Bovine TB found in Manitoba
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed a rare case of bovine tuberculosis in a five-year-old beef cow from a herd in Manitoba.

Clubroot hitchhikes from field to field
LEDUC, Alta. - Bob Wasieczko got more than he paid for at a recent auction sale. He believes the air seeder he bought likely has spores from clubroot, a serious canola disease.

Conservatives boost food aid
Canada's federal Conservative government last week announced a $45 million response to an urgent appeal from the World Food Program to help feed the world's hungry hit by rising food costs.

Aid bought abroad gets OK
For the first time in history, the Canadian government has decided that none of its food aid for foreign delivery must be purchased in Canada.

Weather experts watching La Nina's next move
Weather models indicate La Nina, the weather pattern that typically brings cooler temperatures to Western Canada, is declining in strength. That means it shouldn't affect the weather in western North America this summer.

Biofuel rejects food crisis blame
Biofuel promoters are fed up with the food versus fuel debate and are fighting back.

Biofuel bill hits opposition wall in Commons
The government attempt to get its ethanol legislation through the House of Commons made some small progress last week, but also hit another hurdle as opponents refused to let it come to a vote May 2 and it slid down the list of government priorities for Commons time.

Minister urged to postpone KVD plans
Federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz will receive a letter from the House of Commons agriculture committee recommending that he delay plans to end KVD as a seed registration requirement until the industry is confident a credible alternative identification process exists.

House of Commons divided over GM labelling issue
Canadian farm and agribusiness leaders will be watching anxiously this week as MPs vote on a private member's bill that would require mandatory labelling of any food product containing genetically modified material.

Rail service complaint rejected by transportation agency
Canadian National Railway can continue to use its new rail car distribution system, after the Canadian Transportation Agency ruled shippers did not suffer irreparable harm from the program.

Wheat board bill may reach debate stage
More than two months after legislation was introduced that would give cabinet the power to change the Canadian Wheat Board marketing mandate, it finally may have its first debate in Parliament this week.

Sask. to fix leaky irrigation pipes
Saskatchewan will spend at least $20 million over the next 10 years to fix 100 kilometres of deteriorating pipe in two irrigation districts.

Farmers fret over phosphate
Large increases in phosphate prices are forcing grain farmers to make difficult choices this spring.

FNA forms lobby arm
Another voice will be contributing to the cacophony that is Canada's farm lobby.

Alberta suffers heavy bee losses
Alberta has suffered higher than normal losses of overwintering bees for the second year in a row, but Manitoba and Saskatchewan saw some improvement over last year.

Money urged for tobacco industry
Over Conservative objections, the House of Commons agriculture committee voted last week to demand that the federal government find $275 million to help Ontario's tobacco farmers quit the industry.

Ag Notes
Livestock care awards

Amazon biochar may fix soil
Researchers say a soil revitalization technique used by a lost civilization in the Amazon jungle could help reverse the damage done by global warming.

Grants to fund study of unique plants
Researchers studying plants that promote the health and wellness of Canadians have received $5 million in federal funding.

Number of ATV deaths alarming
The number of people killed in all-terrain vehicle accidents in Alberta has increased dramatically, prompting two university researchers to call for restrictions on ATV use.

Sask. 'pumped' about drought relief
Drought-devastated southwestern Saskatchewan will soon see relief through a government program aimed at developing emergency and long-term water supplies.

Southwestern Sask. producers welcome water help
Like most cattle producers in southwestern Saskatchewan, Larry Grant is short of water.

New head at ICE helm
While he recognizes the need to maintain commodity markets as hedging tools, the new boss of ICE Futures Canada says there should be room for all traders in the on-line pit.

Renegotiate rental agreements carefully - Farm Biz Marketing
Farmers and landlords are asking a lot of questions about cropland rental this spring.

Alta. rejects farm safety legislation
Two years after her husband died in a farm accident, Lorna Chandler believes farms are no safer today than they were then.

Ag activists reject corporate science
Javiera Rulli's posture quickly changes from a relaxed slouch to a straight back when asked if she is anti-science and opposed to agricultural technology.

Alberta releases culled pork details
Alberta food banks will receive 600,000 pounds of ground pork from pigs slaughtered under the federal cull sow program.

Time almost up at WTO
Soccer, summer and stalemate in Geneva are leaving the outcome of World Trade Organization negotiations in doubt, says Canadian agriculture negotiator Steve Verheul.

Fertilizer dealers want gov't help with security
When the new U.S. farm bill is signed into law, American fertilizer retailers will receive a tax credit to help pay for tightened security.

Rate hike renews call for review
Farm organizations are renewing calls for a railway costing review after the Canadian Transportation Agency approved an eight percent increase in rail rates for grain.

Hog loan deemed unfair
Hog producers who have either gone out of business or are in danger of that fate are outraged that the Saskatchewan government is propping up the province's largest hog operation with a sizable loan.

Ritz in hot seat over CWB ethics
Liberal agriculture critic Wayne Easter last week asked two senior officers of Parliament to consider whether agriculture minister Gerry Ritz violated his oath of office when he asked the Canadian Wheat Board for information about individual CWB clients.

Alta. welcomes snow despite seeding delay
Theo Thirsk isn't worried about the poor spring weather pushing back his wheat seeding schedule.

Sask Party inherited 'foolish' loan: Stewart
The ruling Saskatchewan Party says it is not to blame for picking favourites in the hog industry.

Schmeiser in hot water over illegal drainage
Percy Schmeiser has played a farming David to international crop protection giant Monsanto for more that a decade.

Organic buyers still not sold on CWB approach
Organic grain buyers say the Canadian Wheat Board has taken a step forward by doing away with the cumbersome and expensive buyback program, but its new organic grain policy is still anti-competitive and unnecessary.

Wheat board organic buying will put more cash up front
The Canadian Wheat Board has tweaked its organic marketing program for the coming crop year.

Ont. sends $300 million to ag school
The Ontario government has made a five-year, $300 million commitment to fund research, animal health programs and veterinary education at the University of Guelph.

Farmers floored by gross income of CN executive
The chief executive officer of Canadian National Railway took a huge pay cut in 2007, but farmers aren't feeling his pain.

Dry farmers hope for relief with gov't water program
Details of Saskatchewan's new program to establish better water supplies in rural areas were to be rolled out May 1.

Former CAIS staff worker says clients caught in witch hunt
One of the five former Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization employees named in a potential conflict of interest case because they also helped farmers fill out CAIS applications says he is being driven out of business by an auditing "witch hunt" targeting his clients.

Heirloom vegetables in growing demand
Never had success with watermelons in the garden? Maybe the supermarket seed you bought is the problem.

MPs grapple with biofuel content bill
Government legislation to allow a mandate for biofuel content in fuel remains mired in the House of Commons as opposition MPs question the wisdom of using food to produce fuel.

Short line proponents eye CN branch
Rod Haugerud was happy to learn recently that the Canadian National Railway line between Regina and Davidson, Sask., had finally been advertised for sale.

Whipping up batch of biofuel is a gas
CARDSTON, Alta. - When Rex Newkirk teaches farmers how to make biodiesel, it is like a day-long cooking show.

New test finds BSE prions in blood
A new blood filter that can remove proteins responsible for the human form of BSE could be commercially available in Europe later this year.

Health premiums eliminated in Alta.
The Alberta government has responded to years of complaints by announcing it will end health-care premiums Jan. 1, thanks to a continued economic boom.

Course offers updates for animal handlers
A new certified livestock transporter course will provide animal handlers with an update on safe and humane practices.

Beef faces tough Olympic qualifier
Never mind where the Olympic torch is during its troubled round-the-world trek toward the Beijing summer Olympics.

Manitoba tackles dam compensation
Manitoba plans to introduce legislation that will streamline compensation for economic loss from artificial flooding caused by the Shellmouth Dam and other water control projects.

Man. boosts organic farming
Manitoba sees organic farming as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the province.

Grain prices may trigger investment: UN
The rapid rise in grain prices is creating a world of victors and victims, but according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, the crisis also presents an opportunity.

Sask. RMs receive more funding
An injection of cash from the provincial government may help Saskatchewan rural municipalities limit property tax increases this year.

Local food cited as rural saviour
PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. - Saskatchewan needs to grow more organic food to lower risks to the environment, increase returns to local producers and return people to rural areas, says a former Saskatchewan MLA.

Prominent farm politician stepping down
Jack Wilkinson has quit smoking and swearing in public.

Ag Notes
Holstein marketer

Study OKs irradiation
Irradiation can get at those hard-to-reach places in produce where water and chlorine are not as effective, according to new findings from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Russian owners boost Buhler's tractor output
The hallway poster at Buhler's head office sets a clear goal for all employees - growth, growth and more growth.

Sask. gov't considers Saskferco share sale
The time may be right for the Saskatchewan government to sell its share in a provincial fertilizer plant.

Sask. fund invests in organics
The Saskatchewan Entrepreneurial Fund has invested another $1 million in a Mossbank organic processing plant.

Report criticizes industrial ag
Industrial agriculture has failed, a new report says.

B.C. farm takes nano step forward - Special Report (story 1)
A British Columbia vineyard is taking a futuristic approach to the traditional family business.

Ritz's request for CWB info 'no witch hunt'
He was either demanding commercial information from the Canadian Wheat Board that he was entitled to as minister or he was demanding that CWB managers break Canadian Privacy Act protections to give him confidential information about clients.

South Korea allows U.S. beef
South Korea has agreed to accept American beef products from cattle of all ages by mid May.

Sask. organic farmers drop GM canola lawsuits
Two Saskatchewan organic growers who failed to mount a class action lawsuit against the developers of genetically modified canola will not pursue individual claims.

Sow cull will benefit hungry: producers
The federal sow cull program is expected to benefit Saskatchewan's hungry.

Food origin labels no big deal: industry
As the Parliament Hill political process continues toward redefining the meaning of "product of Canada" labels on food to make them more accurate, some industry players doubt that consumers care much about the origin of their food.

Farmers face tight market for crop production inputs
Farmers are reporting a run on crop inputs this spring, but retailers say growers shouldn't be forced to scrimp on product, despite tight supplies.

Quick melt swallows roads
The Rural Municipality of Paddockwood in north-central Saskatchewan declared a state of emergency last week after a quick thaw caused extensive damage to roads and culverts.

Experts predict cool, wet spring for eastern Prairies
A weekend snowstorm is just the beginning of what some weather forecasters expect to be a damp spring.

Local residents buy Sask. rail line
Saskatchewan's Torch River Rail Line is expected to help producers save money on freight and offer opportunities to haul other cargo.

Farm auctions awash in optimism
KINGMAN, Alta. - Post-auction shock wasn't a problem for Pat and Harvey Adamson the day after their farm auction

Prairie farmland values take off
Farmland values rose more in the last half of 2007 than in any six-month period since Farm Credit Canada started tracking data in 1990.

Feds mum on request for emergency food aid
The federal government isn't saying whether it will respond to a request for emergency funding to help offset the impact of rising food prices on the world's hungry.

Program may foretell CWB future
A Canadian Wheat Board pilot project to create an organic pool that would compete against open market cash prices shows the difficulty the board would face operating in a dual market, then-CWB president Greg Arason told agriculture minister Gerry Ritz late last year.

Food import rules wanted
The president of Canada's food processor lobby argued last week that Canada should strengthen controls over food imports, increase border inspections and step up spot checking in Canadian stores because imports are more likely to be unsafe and less likely to be inspected.

Report raises crop insurance alarm
Provincial crop insurance agencies may be putting their funds at risk through overly aggressive market investment strategies, Agriculture Canada auditors have concluded.

Rising prices shortchange foodgrains bank
The massive rise in the price of wheat and rice is forcing the Canadian Foodgrains Bank to say no to drought-stricken Ethiopia.

Fertilizer widens urban-rural divide
The growing rift between rural and urban Manitobans over Lake Winnipeg has widened a few more metres.

Activist targets horse slaughter procedures
Euthanizing unwanted horses on the farm is better than slaughtering them for meat, says a Winnipeg animal rights activist.

Offences worse elsewhere, says animal welfare expert
RED DEER - After 35 years teaching and practising the humane treatment of animals, Temple Grandin has seen major improvements for livestock from the farm to the final destination at processing plants.

Farmers fail to benefit from higher food prices
Farm leaders appearing before a recent Senate agriculture committee to talk about rising input costs had another story on their minds - media attention on the impact of rising food prices.

Drought plan OKs cattle movement
Cattle from southwestern Saskatchewan could move north for the summer if their owners are willing to pay the transportation costs and grazing fees.

Nanotechnology - Special Report (about)
It is a new technology with amazing promise: the ability to diagnose animal diseases with Star Trek-like hand held devices; herbicides that kill weed seeds in soil without harming other organisms; food packaging that preserves meat or vegetables for months.

Nanotechnology - Special Report (main story)
Nanotechnology works with microscopes and molecules but wrestles with colossal questions.

Nano sensors could detect BSE - Special Report (story 2)
Nanosensors may create easy and cost effective methods to detect disease in cattle.

Battling shipping fever - Special Report (story 3)
In the future, farmers may have a tiny, invisible ally in the fight against bovine respiratory disease.

Ag Notes
Speaker funding

Retirement plan needs serious consideration
CAROLINE, Alta. - It's never too early to start planning for retirement.

Manitoba to legislate Kyoto commitments
The Manitoba government insists that its pledge to become the first jurisdiction in North America to legislate its Kyoto commitment to reduce greenhouse gases won't hurt farmers.

CWB warned to work with gov't on monopoly
Canadian Wheat Board intransigence would provoke a majority Conservative government to simply gut the board and make it unsustainable, predicts the chief official for a national farm lobby group.

Sask. roads opening up
Spring road bans in Saskatchewan are ending.

Viterra raises cash for future acquisitions
Viterra has secured an agreement to raise $400 million through a share offering to finance future acquisitions.

Fund helps employees buy workplace
Darryl Derksen and his three partners already owned one-third of the business where they worked.

Finance Notes
Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Inc. has announced a three-for-one stock split of its outstanding common shares.

Ritz wants to hike livestock cap
Federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz says he will try to convince provincial ministers to double the $3 million annual cap on payments available through the AgriStability program.

Piglet cull plan standing by
A standby plan to humanely dispose of weanling piglets is in the works, said Manitoba Pork Council general manager Andrew Dickson.

Days numbered for hopper cars
Almost 2,000 aluminum grain hopper cars have a one-way ticket to the scrap heap.

Cattle sector goes to bat for packers
The law of unintended consequences is playing itself out as Canadian beef processors and renderers carry the heavy costs of the enhanced feed ban.

Better product safety sought
The federal government is proposing changes designed to improve the safety of food bought by the public.

New CWB program replaces daily price contract
More farmers will be able to take advantage of daily fluctuations in wheat prices under a new Canadian Wheat Board pricing program.

Omnitrax wants look at rail cars
The company that operates the port of Churchill and its rail line wants the federal government and Canadian National Railway to stop scrapping aluminum hopper cars.

Crop insurers turn to GPS
Drought, hail, flood and gophers all present unfortunate risks for this year's crop.

Enbridge, landowners make pipeline compensation deal
Compensation cheques have begun flowing to landowners along a proposed pipeline route expansion stretching from Hardisty, Alta., to Gretna, Man., into the United States.

Biofuel bill stalls
Legislation establishing a national biofuel mandate is stalled in the House of Commons after once being considered a fast-track item headed for quick passage.

Explosion rocks Man. canola plant
An explosion at a canola crushing plant in Ste. Agathe, Man., has caused millions of dollars in damage, say company officials.

Feds favour food origin label
As political pressure grows for more accurate food labels, agriculture minister Gerry Ritz vowed to act quickly so Canadian consumers know what is in the product they are buying and eating.

Label fee proposed
For more than a year, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture has been promoting a "grown in Canada" label that food producers could use to signal to consumers the food was produced under Canadian conditions and rules.

Cruelty-to-animal amendments below expectations, say critics
The House of Commons has strongly endorsed amendments to cruelty-to-animals laws that opponents decried as a weak and backward step.

B.C. mandate pleases biofuel
The Canadian Renewable Fuels Association is praising British Columbia for taking a lead role in promoting biodiesel production in Canada.

Man. budget disappoints farmers
Manitoba farm leaders showed up at the provincial legislature April 9 hoping the new budget would provide help for the livestock sector.

Phosphorus prices rock agriculture - Special Report (about)
Phosphate fertilizer is the latest crop input to see soaring prices. The cost of products such as mono ammonium phosphate has more than doubled since last year. In a special report on pages 20-21, Western Producer Brandon reporter Daniel Winters examines the factors contributing to the escalating prices. Phosphate fertilizer shortages are expected to last for several years, keeping the price of commercial fertilizers high and making the nutrients

Phosphorus prices rock agriculture - Special Report (main story)
With the price of granular phosphate fertilizer almost triple what it was last summer, Weldon Newton values his hog manure.

Waste not - Special Report (story 2)
The value of hog manure is rising even as its reputation suffers from its perceived role in contributing to water pollution.

Fertilizer profits soar - Special Report (story 3)
High flying nutrient prices have pushed fertilizer manufacturers' profits to record levels.

Sask. to review crop insurance suggestions
Saskatchewan farmers who have ideas about how to improve crop insurance will be able to present them this spring.

Alta. gov't pays over water tiff
The Alberta government has agreed to pay the Western Irrigation District $85 million to settle a decades-old dispute over water rights.

Western farm leaders unite
The leaders of Western Canada's three largest provincial farm groups have agreed to work together to pressure politicians on some of the biggest issues facing farmers.

Farm program deadlines loom
Application deadlines are approaching for federal provincial farm programs.

Alta. group recognizes animal welfare work
RED DEER - Alberta Farm Animal Care has recognized Lakeland College in Vermilion and Red Deer County for their contributions to improving animal welfare.

Shippers charge bias in rail review
Rail shippers want the federal government to change proposed terms of reference for a rail service review to better balance the mandate between the interests of carriers and shippers.

Tempers smoke over Tories' lack of tobacco sector support
Ontario tobacco farmers were outraged when federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz told them the government would offer no new money to help them get out of the business.

Ag Notes
Research foundation

CWB building gets major renovation
When the Canadian Wheat Board's new chief executive officer arrived for his first day on the job March 31, he didn't move into the spacious, bright, seventh-floor corner office occupied by his predecessors.

Sask. deer numbers out of whack: farmers
Farmers in Saskatchewan's forest fringe say provincial government reports of a big drop in white-tailed deer numbers are inaccurate.

Feds will respond to food aid demands, says official
The federal government has promised to respond quickly to growing calls for more money to help the world's poor deal with soaring food costs.

Weather system to expand across Prairies
A network of weather stations that was launched last summer is expanding.

Famous buffalo dies in mishap
Bailey, a shaggy brown buffalo that was just as comfortable inside its owner's home as its corral, has died. It was eight years old.

Partnership feeds animals, enhances quality of soil
MOOSE JAW, Sask. - Duane Thompson and Martin Catto have struck a partnership that lends credence to the adage that good fences make good neighbours.

Sask. to host ag students
Agriculture students will showcase Saskatchewan during the World Association of Agriculture Councils conference in Saskatoon next spring.

Hog plant on hold
Plans to build a new hog slaughtering plant in Saskatchewan have been knocked off the rails by the economic crisis that has engulfed the pork industry.

Biofuel subsidies likely to change in U.S.
Canada is still working out the details of a biofuel subsidy package designed to match incentives offered in the United States, but that could soon be a moving target.

Manitoba to give watersheds cash
The Manitoba government has earmarked more than $330,000 for the development of locally driven watershed management plans, but one watershed expert says the province could do more to manage water resources.