Saskatchewan producers who want to donate some crop to combat local food insecurity can now be sure their donations match what food banks need. Regina-based AGT Food and Ingredients recently announced the AGT Food Bank Crop Exchange Program will convert donated crop into a credit that food banks can use to buy food from the […] Read more
Karen Briere
Stories by Karen Briere
Ottawa introduces grocer legislation
Ottawa last week moved to amend the Competition Act, focussing on the grocery businesses, as part of its effort to combat the rising cost of living. The introduction of Bill C-56 came three days after innovation minister Francois-Philippe Champagne met with the chief executive officers of the five major grocery chains in the country to […] Read more
Agriculture waits to see if political spat with India affects it
Half of India’s lentil imports come from Sask., and the province’s exports to the country were worth $1.4 billion last year
The agriculture sector should be on alert as relations between Canada and India deteriorate, a report warned last week. StrategyCorp, a management consulting and government relations firm, issued a geopolitical advisory Sept. 22 after prime minister Justin Trudeau said Sept. 18 he had credible information that the Indian government was potentially involved in killing a […] Read more
Feds say U.K. market access work continues
The federal government said it continues to work on technical issues that keep Canadian beef and pork out of the United Kingdom. In an emailed statement, Agriculture Canada said bilateral discussions are taking place even as members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership welcome the U.K. as the 12th member. Earlier this […] Read more
Senate committee begins carbon tax bill review
Propane, natural gas would be exempt from the federal carbon price if private member’s bill makes it through the Senate
The Senate agriculture committee began its scrutiny of Bill C-234 last week, moving a possible carbon price exemption for natural gas and propane on farms one step closer. The bill passed in the House of Commons earlier but didn’t get to the Senate before the summer break. Senator David Wells sponsored the bill in the […] Read more
Anthrax kills cow, suspected in death of two others
Anthrax has been confirmed in the Rural Municipality of Cote in east-central Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan Agriculture said Sept. 26 laboratory tests confirmed the disease as the cause of death in one cow and the suspected cause in the deaths of two other cattle in the same herd. Anthrax spores can live in soil for decades and […] Read more
Delay U.K. entry to trade deal, say meat producers
CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Canadian beef producers want the country’s food safety systems recognized in the United Kingdom before Britain is formally allowed to join the trans-Pacific trade deal known as CPTPP. Canadian Cattle Association president Nathan Phinney delivered that message to the North American, European Union Agricultural Conference in Charlottetown last week. He observed that […] Read more
Forage rainfall insurance pays out
Record payments were made to producers who participated in the Saskatchewan forage rainfall insurance program this year. The governments of Saskatchewan and Canada announced Sept. 5 that $60.4 million was paid in 17 forage risk zones. Most payments were made in the southwest and west-central parts of the province after drier than normal conditions. This […] Read more
Ag sector watches for fallout from India-Canada spat
The chief executive officer of a major Canadian pulse buyer and exporter said Sept. 21 he is closely watching political developments between Canada and India. Murad Al-Katib from AGT Foods told reporters in Regina that waiting and watching is about all the agriculture sector can do right now. He said geopolitical risks are a major […] Read more
Genomics research seeks to build more resilient pulse crops
New funding will be used to develop new tools, knowledge and traits that can then get incorporated into new varieties
The quest to breed better root resistance in peas is the focus of a genomics research project announced last week by Saskatchewan Pulse Growers. The organization announced it will also fund a genomics project designed to find tools to breed better lentil varieties. Both projects are co-funded through Genome Canada’s Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Systems […] Read more
