Canada’s political leaders need a plan to support our farmers

OTTAWA – Now that the federal election cycle has officially begun, Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) is urging political leaders to share their party’s plan to address the market access challenges facing Canada’s export-oriented agriculture sector.

 

“We are just weeks away from choosing a new federal government and we have yet to hear anything concrete regarding trade from any of our major parties or political leaders,” said GGC Chair Jeff Nielsen from his farm in Olds, AB. “Whoever wins this election will be inheriting this situation and must have a strategy in place to address it in short order.”

 

With the vast majority of Canadian grain destined for international markets, the importance of a robust and clear strategy for trade cannot be understated.

 

While China has dominated the headlines – and rightly so – due to their halting of canola, soybeans, beef, and pork products, the market access problems experienced by farmers have extended beyond Canada’s second-largest trading partner. GGC members have borne the brunt of the cost associated with halted durum wheat trade with Italy, the shutdown of pulse products shipped into India, and persistent challenges with Vietnam and Saudi Arabia.

 

The volatility of these export markets is having a clear and negative impact on hard-working farm families. Statistics Canada has reported that our nation’s farmers saw net farm income fall by 45 per cent to $3.9 billion in 2018, the second-consecutive annual drop in income and the lowest reported in eight years.

 

Without any indication that geopolitical tensions will ease anytime soon, harvest 2019 doesn’t offer any cause for optimism.

 

“Canadian grain farmers need market certainty,” added Nielsen. “That means having a federal government who acts aggressively to remove trade barriers that stand in our way and ensures that those with whom we have trade agreements live up to their commitments.”

 

As Canada’s united voice for grain producers, GGC will continue to advocate for reassurance for Canada’s export-oriented farmers. We look forward to working with whoever is willing to stand up for our farmers and our economy.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.