If the federal government rejects BHP Billiton’s $38.6 billion bid for PotashCorp Nov. 3, it shouldn’t have lasting repercussions for Canadian firms that intend to purchase Australian companies, said a representative of the Canadian Australian Chamber of Commerce. Last week, Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall made it clear that the deal was not beneficial for the […] Read more
Robert Arnason
Stories by Robert Arnason
KAP head resigns suddenly
Keystone Agricultural Producers president Ian Wishart has resigned. He announced his resignation from Manitoba’s general farm lobby group Oct. 14 at KAP’s general council meeting in Portage la Prairie. Wishart, who has been KAP president since 2008 and vice-president for four years before that, didn’t explain his sudden resignation. “There will be additional information in […] Read more
Currency war to keep loonie strong
Canadian exporters, including farmers, will need to get used to a strong loonie over the next year or so. That’s partly because the federal government is reluctant to participate in what is being called a global currency war, says the chief economist with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. Governments and central banks in China […] Read more
Widespread sclerotinia found in prairie canola
Considering the record rainfall in many parts of Saskatchewan this year, it’s not surprising that records were also set for the amount of sclerotinia in canola. A crop disease survey conducted this summer on 260 fields in Saskatchewan determined that sclerotinia was present in 92 percent of canola crops. In addition, 21 percent of all […] Read more
Community growth hinges on immigration
Rural Canadian communities have a simple choice over the next few decades – find a way to attract immigrants or cease to exist, says a Statistics Canada researcher. By 2030, it’s expected that deaths will exceed births in Canada, said Ray Bollman, who works in the rural research group with Statistics Canada. That means the […] Read more
Manitoba promotes local food
The Manitoba government plans to spend $742,000 to encourage consumers to buy provincially produced food. Buy Manitoba is part of a five year effort to promote locally produced food. The province has teamed up with the Manitoba Food Processors Association for the campaign, which began with a survey of Manitoba shoppers. A Buy Manitoba survey […] Read more
KAP president resigns
Ian Wishart is stepping down as president of the Keystone Agricultural Producers to explore other opportunities.Wishart made the announcement Oct. 14 at KAP’s general council meeting in Portage la Prairie.Wishart, who has served as KAP president since 2008 and was vice-president for four years before becoming president, didn’t provide an explanation for his sudden resignation. […] Read more
Late warm weather boosts Manitoba’s soybean crop
A stretch of warm and windy weather in late September and early October has been a blessing for grain producers in Manitoba, but soybean growers in the province have probably benefited most from the clear, blue skies. Many producers thought they’d never get combines onto rain-soaked fields, said Albert Turski, a soybean grower near La […] Read more
New guidelines proposed for horse slaughter
The Horse Welfare Alliance of Canada plans to unveil a plan in November to improve practices at horse slaughter plants in Canada. The plan is a set of voluntary animal welfare guidelines, which provide information on facility design, effective handling, stunning of horses and acts of abuse, said Bill des Barres, chair of the Horse […] Read more
Alberta horse slaughter plant aims at more humane process
A horse slaughter plant in Fort Macleod, Alta., is building a new kill box in an effort to stun horses more humanely, said a spokesperson for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The new kill box will be an improvement over the old one, said Martin Appelt, manager of meat programs at the CFIA, because it […] Read more
