Swaddling a baby in flax straw sounds absurd but it isn’t that far-fetched, according to an American textile expert. A new generation of fabrics called nonwovens is taking the textile market by storm and flax could become a key ingredient in the process. Nonwovens are a collection of manmade or natural fibres fused by a […] Read more
Sean Pratt
Stories by Sean Pratt
Shipping woes vex special crops
Some people in the special crops industry say rail transportation problems are approaching catastrophic levels on the West Coast but not all grain industry executives share those concerns. Brian Clancey, publisher of the Stat Publishing special crops newsletter, has spoken to shippers who are so frustrated they are contemplating getting out of the bulk grain […] Read more
Lloydminster ethanol plant to open in 2006
Husky Energy Inc. is well into construction of a $120 million ethanol plant at the site of its oil upgrader near Lloydminster. “We plan to have the plant operational in the second quarter of 2006,” said Husky spokesperson Dennis Floate. Once up and running, it will generate 130 million litres of ethanol a year, which […] Read more
Flax aims to copy canola’s rise to fame and fortune
Flax proponents say the crop is getting a facelift that will transform it from a humdrum oilseed to a glamorous model, a makeover mirroring what happened to canola in the 1970s. “We are going to develop a new Cinderella crop and we are going to anchor the development of the bioeconomy,” said John Oliver, co-chair […] Read more
Report touts advantages of GM crops
Ed Rempel vividly recalls the day he switched to genetically modified canola. It was shortly after he applied a mixture of three chemicals to his traditional canola crop at a cost of $45 an acre and then watched the rains wash it away. “I said right then and there, ‘I will never grow a non-GM […] Read more
Research mistake led to discovery
A botched procedure at an Edmonton research facility could result in big savings on input costs for canola farmers. Last month Monsanto announced it had entered into a partnership with Arcadia Biosciences to commercialize a line of genetically modified canola that uses as little as one-third of the nitrogen fertilizer as conventional varieties. Arcadia is […] Read more
Canada will feel loss of European crusher
A fire at a large European crushing plant has torched any hope of a rally in the flax market. “This puts a dent in the demand for an already burdensome product,” said Terry James, vice-president of grain merchandising with James Richardson International Ltd. On Oct. 2, fire caused an estimated $8 million of damage to […] Read more
Prices for organic grains steady, supply good: market watcher
New-crop organic grain markets are forecast to remain fairly static, according to a cross-section of industry pundits. Barring a late-season widespread harvest disaster, there should be no dramatic upward or downward price swings for the main crops grown in Canada. “There’s nothing on the horizon that we can see right now that would cause us […] Read more
Pulse sector eyes possible U.S. dumping
Saskatchewan pulse growers may follow the lead of Ontario corn growers by seeking anti-dumping countervailing duties on cheap American product. “Growers are telling us they are fed up with truckload after truckload of low-priced U.S. peas and lentils coming into Saskatchewan this fall,” said Dean Corbett, chair of Saskatchewan Pulse Growers. “They are telling us […] Read more
U.S. pulse official laughs at possible trade action
Tim McGreevy’s reaction to Canada contemplating a countervailing duty on American pulses wasn’t shock or outrage. It was laughter. The executive director of the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council finds the situation ironic. “U.S. growers have often considered filing a dumping case against Canada,” he said. In 1995, the U.S. exported 8,605 tonnes of […] Read more
