Cargill continues to expand its footprint in the canola business. Shortly after opening its new crush facility in Camrose, the company unveiled its first canola refinery in Clavet, Sask. The new facility has the capacity to refine 454 million kilograms of canola oil annually, making it Cargill’s largest North American refinery. “This new refinery means […] Read more
Sean Pratt
Stories by Sean Pratt
Foreign ownership of Sask. farmland increasing ‘rapidly’
Investment ownership increased 16-fold from 2002 to present, prompts calls for social investment in land
Outside investors own a small but rapidly expanding share of Saskatchewan farmland, according to research conducted by the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy. The group analyzed the change in farmland ownership from 2002-14 to see how relaxing ownership regulations has affected the province. In 2002, the NDP government changed the regulations to allow ownership […] Read more
Leadership of canola council questioned
Although Clever has approval for use on canola, Japan has not established residue limits for quinclorac
The Canola Council of Canada is under attack for its handling of a generic herbicide used to control cleavers. “There is something wrong with the leadership of the canola council,” said Franck Groeneweg, past chair of the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission. He accused the council of mishandling a situation involving a product called Clever, which […] Read more
Cargill expands canola crush capacity
New Alberta plant will increase delivery opportunities, but Bunge expansion plans are unclear
Alberta’s canola growers have a new processing plant, but the fate of another planned project is uncertain. Cargill officially opened its second crush facility in Canada in Camrose last week. “It is the first major investment in 30 years here in Alberta, so it’s a significant step forward,” said Jeff Vassart, president of Cargill Canada. […] Read moreCanola, pulses boosted by rain
The old adage that rain makes grain needs to be amended to include the word “sometimes.” July rain has been beneficial to some canola and pulse crops but may be too late to help cereal crops, say experts. Most fields in the drought-stricken region of western Saskatchewan and eastern Alberta received 15 to 40 millimetres […] Read more
Something’s fishy about new canola project
One acre of Nuseed canola, now in field trials, could produce the equivalent DHA oil of 4,000 one-kilogram fish
Canola containing healthy fish oil is in field trials around the world. “I think this will be huge for canola,” said Malcolm Devine, innovation lead for Nuseed Group, an Australian seed company. “This might be the next really big change in terms of what the oil in that crop looks like.” Nuseed is working on […] Read moreCanola, pulses boosted by rain
The old adage that rain makes grain needs to be amended to include the word “sometimes.” July rain has been beneficial to some canola and pulse crops but may be too late to help cereal crops, say experts. Most fields in the drought-stricken region of western Saskatchewan and eastern Alberta received 15 to 40 millimetres […] Read more
Ample veg oil grounds canola rally
Growers may turn purple holding their breath for a further price rally in the yellow crop, says a grain trader. Jerry Klassen, manager of the Canadian office for Swiss firm GAP SA Grains and Produits, thinks canola’s run is over. “If you don’t see strength in the bean oil, I don’t think it can go […] Read more
VIDEO: Canola losing resistance
Clubroot resistant lines of canola are under siege in Alberta. In 2014, researchers identified a new strain of the disease that appeared in six fields in central Alberta in 2013. The strain, known as 5X, was able to overcome resistance built into new varieties. Last week, researchers announced that a data analysis based on a […] Read more
Breeders look to capitalize on carbon dioxide
Researchers hope to increase yields by improving photosynthesis, nitrogen fixing abilities
Rising greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere will help farmers feed a growing world population, says an oilseed expert. Research shows that as carbon dioxide levels increase, so do crop yields. Carbon dioxide and water are the two “mega nutrients” in crop production, said Murray Hartman, provincial oilseed specialist with Alberta Agriculture. Crops require tonnes […] Read more
