The president says the U.S. doesn’t need anything from Canada. Exports say otherwise.

OTTAWA - "WE DON'T NEED CANADA, THEY NEED US!" U.S. President Donald Trump's social media post this week was a continuation on a theme he's maintained throughout the trade war: that his country doesn't need anything from Canada.

Experts — and exports — say that's not the case.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has urged the federal government to use some exports as leverage at the negotiating table — and after Trump's latest escalation, he called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to cut off the supply of things like oil and gas, potash and critical minerals.

So far, Canada has been unwilling to take that step.

Summer flooding sinks some fall harvest hopes

A number of Manitoba farmers say they are expecting this year’s harvest to be one of the worst they’ve seen after major flooding decimated fields at the start of summer.

Bob Elliot, who has been farming east of Stonewall for 43 years, said he’s expecting the operation’s 5,500 acres to produce roughly half their normal yield.

Stonewall has logged the most precipitation this summer, with 523 millimetres of rainfall between May 1 and Aug. 16, according to Manitoba’s weather conditions report.

Elliot said the amount of rain has created a “unique” situation for farmers. “This is something that I don’t think anyone around here has ever seen.”

Trump announces plan to lower beef prices, but ranchers and some Republicans are already balking

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced Friday that his administration will allow more beef to be temporarily imported into the U.S. without triggering higher tariffs, which drew swift pushback from cattle producers and conservative rural-state Republicans.

Beef prices have climbed to record highs amid a drop in the number of U.S. cattle, consistent consumer demand and limits on cattle from Mexico, where the animals are facing a flesh-eating pest. The U.S. president has also imposed 50% tariffs on Brazil, a major beef exporter.

Trump remains under pressure to cut costs and address affordability issues ahead of November’s midterms. But ranchers, normally some of the president’s biggest supporters, are enjoying some rare profitable years and worry cheap beef imports will reduce cattle prices — and with it, the incentive to increase herd sizes.

“We all want lower grocery prices, but as I’ve said for months, we cannot do it at the expense of American producers,” Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., said in a statement. “Flooding the market with foreign beef hurts our livestock industry and undermines the long-term solution: growing the U.S. cattle herd to meet demand.”

‘How can we grow back the herd in Canada?’

Amid high beef prices and trade uncertainty, a Farm Credit Canada executive touched down in Winnipeg with a message: it’s time for cattle producers to grow.

“What they face right now is … opportunity,” said Jean-Philippe Gervais, the federal Crown corporation’s executive vice-president of agricultural production.

Gervais was representing FCC, the country’s top agricultural lender, at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference.

He spoke to the Free Press ahead of his keynote speech Thursday afternoon. Hundreds of cattle farmers and industry leaders gathered at the RBC Convention Centre for the four-day event, which began on Monday.

B.C. issues protection order for Salmon River watershed as fish spawn

VICTORIA - The British Columbia government has issued a new temporary protection order for the Salmon River watershed, where chinook salmon have returned to spawn.

The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship says in a news release that the order aims to ensure enough water remains in the river in the Shuswap Region amid ongoing drought conditions and low streamflow, which threaten fish survival.

It says technical staff have been monitoring conditions since a previous temporary protection order was issued on July 28, and then rescinded on Aug. 8, as farmers and ranchers dealt with increased wildfire risk in the region.

The salmon are endangered and the ministry says more than 200 chinook have entered the watershed at a critical stage in their life cycle. 

Manitoba honey industry buzzing as U.S. tariff clock ticks

Canadian product is being rushed to the United States ahead of a threatened 50 per cent tariff on the industry.

Faulty cord blamed for fire last week at N.S. farm where 10,000 chickens died in July

LUNENBURG - A faulty extension cord is being blamed for a shed fire last week at a farm near Lunenburg, where 10,000 chickens died last month after someone broke into a barn and deliberately turned off ventilation fans.

RCMP say they are still investigating the break-in on July 25, but they confirmed that the small fire last week was not considered suspicious.

Firefighters were dispatched to the farm in Pine Grove at 11 p.m. on Thursday and it was later determined the fire was caused by an accidental electrical fault.

The fire caused minor damage and no one was injured.

Pork and politics: Canadians bring trade pitch to Iowa state fair

DES MOINES - Pork is a popular topic at the Iowa State Fair as hungry patrons mow down on barbecue and curious children gaze with wide eyes at the state's biggest pig.

But the 11-day fair in Des Moines has also proven an important opportunity for Canadians to make their case at a time of tumult in the Canada-U.S. relationship.

"Sometimes you just need to remind people in Iowa that that relationship is really beneficial for them," said Rick Préjet, chair of Manitoba Pork, at the state fair on Friday.

Préjet and Manitoba Pork general manager Cam Dahl were among a Manitoba-led Canadian delegation to the fair who met with local politicians and industry groups, including the Iowa Pork Producers Association.

‘We will lose a lot of our annual crops’: B.C. farmers face losses due to wildfires

Ella Braden, the owner of Braden Hill Orchard & Farm, says she was on vacation when wildfires roared through Summerland, B.C.        

She had to get in touch with friends to close up the farm, who were able to give her flock of chickens and ducks the best chance of survival by leaving lots of water and opening a back door so they could escape if needed. Her friends also shut off the irrigation system, closed windows and evacuated her daughter's pet rabbit.   

"Since then, we don't know what's happening with the farm and I think that is the biggest challenge for most folks in Summerland is that the regional district is valuing human life and safety as they absolutely should, but it's so hard not to know," Braden said in an interview.

A thick layer of smoke settled over the nearby city of Penticton, drifting south from Summerland, where the Bald Range fire forced thousands to flee last weekend. The fires are hurting crops and bottom lines for farms, wineries and other growers in the area. 

A punishing European drought shrivels crops from Dutch potatoes to Bosnian corn

WOLPHAARTSDIJK, Netherlands (AP) — A cloud of dust billows behind Maarten Janse’s tractor as he spreads a mixture of compost, straw and manure over a field to nourish the parched soil.

Janse's farm on the fertile land of the Netherlands' southwestern Zeeland Province is drying out despite his efforts to make it more drought resistant as accelerated human-caused global warming and a supersized El Nino batter fields across Europe.

The drought that is roasting much of Europe this summer is taking a heavy toll on crops across the continent, from potatoes in the Netherlands to corn in Bosnia and grapes in Italy. Even when farmers try to adapt, the extreme weather is hitting their crops and water supplies.

Triodos, a Dutch bank that has a focus on sustainability, published an analysis this week that estimated the heatwaves and drought could reduce gross domestic product across the European Union by 1% for 2026 or around 180 billion euros ($208 billion). Farmers are among the hardest hit, with their crops set to be badly affected by soaring temperatures and lack of water. In large parts of the Netherlands, farmers are no longer allowed to use water from streams and drainage channels to irrigate fields and orchards.

From goats to porcupines, these animal evacuees escaped B.C. wildfire

When a wildfire roared toward Summerland, B.C., staff from the Interior Wildlife Rehabilitation Society had to evacuate about 30 animals from the facility in an hour.

Eva Hartmann, founder of the sanctuary, said the centre was destroyed — but the animals have all been safely relocated to a wildlife centre in Kamloops, B.C., about 220 kilometres northeast.

They include bats, skunks, a porcupine, a baby beaver named Poppy, two otters, 14 water birds and three turtles, said Ryan Cope, a volunteer.

"So, it was a bit of a Noah's Ark menagerie getting them out, and they really only had an hour to get out before the fire blew through the property," said Cope, adding that it was chaotic to corral the birds to their respective kennels.

Why some B.C. farmers stay to fight, despite wildfire evacuation orders

When Tom Davison's son-in-law invested in firefighting equipment for their orchard near Vernon, B.C., after a wildfire swept past in 2021, Davison wasn't sure the hoses would get much use.

He figured the blaze, which caused smoke damage to the property, would be a once-a-century experience.

But after high winds pushed flames up to the fence line of Davison Orchards' property on Aug. 1, Davison said he was grateful for his son-in-law's foresight that helped protect the orchard that has been in the family for five generations.

"The fact that he had the proper equipment on site was really a big part of why we were able to do what we did that night," he said.

Dairy farmers warn against concessions as U.S. tariff deadline looms

OTTAWA - Canadian dairy farmers are warning against any concessions involving their sector as trade talks intensify with the United States ahead of President Donald Trump's tariff deadline.

A new round of 50 per cent American tariffs on a range of Canadian goods is set to take effect on Aug. 19. Unlike most of Trump’s other tariffs, these would have no exemptions for goods that comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement on trade.

The supply management system that protects Canadian dairy has been cited by the U.S. as a key irritant in trade negotiations and Trump has complained repeatedly about the level of U.S. dairy farmers' access to Canada's market.

Dairy Farmers of Canada says it's urging the federal government not to offer any more concessions on dairy or supply management in talks with the United States.

California tech company sees Manitoba as strategic gateway to dairy market

GROSSE ISLE — An AI-first California-based company that creates software for the dairy industry is establishing its Canadian headquarters in Winnipeg.

Spade Technologies announced Thursday it will build a team in Manitoba, positioning the province as the centre of its Canadian operations and a strategic gateway to the broader North American dairy market.

The company’s Canadian expansion is backed by SVG Ventures Thrive, a global agrifood innovation and investment platform. The Silicon Valley-based organization is investing $1.4 million into Spade via its Pioneer Fund, which invests in high-growth, early-stage agrifood technology companies.

The fund is backed by Farm Credit Canada as its anchor investor, alongside strategic limited partners including the Manitoba First Fund.