After months of work to create a distinct brand, the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association unveiled new logos Aug. 13. Not all customers will see the same one. One logo, which will appear on beef packaging, pamphlets and other material to promote Canadian cattle and beef, will be used for Canada and the United States. A different […] Read more
Robert Arnason
Stories by Robert Arnason
Equipment manufacturer increases sales, profits
Ag Growth Income Fund, a manufacturer of augers and other grain handling equipment, recorded $56 million in sales in the second quarter of 2008, up from $35 million in the same period last year. The Winnipeg-based fund attributed the 60 percent gain in revenue primarily to increased production in its Westfield division, which employs 275 […] Read more
Rust scientist remembered for pioneering work
It’s been more than 90 years since her breakthrough discovery, but it’s not too late to remember Margaret Newton, the first Canadian woman to earn a PhD in agriculture. Newton was honoured July 17 when an official Government of Canada plaque was unveiled in Portage la Prairie, Man., to commemorate her pioneering research into wheat […] Read more
Hay crop drowning in the Interlake
VOGAR, Man. – Art Jonasson was bending down for a closer inspection of his hay field when a jumping object caught his eye. A thumb-sized frog lept up and away, trying to escape Jonasson’s reach. Although it’s not unusual to see frogs in the marshes that skirt the east shoreline of Lake Manitoba, it is […] Read more
CWB watches Aussie’s single desk demise
The dissolution of the Australian Wheat Board might provide an opening for wheat growers in Western Canada, says the chief executive officer of the Canadian Wheat Board. Ian White said customers of the Australian board have contacted the CWB because they are concerned about the end of the single desk in Australia. “When it was […] Read more
Man. beef campaign goes urban
In public relations, image control is always preferable to damage control. With that in mind, the Manitoba Cattle Producers Association (MCPA) launched an advertising campaign Aug. 4 to remind consumers that cattle farmers are stewards of the land. Until the middle of September, transit bus ads will roll across Winnipeg, on 12 routes, with the […] Read more
Late harvest looms over Manitoba crop
NIVERVILLE, Man. – Although he’s reluctant to say it out loud, based on the activity at Lorne Loeppky’s farmyard, it’s clear he’s expecting a good harvest this fall. Loeppky, who is growing 3,200 acres of corn, canola, soybeans and winter wheat on his farm this year, was busy last week installing old grain bins onto […] Read more
Grain sales up 57 percent: CWB
Canadian Wheat Board chair Larry Hill put it simply when summarizing the 2007-08 crop year. “The big story in ’07-’08, of course, was prices,” said Hill, speaking to reporters in Winnipeg July 31, the last day of the crop year. The incredible run-up in wheat, durum and barley prices during the crop year immensely helped […] Read more
Roller ride continues for commodities
It’s official. The year 2008 is now the Year of Volatility. Last week, the Financial Times reported that commodity prices in July had their greatest monthly drop in 28 years, thanks largely to declining oil and corn prices. Last month, the Reuters Jeffries CRB index, a measure of world commodity prices, sank 10 percent, the […] Read more
Conservationists applaud CRP decision
This is Part 2 of a two part series examining the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), by Western Producer reporter Robert Arnason. Last week, Arnason reported on a group of North Dakota producers that said wildlife groups have hijacked the mandate of the CRP, which was designed to take marginal land out […] Read more
