FVGC welcomes platform commitments on food security and sector sustainability

Apr 25, 2025

At a time when food security is top of mind for Canadians, the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC) has reviewed the 2025 federal election platforms to assess how well each party addresses the urgent needs of Canada’s fruit and vegetable sector. FVGC’s analysis focused on five core priorities critical to safeguarding our food supply: food security, business risk management, labour, crop protection, and trade competitiveness.

The Liberal platform demonstrates the strongest alignment with FVGC’s recommendations, including commitments to apply a food lens to the mandates of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), permanently increase the AgriStability payment cap, grow greenhouse capacity, and invest in domestic processing and trade diversification.

“These commitments tell us our message is being heard,” said Massimo Bergamini, executive director of FVGC. “But election platforms aren’t blueprints—they’re invitations. It’s our job to ensure these ideas become meaningful action.”

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Video: Winter Canola Trial in Mississippi | Can It Work for Double Cropping? | Pioneer Agronomy

Can winter canola open new opportunities for growers in the Mid-South? In this agronomy update from Noxubee County, Mississippi, Pioneer agronomist Gus Eifling shares an early look at a first-year winter canola trial and what farmers are learning from the field.

Planted in late October on 30-inch rows, the crop is now entering the bloom stage and progressing quickly. In this video, we walk through current field conditions, fertility management, and how timing could make this crop a valuable option for double-cropping soybeans or cotton.

If harvest timing lines up with early May, growers may be able to transition directly into another crop during ideal planting windows. Ongoing field trials will help determine whether canola could become a viable rotational option for the region.

Watch for:

How winter canola is performing in its first season in this Mississippi field

Why growers chose 30-inch rows for this trial

What the crop looks like as it moves from bolting into bloom

Fertility strategy, including nitrogen and sulfur applications

How canola harvest timing could enable double-cropping with soybeans or cotton

Upcoming trials comparing soybeans after canola vs. traditional planting

As more growers look for ways to maximize acres and diversify rotations, experiments like this help determine what new crops might fit into existing systems.