Crop Management
Canada’s largest grain company is reorganizing. Viterra announced this week that it will make a series of organizational changes aimed at strengthening the company’s position in global markets. The company’s new global operating model will be based on three business pillars — grain, agri-products and processing. The reorganization will result in greater efficiency and better […] Read more
Crop Management
Viterra alters global operations
Recent strong basis to unwind as canola harvest nears
Canola basis levels have been great, but they shouldn’t be taken for granted, analysts say. “They won’t last,” said Derek Squair of Agri-Trend Marketing. “The window will close as the new crop comes in.” Squair said he has seen basis levels as good as $11 over and often between $5 and $9 over recently. Especially […] Read more
Rail shipper coalition calls for federal action
Canada’s commodity shippers are growing impatient with the re-elected Conservative government’s lack of action on implementing improvements to the rail freight system. In late May, weeks after the Conservatives won a majority May 2, Ottawabased Coalition of Rail Shippers chair Robert Ballantyne wrote new transport minister Denis Lebel to urge that the government move on […] Read more
Prairie equipment in spotlight at European show
Saskatchewan will have its largest ever presence at Agritechnica, Europe’s largest farm machinery show in Hanover, Germany. Industry and government will invest about $700,000 in a pavilion that will be one of the largest at the show to highlight Saskatchewan’s farm equipment manufacturing sector, known as a leader in seeding technology. The pavilion, which will […] Read more
CWB blames uncertainty for nixing storage programs
The Canadian Wheat Board is suspending two small grain storage programs immediately and may suspend more significant programs. “Given the uncertainty surrounding the CWB’s future, these programs cannot be offered at this time,” said CWB spokesperson Louise Waldman about the Wheat Storage Program and the Churchill Storage Program. Both paid farmers to hold high quality […] Read more
Celebrity whistleblowers lose case to get jobs back
Two former Health Canada scientists who lost their jobs after publicly criticizing what they said was Monsanto pressure to approve controversial livestock drugs have been denied reinstatement to their jobs. Shiv Chopra and Margaret Haydon became celebrated “whistleblowers” in Ottawa after complaining to the Senate agriculture committee that there was corporate pressure within the veterinary […] Read more
Alliance buys Australian pulse producer
Alliance Grain Traders Inc. has bought Canz Commodities, a chickpea and pulse processor in Narrabri, New South Wales, Australia. The processor, previously owned by Bodana Pty Ltd. and the Pars Ram Punj family, specializes in desi and kabuli chickpeas, faba beans, mung beans and albus lupins. The total investment, including the cash acquisition price and […] Read more
Safety devices exist for good reason
Safety is so important, we can all agree on this. But sometimes, when things get a little hectic, we tend to forget. These are all personal experiences I have had where I was close to death or I saw someone else in the same situation. Most of us learn through experience, but when it comes […] Read more
Timing must be bang on for mustard desiccant
Roundup Weathermax has been approved as a pre-harvest desiccant on tame mustard crops in Canada, but producers are warned that the wrong timing could mean higher than allowed residue levels for export. The pre-harvest application of Weathermax consists of applying 0.67 litres per acre of the 540 grams per litre formulation when pods are green […] Read more
Tories urged to respect CWB plebiscite results
BANFF, Alta. — The Canadian Wheat Board says its demise is a threat to all farm organizations. Board chair Allen Oberg told the Canadian Federation of Agriculture’s summer meeting in Banff July 27 that the decision to end the single desk is based on Conservativeparty politics rather than an analysis of how wheat and barley […] Read more
