Colleen Munro

LEROY, Sask. — About 4,500 people showed up to see $15 million worth of equipment put through its paces at Direct-Tech ’94. Spearheaded by the LeRoy Old Chiefs senior hockey team, the event started as a way to raise money for the town of LeRoy. One of their first projects was to put artificial ice […] Read more

SASKATOON — Wool prices are slowly and steadily making a comeback. Producers of domestic grades of wool in Canada can get an initial price of 40 cents per pound for coarse wool and 60-70 cents per lb. for the finer wool. That’s a far cry from prices in the past three years. Sellers received about […] Read more

SASKATOON — Statistics Canada estimated there is less barley and wheat in the country than the best guesses in the trade. Total wheat stocks were put at 21.53 million tonnes and barley at 7.56 million, as of March 31, compared with forecasts of more than 23 million tonnes and about 8.4 million tonnes, respectively. Those […] Read more

HONG KONG — Canadian agriculture marketers needs to set aside their preoccupation with North American markets and diversify, said agriculture minister Ralph Goodale. “The North American market is big, close and familiar,” he said. “We should be focussing on other parts of the world that are less familiar.” And the top prospect among those less […] Read more

BEIJING, China — Gov. Gen. Ray Hnatyshyn offered “unconditional” most-favored-nation trading status to China during his state visit here last week while federal agriculture minister Ralph Goodale was dealing with Chinese minister of agriculture Liu Ziang and vice minister of internal trade Bai Meiging. Through his whirlwind two-day schedule in Beijing, Goodale repeatedly emphasized Canada’s […] Read more

BEIJING, China — Just two hours after landing here from South Korea, federal agriculture minister Ralph Goodale told reporters Canada will continue to pursue friendly trade relations with China and not link trade to human rights reform. “We believe even more in engagement rather than isolation,” he said. “Long practical experience tells us you don’t […] Read more

BEIJING, China — Canada’s grain delivery problems haven’t gone unnoticed in China. The issue of timely supply was raised privately in conversations with both the ministry of agriculture and CEROILS, China’s state grain buying agency, federal agriculture minister Ralph Goodale said during a trade mission to southeast Asia. Chinese officials seemed to accept that a […] Read more

SASKATOON — Agricultural chemicals today are stronger. But they are also safer. While that may seem like a contradiction, to the scientists who invent these new pesticides, stronger translates to more active. And that’s good because more activity means you need less ingredient to do the same job. “Pounds per acre have become grams per […] Read more

SASKATOON – Marge Garnier’s timing couldn’t be better. This past winter was one of the coldest on record on the Prairies, but calves don’t stop coming just because the weather’s turned ugly. Most barns aren’t big enough – if you’ve got a barn at all – to keep all the newborns in while other expectant […] Read more

SASKATOON — Despite higher loan rates and zero acreage set-asides, Uncle Sam hasn’t successfully enticed American farmers to plant substantially more oats, barley, spring wheat or durum wheat this year. With stocks of these commodities on the low end of the historical scale, it means U.S. commodity markets are going to be especially sensitive to […] Read more