2017 was another successful year in the Ag sector.
The overall crop production was better than anticipated given the dry conditions, those dry conditions also impacted hay and pasture conditions and along with high winds, unfortunately, spurred wildfire damage in the south.
That’s the view of APAS President Todd Lewis as he reflects back on the year.
"Overall we've had a successful year," he said. "It was busy again, and grain transportation is always an issue, and it seems like it might be an issue again this winter with some of the things that are going on. We had a good talk with the federal grain monitor, that spoke to some of the issues that are going on, and we may have a bit of a headache coming up on it this winter."
He notes going forward there are lots to continue to focus on from the Liberal’s tax changes to the carbon tax, Bill C49 and numerous trade issues from the NAFTA renegotiations, to the TPP11 discussions and India’s tariffs and fumigation concerns.
Lewis adds that 2017 was also another interesting and challenging year.
He says policy put forward by the Federal Government this year demanded a lot of attention.
"I think certainly the carbon tax issue, and everything surrounding that has been a focus as well as some unexpected ones like the tax reform situation that came over the summertime," he said. "I think we still have some ongoing issues with that, but the federal government pulled back and a lot of their initial proposals, so I think we will call that one a success."
Source : Discoverestevan