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Farm income, flea beetles and consultation on a Canadian food policy

Jun 4, 2017 | 5:32 PM

OTTAWA –  Major agriculture news from Country 95’s ‘In the Field’ segment in the past week has included everything from farm income to flea beetle scouting and the launch of consultation of a national food policy.

Federal Food Policy:

 Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay has announced that the government is launching consultations to support the development of a food policy for Canada.

Canadians are encouraged to share their input through an online survey that will help shape a food policy that will cover the entire food system.

MacAulay says food plays a critical role in the health and well-being of Canadians, while also having a direct impact on the environment, economy, and communities.

The four major themes are increasing access to affordable food, improving health and food safety, conserving soil, water and air and growing more high-quality food 

Farm income:
 
Statistics Canada reports realized net farm income rose 7.6 per cent on a national basis last year.

Realized net farm income may seem like a complicated formula but it’s the difference between cash receipts and operating expenses, minus depreciation, plus income in kind.

Realized net income grew in six provinces, including Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.  However, the realized net farm income dropped in Saskatchewan in 2016.

The Statistics show Saskatchewan was not on the list because  farm cash receipts declined by 2.5 per cent in that province last year.
 
 Deferred cash purchases:

Keystone Agriculture Producers, also known as KAP, is urging the federal government to maintain deferred cash purchase tickets for grain.

KAP says they’re an important tool that offer farmers greater capacity to stabilize their incomes and better predict their tax liabilities from year to year.

They strongly disagree with the Finance Department’s belief that there is no need for cash ticket deferrals following the elimination of the Canadian Wheat Board.

KAP says weather conditions and crop yields can be unpredictable, and markets can be volatile, and deferred cash purchase tickets allow farmers to better plan for the future in the face of such conditions.
 
 Flea-Beetles:

An agronomist with the Canola Council of Canada says now is the time to be extra diligent when scouting.

Angela Brackenreed says flea beetles are a big concern right now, especially with the recent windy weather.

Brackenreed notes it’s also important to look for bare patches, as cutworms may be the culprit.

She recommends digging around the perimeter of those patches to look for the pests, adding they could go down as deep as 10 centimetres in dry soil.