Talking Points

Canada's federal government is investing $490,000 to enhance Lake Winnipeg's health, benefiting farmers in southern Manitoba. The funding will support projects in the Pemina Valley, Redboine, and Seine Rat Roseau watershed districts, focusing on water retention, wetland restoration, and livestock relocation. Additionally, a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) extends previous funding of $2.8 million for 16 projects aimed at reducing nutrient loading and promoting Indigenous agricultural participation.

• The Manitoba Association of Watersheds will oversee the funded projects.
• Since 2017, Lake Winnipeg initiatives have received $16.8 million in funding.
• The new funding aims to improve agricultural sustainability and environmental health.

This investment is crucial for supporting local farmers while addressing environmental challenges in the region.

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Funding and programs

Lake Winnipeg funding could benefit producers in many ways

Funding from Canada’s federal government aims to improve the health of Lake Winnipeg, and could help farmers in numerous aspects. A total of $490,000 will be awarded to the Manitoba Association of Watersheds (MAW) for projects in three different watershed districts – Pemina Valley, Redboine and Seine Rat Roseau, located in southern Manitoba. Eligible projects to receive funding include water retention, wetland restoration and livestock relocation. The federal and provincial governments also extended their MOU covering Lake Winnipeg, which includes $2.8M in new funding across 16 partner-led projects to reduce nutrient loading and enhance agricultural participation across Indigenous populations. Lake Winnipeg projects have received $16.8 million since 2017, which does not include the latest funding.

New farm business management program to provide time, tools and perspective

Bridges to Success has launched Capstone, a new national farm business management program designed to help Canadian farmers prepare their business for the future. Capstone will be delivered through four immersive models across five Canadian locations – Saskatoon (where the first module will be taking place), Halifax, Calgary, Montreal and Ottawa. The program will provide participants with time, tools and perspective to step back from day-to-day operations and focus on the future of their businesses. They will work on their own businesses throughout the program and leave with a strategic plan, practical management tools, stronger relationships with peers and advisors and greater confidence in their decision-making. Registration closes Nov. 13.

Producers and people

U.S. farm profits set to ease this year

Overall farm profitability is set to decline for 2026, according to the USDA’s official Farm Income Forecast, released earlier this month. The USDA’s research service examines sector-specific revenues and profits, and shows a mixed picture for 2026 – crop producers will fenefit from stronger commodity markets and increased government support, but rising production costs and weaker livestock revenue is expected to pull overall net farm income down. Net farm income is considered the broadest benchmark for farm profitability, and is projected to land at $158.4 billion in 2026, down from last year. Although many sales remain strong, sharp expense increases have challenged some sectors. The lower income projected decrease is attributed partially to farm cash receipts being slightly lower, even despite stronger crop sales. Net cash farm income is relatively flat at $176.4 billion. Despite the decline, both measures remain above long-term averages, and field crops (such as soybean and cotton) and vegetable and melon receipts remain a bright spot. Rice, wheat, sugarbeets and sugarcane are projected to see lower receipts.

In particular, the livestock sector is facing challenges, with receipts expected to decline to $287.3B, with chicken egg receipts, milk receipts, broiler receipts and hog receipts seeing varying levels of reduction. The cattle sector and turkey producers are, however, expected to see improvements.

OGVG adds new data personnel

The Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG) has appointed Aron Kavanagh as its new junior data integrity analyst. Kavanagh will support data collection, validation and reporting across the sector, strengthening the association’s ability to deliver accurate and timely industry intelligence to growers, stakeholders and government partners. Kavanagh is a recent MBA graduate from the University of Windsor with experience in data analysis, financial modelling, market research and more.

Research and innovation

CAAIN commits $4.2M to new automation projects

The Canadian Agri‑Food Automation and Intelligence Network (CAAIN) has unveiled the five projects that will receive support from its latest round of funding, directing $4.2 million toward innovations that advance automation and AI adoption in greenhouse production. These projects include Chatham, ON’s Truly Green Farms, which is piloting an AI-guided robotic grading and packhouse system for on-the-vine tomatoes; an AI-based system for CO2 enrichment and nutrient management in controlled-environment production; and other initiatives spanning robotics, automation and digital decision-support tools across horticulture and field crops.

MSU looks at innovative packaging

A new two-year project led by Michigan State University (MSU) professor Muhammed Rabnawas and supported by the National Science Foundation will focus on the development of innovative, thermoplastic packaging for the food sector that is cost-efficient, high-performing, biodegradable and microplastic-free. Rabnawas is a natural resources and agriculture faculty laureate and professor MSU’s school of packaging. Using a $540,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, Rabnawaz will explore the materials through experiments and artificial intelligence-driven machine learning technologies. The ultimate goal, to the benefit of the agri-food and food processing industries, is to develop materials that break down in composting environments without leaving behind persistent plastic particles.

Policy and governance

Oosterhoff to lead Ontario ag file 

Doug Ford shuffled his Ontario provincial cabinet on Sept. 10. While some key positions did not change, the province has ushered in a new Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff succeeds previous minister Trevor Jones, who has been in the role for one year and now takes on the role of Minister of Immigration, Training and Skill Development. He has previously held the cabinet position of Associate Minister of Energy-Intensive Industries and has also served as the parliamentary assistant to the education minister. Oosterhoff was raised in Beamsville, near Vineland, ON and his connections to agriculture extend through his paternal family. His paternal grandfather, Richard “Jake” Oosterhoff emigrated to Canada at the age of 15 and began to work on tobacco and sugar beet farms, as well as a fertilizer factory. His grandfather’s family later purchased a dairy farm in Dunnville, ON. Following the sale of the dairy farm, Jake Oosterhoff later relocated to the Niagara region where he worked as a pork and egg producer, as well as a turkey farm owner and operator (with some fruit trees on the side).

Funding and programs

Canada invests in Manitoba Metis growers

Canada is investing $160,545 in the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF), the National Government of the Red River Métis, through the AgriDiversity Program under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP). The goal of the funding is to identify the needs of Red River Métis producers. Specifically, the funding will support community meetings where Red River Métis producers and agriculture professionals can convene and share knowledge. It will also support surveys designed to learn more about challenges and priorities in the local agriculture community.

FCC launches billion-dollar agri-food initiative

Earlier this month, Farm Credit Canada (FCC) launched a 60-day Expression of Interest (EOI) process for its new $1 billion Agri-food Project Finance initiative. The initiative invites Canadian organizations to bring forward major projects in both agri-food processing and manufacturing to support and strengthen Canada’s food systems, and is part of the federal government’s new National Food Security Strategy. The EOI window will help FCC identify suitable projects and better understand industry demand.

Trade, markets and marketing

Canadian groups warn counter-tariffs will hurt input prices

Counter-tariffs on U.S. imports set to go into effect Sept. 8 could affect the price of growers’ inputs in key sectors. Flowers Canada Growers is encouraging its producers to consult a custom broker to confirm if any of their operational inputs are captured under the updated tariff schedule. In a recent update to members, FCG urged producers to inform the group if there are any “products of concern that will limit profitability of your business or the sector as a whole.” Already, the government has reversed course on at least one high-profile, planned counter-tariff on fish and seafood products, which prompted expressions of relief from Canada’s fish and seafood industries. However, agricultural equipment remains a target of the counter-tariffs. These counter-tariffs were in response to the U.S. Section 338 tariffs applied to a wide range of products from Canada with rates between 15 to 50 per cent.