New federal program for youth employment in agriculture short on details Thursday, April 21, 2016 by SUSAN MANNThere’s no doubt a new federal government jobs program aimed at attracting youth to agricultural jobs that benefit the environment will help the farming industry, says Southwestern Ontario vegetable farmer Mark Wales.“It will certainly benefit farming,” says Wales, who’s also the chair of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council. “I need to see the details (of the program) to figure out exactly how.”The council is a non-profit organization focused on addressing Canadian agricultural businesses’ human resources issues.Federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay and Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna announced Monday the $1.9 million in federal funding to the one-year Agricultural Youth Green Jobs Initiative.The funding announcement comes after the government made a commitment in its 2016 budget released in March to provide support for post-secondary graduates to get jobs, including positions that help the agricultural sector implement environmentally beneficial activities, says the government’s April 18 news release.The money will fund internships both on the farm and within agriculture and agri-food organizations. But the agricultural green jobs initiative is not a summer employment program, the release says. BF Engineered alfalfa seeds 'adds some complexity' to Ontario hay export venture says forage council manager Better Farming joins Farms.com family
A new front in the repair access debate Friday, March 6, 2026 Iowa lawmakers have pushed the right‑to‑repair conversation into new territory with House File 2529, a bill that focuses specifically on diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) systems—the single most common cause of emissions-related downtime on modern farm machinery. The bill would require... Read this article online
March 8 is International Women’s Day Friday, March 6, 2026 Across the United States and Canada, women are taking on increasingly visible roles in agriculture—managing farms, leading ag-tech startups, advancing research, and strengthening the rural economies that feed both nations. Their work reflects a shift in an industry once defined... Read this article online
Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry to Visit Toronto and Southwestern Ontario Tuesday, March 3, 2026 The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry will be in Toronto and Southwestern Ontario later this week as part of its ongoing study on the role of Canada’s agriculture and agri‑food sector in strengthening national food security. The fact‑finding mission is scheduled for... Read this article online
AgriStability Program Updated to Include Pasture-Related Feed Costs Beginning in 2026 Monday, March 2, 2026 In case you missed it last week, the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced that pasture-related feed costs will be added as an allowable expense under AgriStability starting with the 2026 program year. The update addresses rising operational... Read this article online
Bringing more Food and Ingredient Processing Back to Canadian Soil Monday, March 2, 2026 Protein Industries Canada has announced the second cohort of nine companies participating in its Program, an initiative designed to bring more food and ingredient processing back to Canadian soil and expand the nation’s value‑added agriculture sector. The selected companies span the... Read this article online