Farming hurts –
The three biggest challenges facing farmers in Canada have government stamps. Carbon tax, taxing farmers and food producers into oblivion while causing everything else to go up by leaps and bounds. Next, the Feds claim the production of cereal grains contributes the most to climate change and consequently makes noises about requesting fertilizer use reductions when growing crops. From where will the food come?  
You may wonder why I did not mention the current flooding and too much water causing later and later seeding this spring? That is truly a Mother Nature phenomenon that we can only workaround and our farmers are very good at doing so. 
With gasoline and diesel fuel prices climbing higher and higher, the government relies on so-called carbon taxes to stop climate change. So yes, there might be some.  
Next, Canada’s minister of agriculture Marie-Claude Bibeau participated in the G7 agriculture ministers meeting in Stuttgart on May 13-14, 2022, to address the global challenges that the agricultural sector faces today by taking concrete actions to contribute to all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).   
All seven ministers stated how greatly troubling the expected severe consequences for global food security and nutrition the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine is causing. Its impact on Ukraine’s internationally significant agricultural sector places global food security and nutrition under severe strain. Further, it intensifies worldwide humanitarian needs for which President Putin and his accomplices bear the full responsibility.  
“The war has intensified pressure on global food systems, which are already facing the increasing impacts of climate change, environmental degradation, other conflicts and the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a further rise in hunger and malnutrition. Also further exacerbated by export restrictions.” 
Isn’t this a whopper considering what Bibeau and PM Trudeau are doing to the country back home and done without any invasion of war machines.  
“We note with great concern the severe effects that the recent high in prices for agricultural commodities, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, is having on the economic situation, especially of vulnerable people, and hence on access to healthy diets, in particular in developing countries.” 
Oh, and energy and freight prices increase production costs all along the food chain. Supply disruptions and high prices for fertilizers and other inputs, reducing their affordability and therefore use, with the likely resulting decline in harvests in many countries, will put additional pressure on global food security and nutrition. 
Ok, we have solidarity amongst G7 ag ministers presenting a unified position on their support for Ukraine and criticism of Russia and how the lack of food will starve people. The only way to stop people from starving is the carbon tax.  
However, as my friend and colleague Jack Dawes of Yorkton, SK pointed out other issues affecting Canada also crept into some of the talks.  
For example, the ongoing irritation between Canada and the US over dairy-related supply management issues also caused a response. United States ag secretary Tom Vilsack referred to a side discussion with Marie-Claude Bibeau of Canada. 
“I’m hopeful that the nature of my conversation with the Canadian minister underscores the significant level of disappointment, in that she’s capable in the trade representative and Canada’s capable of reading between the lines in terms of what’s next. And maybe what’s next doesn’t have to happen.” 
Jack described it as this complicated dairy issue that centers around TRQs or tariff rate quotas. Under the US/Mexico/Canada agreement, Canada can maintain a number of these TRQs on certain dairy products. However, the US has gained some traction in its contention that Canada is undermining the value of those dairy TRQs for US farmers and exporters, limiting access to quantities negotiated under the agreement.  
“Now, as we understand it, in January, the USMCA panel agreed with the US that our allocation of dairy TRQs is inconsistent with the agreement,” said Jack.  
Where the matter goes from here, only the feds know. According to the Manitoba Dairy Farmers chair, the tricky part is how the feds tackle this, keeping in mind that it doesn’t shake up the dairy supply management too much and satisfy the United States of America dairy industry political vehicle.   •