BLOG

Daniel Schuurmann and Alfons Weersink A report[1] released in late September claimed Canada’s emissions targets on fertilizer could cost farmers over $48 billion by 2030. The report by the consulting firm Meyers Norris Penny (MNP), prepared for Fertilizer Canada, came in response to Environment Canada’s climate plan which set a target to reduce emissions from fertilizer by 30% below current levels. The cost of emission reductions from fertilizer is proxied in this report by t

Nicholas Bannon, Aaron De Laporte, Daniel Schuurman and Alfons Weersink The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in March 2021 that the federal carbon pricing scheme is constitutional. While the Supreme Court’s decision shows the legality of carbon pricing, widespread controversy still surrounds the policy, especially with recent increases from $30 to $40 per tonne and further proposed annual increases by $15 per tonne until the price reaches $170 per tonne in 2030. Inevitably, this

Food retailers are getting a lot of attention lately related to increases in supply chain fees imposed on their suppliers. These fees are the cost of doing business with large retailers who have significant shares of the market. It forces suppliers to buy access to large shares of the food customers. Retailers cite the costs of PPE and other COVID safety measures and investments in store upgrades and ecommerce as rising costs and a desire not to raise prices as a reason for

By Nicholas Bannon, Sean Mitchell, and Alfons Weersink Fertilizer Canada implemented the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Program (Right Source, Right Rate, Right Time, Right Place) in response to the growing concerns such as increased algae blooms in the Great Lakes and greenhouse gas emissions associated with fertilizer use in agriculture. This is initiative is designed to educate agri-retailers and growers across Canada about the best management practices in fertilize

By Nicholas Bannon, Sean Mitchell and Alfons Weersink Farm size, crop types, topography, climate, and labour use are only some of the differences between farming operations located in Ontario, the Prairies, and in the U.S.A. Midwest States. Surprisingly, despite these differences farmers in these regions face nearly identical barriers to further adoption of precision agriculture technologies. During the summer of 2019, the Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economi

We are experiencing unprecedented disruption to normal life and commerce in order to flatten the pandemic curve due to COVID-19. Physical distancing requires us to stay at home. COVID-19 has forced the closure of non-essential businesses across many jurisdictions globally. Exemptions include those involved in supporting the food supply chain from sellers of animal feed to the sellers of food in grocery stores. Restaurants are closed and we have seen some empty shelves at the

I received a sad text from a friend of mine who is a dairy farmer. They are being asked to dump milk as the processors to whom it is assigned cannot use it right now. This is difficult to understand in a time where we are seeing empty grocery stores shelves. Supply chains are complex systems. Many supply chains are built for efficiency and stability and when there is a significant shock to the system, it takes some time to adjust. That is exactly what is happening here. While

One of the greatest myths of Canadian agriculture is that the family farm is dying. If family farms could talk, they’d likely echo Mark Twain’s quote that “the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” I see frequent reports that the family farm is disappearing and “corporate farms” are taking over. It is true that agriculture is changing, but the changes are a reflection of changing technology more than a fundamental change in ownership. There are clearly fewer farms in

A piece that my colleagues Alfons Weersink, Aaron De Laporte, Liam Kelly and I published on the Conversation on February 12th, 2019. Food continues to find its way into the consciousness of Canadians. It’s in our news feed, on our television screens and, more and more, part of our day-to-day conversations. The challenge is to separate the fact from the fiction, the ephemeral from the soon-to-be everyday. The University of Guelph’s newest Food Focus Trends Report highlights si

This was also published on the conversation.com on September 3rd, 2018. Negotiations for a revised North American Free Trade Agreement have been ongoing for more than a year, but now it’s crunch time — especially for Canada. What happens in the coming days will determine if NAFTA survives as a three-country trade pact or whether Canada will be left on the sidelines. Since U.S. President Donald Trump announced the United States had a deal with Mexico that could replace NAFTA,

This is a piece that I wrote with my colleague John Cranfield in the Conversation. Published on January 14th, 2018. Will taxing meat products based on their carbon footprint reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve public health? The answer is maybe, but not notably — and it will come with significant costs. A recent study in the journal Nature Climate Change advocates applying taxes to the consumption of meat as a means of lowering GHG emissions. The idea is that if