The federal government is no longer sitting on the fence when it comes to organic agriculture. At the behest of the organic community, Agriculture Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have formed a joint task force to develop a regulation for organics. For years Ottawa was kept at arms length by an industry not […] Read more
Sean Pratt
Stories by Sean Pratt
Judge weighs legality of class action lawsuit
A Court of Queen’s Bench judge has reserved decision on whether two Saskatchewan organic farmers have what it takes to launch a class action lawsuit against the developers of genetically modified canola. After spending three days last week listening to arguments from legal counsel for organic farmers Larry Hoffman and Dale Beaudoin and counter-arguments from […] Read more
Canola industry faces dysfunctional market
Canola markets are messed up, says an industry analyst. Grain companies and crushers are hungry for top quality product that farmers aren’t willing to sell. Farmers want to get rid of poor quality crop the trade isn’t eager to buy. And price signals are being distorted by circumstances beyond anybody’s control, says Errol Anderson, president […] Read more
Anthracnose presence low in ’04 bean crop
Manitoba bean growers have some things to gripe about this year but anthracnose isn’t one of them. Coming into the 2004-05 crop year the disease was a primary concern for the province’s flourishing bean industry. There had been a lot of infected fields in 2003 and people in the bean industry wanted to keep the […] Read more
Beans lure investment
Manitoba’s dry bean sector is attracting more capital investment these days, not all of which is being welcomed with open arms by the province’s growers. Earlier this summer Agricore United announced plans to replace its 24-year-old processing plant in Carman, Man., with a much larger facility. Now comes word that two new 10-million pound storage […] Read more
Fuel costs gnaw at weak profit
Farmers and grain companies will face higher trucking costs this winter because of soaring diesel prices, says a major prairie grain hauler. “I don’t see any way around it, but I don’t know where they’re going to get it from,” said Wayne Nicholls, president of Biggar Transport. According to Alberta Agriculture, diesel prices shot up […] Read more
Moisture helps fungal research
Crop breeders are coming off a production year that mirrored what happened in the farming community at large – for some it was fruitful, for others a complete disaster. Wet weather created ideal conditions for disease development at many of the University of Saskatchewan Crop Development Centre’s nine research sites in the province. And that’s […] Read more
Exporters find help at Mexican border
Federal and provincial governments have renewed the contract of Canada’s border clearance representative in Mexico for another year. It is a key step in Canada’s efforts to ensure the smooth flow of products into Mexico, a country that has become the fourth largest export destination for Canadian agri-food products. Since it opened in 2001, the […] Read more
Abex recognizes pulse firm
A major pulse processing firm is running into a serious capacity problem – there’s no more room on the trophy shelf. Saskcan Pulse Trading Inc. had a banner year on the awards circuit this fall, taking home the top prize at the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce’s 21st annual Achievement for Business Excellence, or ABEX, awards […] Read more
Organic co-op links steak, steer
Organic consumers can now trace their beef purchases all the way back to the farm where the animal was raised. A small Regina co-operative has launched a web-based meat tracking system that allows its customers to pay a virtual visit to the source of their food. All they have to do is go to the […] Read more
