A collection of goings on in agriculture east of Ontario and Quebec
There’s been some activity in the ag communities in Atlantic Canada, and Farms.com is here to keep you updated on those developments.
P.E.I. has a new minister of agriculture.
On Sept. 2, Premier Rob Lantz appointed Hilton MacLennan as the province’s new ag minister in a cabinet shuffle that also saw former ag minister Bloyce Thompson have transportation added to his list of cabinet duties.
“Within the farming industry, and with the retail store, I’ve met a lot of farmers, and I’ve worked with a vast majority of them and, but I’m just looking forward to helping in a different way, in whatever way I can,” MacLennan told peicanada.com.
MacLennan brings backgrounds in farming and retail with him to the ag file.
He owned a dairy farm for 30 years before his daughter and son-in-law took over the operation.
Currently he manages the O’Leary Co-op Feed Mill and Retail Store, his government bio says.
In New Brunswick, livestock farmers have some clarity about vet services going forward.
In March, Premier Susan Holt’s government, as part of its 2026-2027 budget, announced phasing out provincially run veterinary lab services for private alternatives over the coming years.
On Sept. 2, the provincial government announced it will maintain veterinary and foreign animal disease lab services through a new fee structure. And vet services for large animals will transition to Carleton AgriSolutions beginning in April 2027.
“Our goal is to develop an approach that supports continuity of care and minimizes impact to veterinarians, producers, and other clients who rely on large animal veterinary care,” Peter Carpenter, Carleton AgriSolutions’s VP of sales and marketing, said in a statement.
The Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick welcomes the announcement and the stability it brings to the ag community.
“We have a service provider that believes in New Brunswick agriculture. We have veterinarians who remain deeply committed to their work. And we have an agricultural industry that has demonstrated that when something this important is at risk, we will come together and find a way forward,” President Danielle Connell said in a release.
To support the industry, the provincial government is investing up to $1.2 million in the New Brunswick Veterinary Services Assistance Program.
This new program provides financial assistance for travel costs associated with eligible veterinary services.
And in Nova Scotia, applications are open for the Agriculture Skills Student Bursary Program.
This program, funded through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, is designed to help address the ag labour gap in the province.
That gap, according to the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council, could be as high as 2,400 positions by 2030.
Post-secondary students working or who have worked at least 250 hours on a registered farm, including a family farm, can earn up to $1,500 in bursary funding.
The application window closes on Nov. 30, 2026.