NEW YORK, April 13 (Reuters) – A U.S. government weather forecaster on Thursday said there is still the possibility of the El Niño phenomenon developing in the late summer or fall. The Climate Prediction Center (CPC), an agency of the National Weather Service, in its monthly forecast said neutral conditions are likely to continue through […] Read more
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El Niño still possible later this year
Canadian land prices still rising
Canadian farmland values continued to rise in 2016, but the rate of increase fell for the third consecutive year. The average value of Canadian farmland went up 7.9 percent, which is down from 10.1 percent in 2015, 14.3 percent in 2014 and 22.1 percent in 2013. Surprisingly strong farm cash receipts fueled increases in every […] Read more
Bankruptcy threatens vegetable growers
A Manitoba company with world leading technology to turn vegetables and pulses into purees is now bankrupt. Canadian Prairie Garden Puree Products of Portage la Prairie filed for bankruptcy protection in late March. Receivership records show that the company owes $9 million: $6 million to secured creditors and $3 million to unsecured creditors. The secured […] Read more
Monsanto profits jump
CHICAGO, Ill. (Reuters) —Monsanto Co. beat quarterly profit expectations, helped by strong demand for its seeds. The world’s largest seed supplier said sales of corn seeds and traits rose eight percent, while sales of soybean seeds and traits jumped 10.2 percent in the second quarter ended Feb. 28. American farmers are expected to plant the […] Read more
Sask. ag worker course nixed
A program designed to train agricultural workers and help alleviate a shortage of skilled labour on Saskatchewan farms did not continue beyond a pilot project stage. The Agricultural Operator Program was announced in 2014 as part of the provincial government’s growth plan. It was delivered by Parkland Regional College in Yorkton and, if successful, was […] Read more
Early spring sees ships set sail from Thunder Bay port
Eastbound grain shipments through the Port of Thunder Bay are off to a good start in 2017, thanks to an early break-up of winter ice and ample grain stocks in storage at the port. Tim Heney, chief executive officer at the Port of Thunder Bay, said the port welcomed its first vessel of the 2017 […] Read more
Welfare standards already exceed certification requirements: CFA
Chicken Farmers of Canada says its standards that ensure welfare for broiler chickens are higher than those in a certification program that Tim Hortons and Burger King have announced they will use. The two chains, part of Restaurant Brands International (RBI), recently announced that by 2024 they would buy chicken only from farmers certified by […] Read more
App provides plant, animal ID to public
People curious about the name or nature of plants, animals and insects they encounter in Alberta may soon have a quick way of getting and giving information. The Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI) expects to launch a smartphone app and website called NatureLynx in early summer. Joelle Chille Cale, citizen science co-ordinator with ABMI, told […] Read more
Wheat midge tolerant gene at risk
A gene that has been found in the wrong place could potentially be putting part of the prairie wheat sector at risk. SeCan, a farmer-owned seed distribution company, has learned that soft white wheat varieties in Western Canada, in particular AC Sadash, inadvertently contain a gene known as Sm1. Sm1 is the wheat gene that […] Read more
Sask. premier suggests supply management trade-off
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall last week used a trip to Washington, D.C., designed to promote the Canada-U.S. trade relationship to muse about the end of supply management. Speaking to the Heritage Foundation, which promotes conservative public policies, he talked about the products that flow back and forth between the two countries and the dependence that […] Read more
