Roberta Rampton

Farmers can expect more volatility in prices of nitrogen-based fertilizer in the next few years, according to the chief operating officer of Western Co-operative Fertilizers Ltd. But Douglas Cooper said farmers looking for a decrease in phosphate prices may be disappointed. Cooper brought his outlook for fertilizer prices to the annual meeting of Manitoba Pool […] Read more

There was a big, concrete shadow from the West looming over discussion about the future of grain handling on the Prairies at Manitoba Pool Elevators’ annual meeting. As huge transnational companies pour foundations for inland terminals in the province, and traditional Canadian competitors build their strategies, only one name came up again and again during […] Read more

Canola oil is in danger of being crushed out of the market by soybean oil. Unless fundamental problems in the industry are fixed, canola processors will consider refitting their plants to crush other types of seeds for vegetable oil, said Murray Davis, chief executive officer of Canamera Foods. Crushers need stable production, high quality seed […] Read more

The Canadian Wheat Board will accept all the wheat, durum and feed barley offered under Series A contracts. Farmers who belong to Manitoba Pool Elevators applauded wheat board chief commissioner Lorne Hehn, who made the announcement at the pool’s annual meeting last week. Hehn said the wheat board plans to export or move into export […] Read more

Two of Canada’s premier pork packers battled it out on Bay Street last week, while prairie farmers wondered how impending industry consolidation could change their business. Maple Leaf Foods Inc. announced it wants to buy Schneider Corp. If it succeeds in a hostile takeover, it will control about 40 percent of the hog market in […] Read more

In the wake of its failed takeover of a rival grain company, Manitoba Pool Elevators announced its backup plan last week for remaining a grain industry player on the Prairies. Over the next five years, Manitoba Pool will overhaul its network of 120 grain elevators into a hub and spoke system. High throughput elevators on […] Read more

An aggressive takeover bid by Maple Leaf Foods Inc. for rival hog processor Schneider Corp. last week justified months of speculation about the future of both companies. While communities across Western Canada wondered where Maple Leaf would choose to build its much ballyhooed new plant, industry analysts believed Schneider’s weak balance sheet left it ripe […] Read more

Canadians who have led the world’s largest french fry processor on tours through their potato-growing regions are nice, interesting and informative. But that’s about the extent of what a spokesperson for Lamb Weston, a subsidiary of ConAgra, would say about the company’s plans involving a much-rumored potato processing plant in Western Canada. “There’s a lot […] Read more

A new kind of wheat being developed by scientists in Winnipeg could end up being one of the best things to happen to sliced bread. They’ve taken the red out of hard red spring wheat, and made it white. Hard red spring wheat is known for its milling and baking qualities around the world. But […] Read more

It’s no surprise to the chair of Manitoba’s egg marketing agency that farmers in his province are at the front of aggressive changes to the traditional egg business. Harold Froese, a farmer at Oak Bluff, Man., said Manitoba egg farmers saw the results of the last round of world trade negotiations, when tariffs replaced protective […] Read more