Roberta Rampton

Saskatchewan farmers hailed out in 1995 will be unfairly penalized by the Freight Cost Pooling Assistance Program, says a Progressive Conservative MLA. The program was set up to help farmers in southeastern Saskatchewan and Manitoba adjust to paying the full cost of shipping their grain through the St. Lawrence seaway. But Don Toth, MLA for […] Read more

Canadian forage seed producers can’t let the grass grow long if they want to get into lucrative and well-established European markets, according to the world’s largest forage seed company. Michel Nas of Barenbrug Holding B.V., based in The Netherlands, said his company wants to buy grass and turf seed from Canada because European producers face […] Read more

BRANDON, Man. – Manitoba bean growers have whipped together a three-bean salad of solid market ingredients. They’re planting more navy and colored beans than ever, harvesting above-average yields and attracting more buyers from points east, west and right at home. And if growers don’t still have their beans in their bins, they’re even more satisfied, […] Read more

Policy discussion took a backseat to self image as Manitoba’s general farm lobby group met to talk about the year ahead. Keystone Agricultural Producers spent some of the time it usually devotes to agricultural policy debates to focus on its public image. For the first time, the group is gathering funds from a refundable checkoff […] Read more

The federal government is giving $4.37 million to a group that wants to help rural Manitoba in light of major changes in government policy. Jon Gerrard, secretary of state for Western Economic Diversification, handed over a cheque for the first half of the funding last week to Les Jacobson, chair of the new group. “I […] Read more

Manitoba grain farmers are losing money on their major crops this year, according to their farm lobby group. The president of Keystone Agricultural Producers says farmers will lose an average of $34 per acre on wheat, $57 per acre on barley and $16 per acre on canola. Les Jacobson said because of lower grain prices […] Read more

Maple Leaf Foods Inc. is looking for a place in Western Canada to build a plant to slaughter three million hogs a year. The chief executive officer says he’s getting calls from agriculture ministers in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, trying to convince the company their province is the right place. The provinces are in a […] Read more

The Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association hopes to raise $100,000 to advertise its position before the upcoming plebiscite on barley marketing. After intense debate at its annual meeting last week, the group decided to support the open market option for barley. “Our membership’s not happy with the status quo, which only leaves them one option,” […] Read more

Manitoba’s agriculture minister said his government will reconsider its support for the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly if it doesn’t change the way it prices wheat for value-added projects. Harry Enns says he’s not threatening the wheat board, but rather encouraging officials to look at how its domestic pricing policy affects efforts like a new flour […] Read more

ARBORG, Man. – Proposed changes to the Canadian Wheat Board act would weaken the board, according to its advisory committee of farmers. The committee has written to agriculture minister Ralph Goodale to tell him his amendments to the act, contained in Bill C-72, make the board too flexible and less accountable. Committee member Bill Nicholson […] Read more