decorate tables on Thanksgiving and porches on Halloween. 

But the cost of getting a mini orange pumpkin or tiny green gourd from their farm in St. Thomas to stores across Canada and the United States ahead of the autumn holidays has surged.

"We're not impacted by tariffs but the trade issues are still ratcheting up costs for us across the board," said Patrick Butters, who owns and operates the roughly 2,200-hectare farm with his brother Christopher. 

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Opinion

DARRYL DYCK /THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Chickens at a poultry farm in Abbotsford, B.C. Canadian per capita consumption of chicken has increased to one kilogram per person.

Protein crests current appetite wave

Laura Rance-Unger 4 minute read Preview

Protein crests current appetite wave

Laura Rance-Unger 4 minute read Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026

Holiday feasts often reflect the latest fads and trends influencing how we eat.

This Thanksgiving’s table is likely to feature more Canadian content than it might otherwise as a point of national pride.

In the recent past, the carb-free craze has made cauliflower a substitute for the mashed potatoes on some family spreads. Some have gone meatless, while others have added more. Still others offer gluten-free, dairy-free or fat-free alternatives.

Nowadays, it seems consumers can’t get enough protein. Desmond Sobool, deputy chief economist Farm Credit Canada, told a recent economic update for the agri-food sector there are two converging influences in play.

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Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026

Environment

This photo taken with a smartphone shows strawberries grown using a steam-powered farming machine in Watsonville, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)

Strawberry farmer hopes steam holds the key to healthy soil and a better crop

Haven Daley, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Strawberry farmer hopes steam holds the key to healthy soil and a better crop

Haven Daley, The Associated Press 4 minute read Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Long-time strawberry farmer Rod Koda has rows of plants on his California farm that are still producing fruit well after the harvest would typically end.

The fields brimming with green near the Pacific Coast have produced nearly twice the amount of organic strawberries this year as other plots thanks to steam, he said. The bountiful plots were treated with steam before Koda planted his organic strawberries as part of a project aimed at finding an alternative to chemical fumigants used to kill soil-borne diseases and weeds.

“It's a very noticeable difference,” Koda said.

Steam has been used for decades in greenhouses, and researchers in California have been working to adapt the technology to the fields where strawberries, one of the state's key crops, are grown near the Pacific Coast. It’s part of a broader push to help organic farmers become more productive and reduce the use of chemicals that environmental advocates say pose a health risk to farmworkers and those who live near the fields.

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Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026

Agriculture

A Thanksgiving turkey dinner is shown in Toronto on Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

A buy Canadian Thanksgiving dinner is well within reach — and budget, experts say

Ritika Dubey, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

A buy Canadian Thanksgiving dinner is well within reach — and budget, experts say

Ritika Dubey, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026

A slow-roasted turkey, buttery stuffing, root vegetables tossed in rosemary and olive oil, creamy mashed potatoes and a cranberry sauce forgotten in the fridge.

It sounds like a table set for Thanksgiving dinner.

A resurgence of patriotism among Canadians have some looking more closely at ingredients and product origins to make sure their festivities are really about celebrating the bounties of the country's harvest — and whether it's possible to serve that Canadian-sourced feast within a budget.

Experts say an all-Canadian meal on a budget isn't hard, as long as it's grounded in the abundance of harvest season and simple recipes. 

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Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026

Agriculture

Work continues on Nutrien Tower in Saskatoon, Sask., Friday, June 25, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards

Nutrien shuts Trinidad nitrogen operations indefinitely due to gas supply issues

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Nutrien shuts Trinidad nitrogen operations indefinitely due to gas supply issues

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Monday, Oct. 5, 2026

SASKATOON - Nutrien Ltd. says it's shutting down its Trinidad nitrogen operations at the Point Lisas Facility indefinitely.

The company says it made the decision due to ongoing natural gas constraints and uncertainty.

The move comes after Nutrien implemented a controlled shutdown of the facility on Oct. 23, 2025, due to port access restrictions and a lack of reliable and economic natural gas supply.

The company says there will be no impact to its nitrogen sales volume forecast as it already assumed no production from the Trinidad operations.

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Monday, Oct. 5, 2026

Opinion

Kim Langen / Killarney Guide files Farmers harvest a crop of wheat near Holmfield on Sept. 2. The next morning, a storm brought substantial rain to the region.

Wet weather heats up feed grain availability

Laura Rance-Unger 4 minute read Preview

Wet weather heats up feed grain availability

Laura Rance-Unger 4 minute read Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026

Other than those in another rain cloud, it’s hard to find the silver linings attached to this year’s soggy harvest.

A showery September continued to cause delays and more deterioration in both quality and yield. Plus, the costs of mitigating post-harvest losses to spoilage are rising as the delays push further into fall. It takes more heat and time to artificially dry down grain as temperatures cool.

Crops harvested in August before the weather turned warm and damp came off with good quality and average yields. But farmers in some areas, such as southwest Manitoba, had only started when the rains came. Now they are plagued with standing water and sprouting swaths of grain that might not even make feed quality.

Suffice to say crop insurance adjusters are going to be busy this fall.

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Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026

Agriculture

Locomotives sit idle at the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) rail yard in Port Coquitlam, B.C., Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

CPKC sets new grain handling record for September and third quarter

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

CPKC sets new grain handling record for September and third quarter

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Friday, Oct. 2, 2026

CALGARY - Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. says it has set records for grain shipments in Canada and the United States for September and the third quarter as a whole.

The railway says it moved 2.94 million metric tons of grain and grain products in Canada in September to set a new record for the month.

It says the total came as it moved 30,324 carloads of grain and grain products in Canada.

September was the second month of the 2026-27 crop year.

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Friday, Oct. 2, 2026

Agriculture

Sonia Strobel, CEO and co-founder of Vancouver-based community supported fishery Skipper Otto, smiles in Vancouver, on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Rich Lam

Trade tensions spur fresh wave of interest in community-supported farms, fisheries

Brett Bundale, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Trade tensions spur fresh wave of interest in community-supported farms, fisheries

Brett Bundale, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026

It started with one fisher who wanted to be paid a fair price for his catch.

Now Skipper Otto — Canada’s largest community-supported fishery — is connecting roughly 70 independent fish harvesters directly to Canadian consumers, a number that has grown as trade tensions with the United States send demand for local food soaring.

"We have our commitments before we even untie from the docks," said Skipper Otto chief executive Sonia Strobel, whose father-in-law Otto Strobel was the inspiration for the seafood business she co-founded with her husband, Shaun.

"Our members can pick and choose whatever seafood they want throughout the year from their pre-paid credit," she said in an interview from Vancouver. "It's a model that supports local small-scale fisheries and we're seeing more and more interest as Canadians think hard about food security and supporting local."

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Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026

Science & Technology

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

Horses trot during the parade at the 2026 International Plowing Match in Walkerton, Ont., on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Carlos Osorio

Ontario farmers looking for help amid record diesel costs

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Ontario farmers looking for help amid record diesel costs

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 22, 2026

WALKERTON - Ontario farmers are looking for help as the cost of diesel hits record levels amid the war in Iran that has disrupted global crude oil shipments.

Jesse Kenwell runs a cash crop and cow-calf operation near Collingwood, Ont., and said diesel prices have been "pretty devastating."

While prices for corn, soy and cattle have gone up, fuel prices have gone up more, he said.

He uses diesel for pretty much every machine on his farm, from combines to tractors, which "run all the time."

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Tuesday, Sep. 22, 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 2 minute read Preview

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

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press 2 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

A head of wheat is silhouetted by the sun in a wheat crop near Cremona, Alta., Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

From soggy fields to skyrocketing diesel, Prairie farmers face tough harvest

Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

From soggy fields to skyrocketing diesel, Prairie farmers face tough harvest

Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Sunday, Sep. 20, 2026

CALGARY - Stephen Vandervalk half-jokes that there's a reason more farmers aren't seen pitching their businesses on "Dragon's Den" and "Shark Tank." 

"They would laugh you out of the room," said the fourth-generation southern Alberta wheat grower.

It's an industry where investment decisions span generations, not fiscal quarters, and where owners are at the mercy of forces as fickle as weather and as volatile as war. Canadian farmers are working to get their crops off their fields against a particularly stormy backdrop this year, as conflict upends global supply chains and the U.S. administration throws a once rock-solid cross-border trading relationship into disarray.   

And, in the West, the skies were of little help. 

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Sunday, Sep. 20, 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 2 minute read Preview

Man dies in farming accident in southwestern Manitoba, RCMP say

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Friday, Sep. 18, 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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Friday, Sep. 18, 2026

Agriculture

People rally in opposition to the Alto high-speed rail project as they gather on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Quebec’s farmers union is calling on Ottawa to suspend Alto high-speed rail project

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Quebec’s farmers union is calling on Ottawa to suspend Alto high-speed rail project

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 15, 2026

LONGUEUIL - An association representing Quebec farmers is calling on the federal government to suspend its plans for a high-speed rail project between Quebec City and Toronto.

Last Friday, the Union des producteurs agricoles wrote to federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon to ask him to put the brakes on the project.

In the letter, the union president, Martin Caron, questioned the benefits of a Quebec City—Toronto high-speed rail line.

Caron says that a high-frequency train would also provide gains in travel time and reliability at lower costs.

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Tuesday, Sep. 15, 2026

Opinion

Tim Smith / Brandon Sun files Storm clouds hover over a crop in the Westman region last month. A series of deluges over the past four weeks has dogged harvest time.

Multiple factors add up to difficult harvest

Laura Rance-Unger 4 minute read Preview

Multiple factors add up to difficult harvest

Laura Rance-Unger 4 minute read Saturday, Sep. 12, 2026

Earlier this month, farmers sent agriculture publications some heartbreaking photos showing how heavy rains across the Prairies had pummelled a promising harvest.

An idled combine up to its axles in a flooded Saskatchewan field, straw bales surrounded by water and field equipment stranded on the far side of a washed-out section told the obvious story.

The Sept. 6-7 event was just the latest in a series of heavy rainfall events that have plagued this year’s growing season. Similar deluges hit different regions July 15-17, Aug. 14, and Aug. 31 — some of which were accompanied by tornadoes.

“What’s made this season challenging is the intensity of these rainfalls,” said Manitoba Agriculture ag meteorology specialist Alison Sass as she reviewed the summer’s weather patterns on an extension webinar.

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Saturday, Sep. 12, 2026

Agriculture

Farmer Jason Kurtz harvests corn Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, near Forest City, Mo. (AP Photo/Nick Ingram)

Diesel prices are hitting record highs at a bad time for many US farmers

Nick Ingram And Sudhin Thanawala, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Diesel prices are hitting record highs at a bad time for many US farmers

Nick Ingram And Sudhin Thanawala, The Associated Press 3 minute read Friday, Sep. 11, 2026

FOREST CITY, Mo. (AP) — The price of diesel is hitting record highs just when many U.S. farmers need it to power combines, tractors and other equipment to harvest two of the nation's largest commodities, soybeans and corn.

The spike adds to an already tough year for these farmers, who also faced higher costs for fertilizer, seeds and equipment.

Diesel hit a record price in the U.S. on Sept. 4, soaring to an average of $5.85 a gallon for the first time as the six-month war with Iran disrupted the world’s flow of fuel. It has gone even higher since then, going for an average price of $6.05 a gallon on Friday, according to AAA.

“Those prices hurt," said Paul Mitchell, a professor of agricultural and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “And it’s not just the harvesting. It’s the hauling of everything, moving the grain or the silage from the field to the farm and then from the farm to wherever they're selling it.”

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Friday, Sep. 11, 2026

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