Anybody who has ever tipped a pint of Irish stout with a Guinness aficionado knows how sacred beer foam can be. Purists claim the perfect pint of Guinness comes from a two-part pour that takes exactly 119.5 seconds, leaving a creamy head floating atop a pool of black liquid. Too much or too little head […] Read more
Sean Pratt
Stories by Sean Pratt
NFU criticizes terminator gene stance
The National Farmers Union says Canada and other countries have undermined a defacto moratorium on the terminator gene. It contends a resolution adopted last week at the United Nations’ Convention on Biological Diversity in Spain paves the way to allow for the testing of terminator plant varieties on a case-by-case basis. Australia, New Zealand and […] Read more
Good Indian crop cuts pea demand
Good crop prospects in India fueled by healthy moisture reserves have slowed Canada’s pea trade with that country to a trickle after a strong start. According to a Jan. 27 crop report produced by India’s ministry of agriculture, water levels in the country’s 76 major reservoirs are 25 percent higher than the 10-year average. That […] Read more
Chickpeas brightest star in pulse crop universe
Agriculture Canada anticipates chickpeas will be the one pulse crop that generates decent returns in 2006-07. The department has prepared a series of crop budgets for the coming year. One shows that large kabuli chickpea growers in Saskatchewan’s brown soil zone can expect a $90 per acre net return after covering their variable costs. “Canadian […] Read more
Wheat reigns in organic sector
King wheat retains its crown when it comes to organics, according to a new report detailing the sector’s cropping patterns. Wheat accounted for 37 percent of the 479,678 acres of grains, oilseeds and pulses planted by 2,140 Canadian organic farmers in 2004, stated the report prepared for Canadian Organic Growers. “Canada is just a big […] Read more
Organic poultry flocks under threat
The people who are drafting a new national organic standard are concerned that one of the fundamental principles enshrined in the standard is under attack. Canadian Organic Initiative co-ordinator Paddy Doherty said senior officials in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have suggested the standard should require that organic poultry be kept indoors to protect the […] Read more
World’s farmers continue keen interest in GM crops
Global biotech acreage continues to grow at a double-digit pace 10 years after the first GM crops were commercialized, although the rate of growth in 2005 was considerably slower than the previous year. Slightly more than 222 million acres of GM crops were grown in 21 countries last year, according to the International Service for […] Read more
Mexican bean woes help Canada
Mexico’s bean production misfortune should help mop up some of the “slop” in the United States pinto bean market and has already had a positive impact on black bean prices, say analysts. Bill Thoreson, sales manager for North Central Commodities, one of North Dakota’s largest grain exporting firms, toured Mexico at the end of October […] Read more
Waste got, want not: grain companies
Farmers across the Prairies have been turned away from elevators for delivering grain contaminated by deer excrement and now face large trucking and grain cleaning bills for crops already hovering near record low prices. Russell Nilsson, a grower from Lloydminster, Sask., had loads of contracted feed peas rejected at the Agricore United elevator in Vermilion, […] Read more
Stacked GM traits becoming common
One of the latest trends in biotechnology could soon be coming to a field near you. Growers worldwide seeded 25 million acres of genetically modified crops containing stacked traits in 2005 – a 49 percent increase over 2004 levels – making it the fastest growing segment of agricultural biotechnology. Crops with two or three different […] Read more
