30-day reprieve allows time to prepare for potential tariffs

Feb 14, 2025

Agri-Food Economic Systems published a thought piece on February 8, 2025 that provides valuable coaching on how to approach the threat of 25 per cent tariffs on March 4. Authors Al Mussell, Douglas Hedley and Ted Bilyea share their strategic thinking.

Here’s a key excerpt on understanding the Canadian interest:

“In a trade negotiation (or a trade war) what matters is not just the vulnerabilities of the other side -- it is also the vulnerabilities and opportunities of your side with respect to your counterpart. We need to understand ourselves.

However, a common approach is to focus on the vulnerabilities of a counterpart and target those in retaliation. For example, if the members of a legislature coming up for election can be identified and the key industries located in their constituencies determined, targeting the products of those key industries with retaliation provides leverage. This is accompanied by engagement with regional governments to remind them of the benefits from trade and the value of partnership.

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Video: The $1.7 Billion Network Behind Canada's Seed Retail Future

Canadian agriculture has changed dramatically over the past 50 years, and so has the business of bringing new crop varieties to farmers. But as public plant breeding faces new pressures, private investment grows and farmers demand more from their genetics, what will the next 50 years look like?

In this special Seed World Canada Retail Strategy Webinar, we celebrate SeCan's 50th anniversary by looking beyond its history to explore the future of Canadian seed retail, plant breeding and variety commercialization.

Join Seed World Canada Senior Editor Marc Zienkiewicz and five industry experts as they discuss how independent seed businesses are adapting to a changing marketplace, the importance of partnerships between breeders and retailers, and what it will take to keep innovative crop genetics flowing into Canadian farmers' fields.