AgNow | Feb 2026

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2026

Never too early to think about new equipment

TIM SMITH BRANDON SUN

Visitors to Manitoba Ag Days 2026 explore some of the farm equipment on display at the Keystone Centre on Wednesday.

Cuts to AAFC are disastrous for Canada, says National Farmers Union

by CAM DAHL H ow did Canadian agriculture fare in 2025? What trends will continue from 2025 into 2026 and what does that mean for export dependent farmers? A year ago, I predicted that 2025 would be filled with global uncertainty that disrupted markets. I was hoping that this forecast would be proven wrong, but unfortunately it was not. Our neigh- bour to the south is focused on “America First”. U.S. policies are moving away from supporting free and open trade. Canadian agriculture faced a short pe- riod of tariffs but ultimately was protected by the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). Howev- er, we don’t know if this will continue until the end of 2026 as CUSMA is up for review. This is the most important policy file for the 90 percent of farmers in Canada that depend on international markets. The agreement will either be extended to 2032, put into a cycle of annual reviews, or terminated. The outcome of the review will determine the fiscal sus- tainability of many farms across Canada, including Manitoba. Tariffs are a threat, but they are not the only pro- tectionist measures faced by farmers and food pro- cessors. The revival of country-of-origin labelling in the U.S. and individual state legislation that is frag- menting the North American market (e.g., Propo- sition 12 in California) are just two other examples of protectionist policies threatening Canadian agri- culture and food exports, and the U.S. is not alone. China has targeted agriculture commodities in re- taliation for Canadian tariffs on electric vehicles. The European Union continues to block Canadian agricultural and food exports using non-tariff trade barriers. Uncertainty in world trade is costly for both Man- itoba farmers and processors. Unfortunately, this uncertainty will remain throughout 2026 and will likely intensify during the review of CUSMA. Secur- ing the North American market, offsetting the cost of trade uncertainty, and trade diversification need to be at the top of the policy list for all governments in 2026. Food and agriculture need to be top of mind at every Canadian negotiating table in 2026. Canadian governments and negotiators need to be continu- ously reminded that food and beverage processing is the largest manufacturing sector in Canada with sales worth about $175 billion. The sector accounts for over 20 percent of total manufacturing sales. Meat products comprise the largest proportion of the food manufacturing sector in both Manitoba and Canada. If agriculture and food are left behind in trade discussions, livelihoods in every region of Manitoba will be significantly impacted. Manitoba hog farmers continue to be world lead- ers in disease prevention and management. The entire sector has recognized the need to work to- gether to effectively protect the health of animals under our care. Sometimes this means that parts of the value chain take actions that are not in their short-term fiscal interest but will deliver long-term benefits to the entire sector. This level of collabora- tion is not often found in other countries or regions. Manitoba’s pork sector should be congratulated for this accomplishment. Working with the entire value chain to prevent Forecasting 2026

“Farmers in every part of Canada are af- fected. Research is needed to develop the best kinds of solutions that will be cost-ef- fective for farmers and help us strengthen our food sovereignty.” Several targeted research facilities sup- port public plant breeding. Field plots allow breeders to compare and assess va- rieties. “Public plant breeding is the cor- nerstone of Canada’s agriculture sector,” said Jennifer Seward, Manitoba farmer and Executive Director of Manitoba Seed Grow- ers Association. “Our public breeders have a deep commitment to quality and public benefit. These cuts undermine the dollars that taxpayers and farmers have invested into variety research for decades, and the seed industry is first and foremost, con- cerned with the loss of this investment.” Dave Gehl, retired Indian Head Research Farm manager said. “The loss of funding under the Harper government in the 2012 budget caused great harm to AAFC. What we need is a reversal, not an intensification of such austerity measures. Our research farm, as well as the others slated for clo- sure, make huge contributions locally by providing good jobs to hundreds of people, to all rural communities through the re- sults of their work, and to all Canadians by ensuring our agriculture system remains productive, sustainable and economically viable.” The research institutions on the chop- ping block are key components of Canada’s original nation-building infrastructure. Nova Scotia’s Nappan Research Farm and Indian Head Research Farm in Saskatch- ewan were established in 1887, while Al- berta’s Lacombe Research Centre dates back to 1907, and Scott Research Farm in Saskatchewan to 1911. The Portage la Prai- rie Manitoba research farm was set up in 1944 towards the end of the Second World War, Quebec City Research Center opened in Canada’s centennial year 1967 and On- tario’s Guelph Research and Development Centre in 1997. By closing them, we will also lose their lands (including plots with scientific data going back a century), build- ings - from historic sites to brand new pur- pose-built facilities, equipment ranging from specially adapted farm machinery to sophisticated laboratory instruments. The National Farmers Union is calling for not only a reversal of these cuts, but re-investment in public agricultural re- search. In a world increasingly fraught with uncertainty, rebuilding our capacity for public-interest agricultural research will provide Canada with the strategic au- tonomy to deliver security and confidence into the future.

NATIONAL FARMERS UNION L ast week in his speech in Davos, Prime Minister Carney said , “A coun- try that cannot feed itself, fuel itself or defend itself has few options.” Four days later, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada announced 12 percent of its workforce – 665 positions — and seven agriculture research facilities are to be cut. Over the weekend we also witnessed the U.S., our largest trading partner and source of much of our processed and fresh foods, lurch even further into violence and unrest. By closing the doors on agricultural research centres and research farms, and ejecting people who represent upwards of 10,000 years’ worth of experience from the public service, Canada will be foreclosing on the discovery, problem-solving, and knowl- edge-base that would have been created by these institutions, leaving us more vul- nerable with fewer options. “We are facing multiple crises that affect our capacity to produce the food and ag- ricultural products that Canadians need,” said Phil Mount, NFU vice president, poli- cy. “We need more investment, not less, in our public research institutions and per- sonnel. The planned cuts would remove about $154 million from AAFC’s annual budget, but this is a false economy. Cutting our capacity to address known and emerg- ing agriculture problems will be far more costly. For just one example, agricultural economist Dr. Richard Gray has shown that there is a $35 return to farmers and the public for every dollar invested in pub- lic plant breeding.” “AAFC researchers working in the public interest can tackle large, difficult questions and freely share their findings, helping farmers succeed in the long term. Farm- ers have partnered with AAFC by putting tens of millions of check-off dollars into these research projects, as has the West- ern Grains Research Foundation (WGRF) which allocates money indirectly con- tributed by farmers. Closing these AAFC facilities will make it that much harder to find institutions with the capacity to utilize these funds,” said Terry Boehm, NFU rep- resentative on the WGRF. “Cutting the Organic and Regenerative Research Program at the Swift Current Re- search Centre, the sustainable livestock programs at Lacombe and the Nappan Research Farm, along with the agro-eco- system resilience research at Quebec City, weakens Canada’s ability to deal with cli- mate change impacts and biodiversity loss,” said Jenn Pfenning, NFU President.

SUPPLIED Cam Dahl is the general manager of Manitoba Pork.

and mitigate disease impacts is a key priority for Manitoba hog farmers in 2026. This includes pre- venting diseases like Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome and Porcine Epidemic Diar- rhea virus where possible and limiting their spread when it is not. We are also working with processors, veterinarians, transport companies, and Manito- ba’s Office of the Chief Veterinarian to keep foreign animal diseases like Foot and Mouth Disease and African Swine Fever out of Manitoba. Again, col- laboration is the key factor in developing effective disease prevention and response plans. On the economic front, 2025 was a profitable year across the hog sector. Profitability is being driven by strong pork demand around the world, relatively affordable pork prices for consumers, es- pecially when compared to beef, disease pressures in other pork producing regions, and reasonable feed costs. I expect profitable conditions to contin- ue into 2026, at least for the first half of the year. Profitability in the second half of 2026 will depend in large part on the world trade situation. Given current profitability, 2026 should be a year of renewal and growth for Manitoba’s hog sector, but investing in the future is difficult when markets and trade patterns remain uncertain. Financing barns with a 25-year lifespan becomes more costly and difficult with growing uncertainty. Manitoba’s Economic Development Plan recognizes the im- pact of international uncertainty on the province’s investment climate and recognizes the need to re- duce our reliance on trade with the U.S. a priori- ty for 2026 will be to develop ways to partner with government and industry to offset some of these financial risks and costs to facilitate industry re- newal. In some ways, 2026 will likely look a lot like 2025. We will continue to see significant trade and mar- ket uncertainty, with the potential to see this uncer- tainty increase going into the CUSMA review. Posi- tive profitability should continue, based on strong demand, disease pressure in other jurisdictions, and manageable feed costs. The question at the end of 2026 will be whether the potential negatives coming from the political environment outweighed the natural potential positives of the market. Cam Dahl is the general manager of Manitoba Pork.

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