With bovine spongiform encephalopathy grabbing headlines again, the hog industry hopes government officials and consumers don’t overlook its woes. “We have sort of fallen below the radar (screen) because of the BSE incident,” said John Patience, president of the Prairie Swine Centre. Dismal hog prices, the rising Canadian dollar and increased domestic consumption of beef […] Read more
Sean Pratt
Stories by Sean Pratt
Canaryseed makes surprising food audition
University of Saskatchewan researchers say an inedible crop that was once linked to cancer could eventually be an ingredient in cookies, breads and snack foods. When CDC Maria was released by the university’s Crop Development Centre in 1997, it took the bird seed market by storm. The hairless variety of canaryseed provided great relief for […] Read more
Federated Co-op defies global industry trend
Federated Co-operatives Limited’s year-end results have become a broken record of broken records. Sales of $3.55 billion in 2003 set a new high for the company, which also achieved its 12th consecutive year of record earnings, posting a net income figure just over $282 million. An analyst familiar with the co-operative said Federated’s financial track […] Read more
Saskatoon buzzes during Crop Production Week
Saskatoon businesses say Crop Production Week provides a much-needed injection of consumer spending in what is typically a slow month for the city’s retail and hospitality sectors. This will be the 12th year that the conference portion of the event has been hosted by the Saskatoon Inn. “For this hotel, it’s an event that we […] Read more
Pulse research lags behind check-off funding
Saskatchewan pulse farmers are paying double the checkoff they did in 2001, while research spending by their producer association has risen one-quarter of that amount. More investment in research was the justification given by Saskatchewan Pulse Growers for the increase that has seen the provincial checkoff grow to one percent of producers’ cheques. The association […] Read more
Ocean shipping costs hurt exports
Grain shippers say soaring ocean freight rates are delaying purchases, shifting demand and gouging margins, and they could stay high for a few more years. With its strengthening economy China is importing huge amounts of raw materials like iron ore, coal and soybeans and exporting loads of manufactured goods. That growing demand for ocean vessels […] Read more
Australia grabs Asian pulse sales from Canada
Rising ocean freight rates are making Canadian pulses less competitive in the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East, two of the world’s key importing regions. “We are a little bit on the losing end vis-ˆ-vis Australia who happens to have a very, very good crop this year,” said pulse industry analyst Marlene Boersch. High freight […] Read more
Machinery makers lean on dealers
Prairie farm equipment dealers are once again facing arm-twisting tactics from main-line manufacturers, despite provincial legislation designed to prevent that from happening. The Canada West Equipment Dealers Association says many of its members have complained about a new John Deere contract that encourages them to discontinue carrying products from smaller companies on their lots. “They […] Read more
Gov’t pork deal goes sour
The Saskatchewan government stands to lose another substantial sum of money on an investment in agriculture gone bad. Between Crown Investments Corp. and the department of agriculture, the province sunk nearly $2 million into Birsay Livestock Ltd. Partnership, a 1,200-sow southern Saskatchewan hog operation that filed for bankruptcy Nov. 4. Both are listed as secured […] Read more
Big profits await in bioproducts, says Cargill
People who attend plenty of agriculture conferences are used to seeing PowerPoint presentations featuring numbers of the six- and nine-digit variety. Last week the elusive 12-digit figure made a rare appearance at Bio-Products Saskatchewan Inc.’s inaugural annual meeting. Jim Stoppert, Cargill Inc.’s senior director of industrial bioproducts, told Saskatoon conference goers there is a “huge […] Read more
