Vancouver — Canadian farmers are in jeopardy of losing the currency buffer that has partially shielded them from slumping commodity prices, says an economist. Like most international currencies, the Canadian dollar has been weakening versus the U.S. dollar in recent years. That has resulted in better returns for exporters of Canadian products because most trade […] Read more
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Loonie rise saps export income
Danish firm sees shift to probiotics from antibiotics for livestock
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (Reuters) — Food ingredients maker Chr. Hansen is seeing strong demand for probiotics for animals as farmers and restaurant chains come under growing pressure to use fewer antibiotics in the food chain, its chief executive officer said. Scientists warn that the routine use of antibiotics in animals is contributing to the rise of […] Read more
Meat processor invests in sausage-making facilities
Olymel is investing $2 million in its Red Deer pork plant for a sausage production unit. “This will be a new activity with diversification to serve retailers in Western Canada,” said company spokesperson Richard Vigneault. Olymel plan is to produce breakfast sausages and bulk sausage meat for distribution in Western Canada. It added a sausage […] Read more
Asian millers caught by wheat rally
SINGAPORE (Reuters) — Some Asian flour millers have been caught out by last month’s nearly 30 percent rally in global wheat prices after earlier booking cargoes with prices due to be fixed at a later date, traders said. Benchmark Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures jumped 23 percent in June and high-protein spring wheat climbed […] Read more
Cult TV show renews interest in small town life
As they drove through rural Alberta to a wedding in Wainwright, Lindsay Stamhuis and Aidan Hailes couldn’t help seeing and feeling reflections of Twin Peaks. It helped that the two mega-fans were playing the soundtrack of the 1990-91 television series as they drove through Irma, Viking and into Wainwright, and buzzing with anticipation of the […] Read more
Higher farm input prices likely, despite tax exemptions
Everyone knows that the tax man giveth and the tax man taketh away. But in the case of carbon tax, who will giveth the most? Farm economists who spoke at the Prairie Agriculture Summit in Saskatoon last week delivered a generally positive message about carbon taxes, suggesting that financial rewards realized by Canada’s agriculture sector […] Read more
China regulation requirements cause Canadian flax to pile up
Stalled demand from a key international buyer has caused a build-up of flax inventories in Canada, with more crops on the way. Demand on the ingredient side of the flax market has been steady, said Mike Popowich of TA Foods in Yorkton, Sask. “But we’ve experienced a bit of a slow-down on the exports. There […] Read more
Proposed food centre a boon for pulse sector
Vancouver — Buhler, a Swiss owned maker of food processing technology, is building a $10 million food application centre in Minneapolis that could help transform the pulse industry. “This is a really significant point in pulse industry development and diversification,” said Gordon Bacon, chief executive officer of Pulse Canada. The centre is expected to help […] Read more
Ag ministers pressed to decide on farm program review
Several Canadian farm organizations say they expect agriculture ministers will approve a review of business risk management programs at their annual meeting this week in St. John’s. That would put changes to the largest portion of the next policy framework, which was to be signed at the meeting, on hold. Federal, provincial and territorial ministers […] Read more
Cargill profit up
quarterly results Cargill Inc. quarterly net profit rose, supported by strong demand for beef and poultry and solid U.S. grain exports. Net income jumped to $347 million in the fourth quarter ended May 31 from $15 million a year earlier. Revenue rose four percent to $28.3 billion. The animal nutrition and protein segments were the […] Read more
