TORONTO – A tiny, insignificant pest continues to hamper a $100 million trade with Canada’s largest pea customer. Nineteen months ago India surprised the world by insisting pulse imports be certified free of certain pests and placed an additional onus on exporters to fumigate shipments with methyl bromide. The plant quarantine order sent the Canadian […] Read more
Sean Pratt
Stories by Sean Pratt
Special crops acreage all over map
TORONTO – The crop update for the special crops industry could aptly be titled, The Good, the Not-Bad-At-All and the Ugly. Production prospects are fantastic in Alberta and Saskatchewan but have taken a beating in Manitoba, according to a panel of experts speaking at the Canadian Special Crops Association’s 19th annual convention. Agricore United special […] Read more
North Dakota’s GM flax worries some producers
Canada’s flax industry has grave concerns about plans to grow genetically modified flax in North Dakota. A Canadian contingent attended a meeting in the state recently to get an update on a project that will grow GM flax to produce therapeutic proteins. “From a Saskatchewan farmer perspective, we’re concerned about market harm and we’re concerned […] Read more
Special crop acres down but quality should be better
Special crops production prospects are down because of lower seeded acreage and potential weed and disease problems, but there is one area where a dramatic improvement from 2004 is expected. “If I’m bullish on something, I think our quality is going to be much better than last year,” said Ray McVicar, special crops specialist with […] Read more
World pulse output down, Canada’s optimism up
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization released a 2005 world pulse crop outlook last week that had no effect on markets but a dramatic impact on attitudes. “It’s a potent reminder of the fact that world pulse production looks like it will be down this year,” said Brian Clancey, editor of the Stat Publishing […] Read more
Farmers snap up HT wheat
BASF Canada says there has been good response to the first herbicide tolerant wheat, with more than 1,000 prairie growers buying its new Clearfield product this spring. About 150 farmers planted the hard red spring wheat in 2004 but this is the first year of large-scale commercial production for CDC Imagine, a non-genetically modified variety […] Read more
Schmeisers lose again to Monsanto in GM case
For those keeping track, the score is Monsanto four, Schmeisers zero. A Provincial Court of Saskatchewan judge has dismissed Louise Schmeiser’s small claims case against the biotechnology company. The June 15 decision adds to losses her husband Percy Schmeiser sustained taking on Monsanto in a series of highly publicized battles in recent years at the […] Read more
No premium for organic at major grocery
Organic commodities once sold at hefty premiums are now being priced competitively with conventional goods at major retail outlets. Wherever possible, Loblaw Companies Ltd., Canada’s largest food distributor and organic retailer, is selling its line of 300 President’s Choice organic products at the same price as traditional goods, said Geoff Wilson, the company’s senior vice-president […] Read more
Ethanol plant moves ahead
As Iogen Corp. creeps closer to deciding where to locate its cellulose-based ethanol plant, a smaller project has already targeted a western Canadian town as the ideal spot. The Nipawin Ethanol Co-operative recently secured $950,000 in funding from the Canada-Saskatchewan Western Economic Partnership Agreement to complete a business and engineering plan to build a 75 […] Read more
Man. loses organic elevator
Manitoba is losing its only organic elevator. The Canadian Organic Commodity Marketing Co. in Arden, Man., is winding down operations due to a lack of capital. “The production is out there, the markets are out there, our phone rings off the wall. We just didn’t have the financial resources to move it forward,” said elevator […] Read more
