Carbon Tax, Cost Of Grain Drying Discussed This Week In Ottawa

The country's agriculture ministers met this week in Ottawa.

 

Blaine Pedersen is Manitoba's Minister of Agriculture and Resource Development.

 

"When we were having our discussions with the federal minister, we certainly reiterated the cost of the carbon tax on propane and natural gas use for drying the crops," he said. "There's a lot of drying that happened this fall. She has asked us to put together some numbers in Manitoba's case, what the extra cost will be and so we'll be reaching out to the farm community to pull together some of the numbers, because I know they are substantial."

 

Other topics of discussion at the meeting included Business Risk Management, African swine fever, and trade issues.

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.