EDMONTON — In a pivotal scene from the movie The God-father, a meeting of mafia dons discusses how to implement the drug trade in an orderly fashion. One of the dons is adamant that the trade must be kept away from children and schools. Municipal rural councillors probably feel the same way when the federal […] Read more
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RMs discuss rules in legalized pot era
Farmers, journalists and academics: a clash of cultures
I recently tried to stand like a little bridge connecting two small and unusual subcultures, while straddling a third subculture. It made me realize how odd journalists and farmers can seem to those who live outside their subcultures, and how difficult it can be for members of each to understand the other. And I was […] Read more
FarmLead raises funds to offer more services
The online grain marketing platform FarmLead, led by Brennan Turner, has raised US$6.5 million in venture capital financing. The series A preferred stock investment pool was led by Monsanto Growth Ventures (MGU) with additional investments from Avrio Ventures, the MaRS Innovation Accelerator Fund and Serra Ventures. The money will help FarmLead expand into the United […] Read more
Farmers take hit on fuel exemption, education tax
Tax exemptions remain for seed, pesticides and new equipment, but taxes on agricultural land will climb
Saskatchewan farm leaders say they expected the hits they took in last week’s provincial budget, knowing that the pain of the drastic drop in resource revenue would have to be spread around. The province is expecting a deficit of at least $1.3 billion in the last fiscal year. The 2017-18 budgets hiked taxes and cut […] Read moreHistorically poor quality hits pulse processor’s bottom line
Poor crop quality, a late harvest and plummeting prices contributed to slumping margins at the end of 2016 for the world’s largest pulse processing company. AGT Food and Ingredients posted margins in its pulse and grain processing segment of $64.68 gross profit per tonne in the fourth quarter, down from $92.42 the previous quarter. “The […] Read more
GST details are tricky; when should it be collected?
Most sales are subject to GST/HST in Canada. However, the sale of most farm products are considered zero-rated. Is this a pass? The challenge is that not all farm products are zero-rated, and the list is huge. Items that might not be zero-rated are things such as fresh-cut flowers or foliage, bedding plants, sod, living […] Read more
Pulse firm expects strong exports to India
Despite reports of a bumper crop, AGT official says India is already looking to book new crop purchases
A major player in the pulse crop industry is casting doubt on the Indian government’s report of a bumper harvest. Murad Al-Katib, president of AGT Food and Ingredients, said India is always exaggerating the crop size in an attempt to keep a lid on food price inflation. “India harvests a large crop every year, but […] Read moreB.C. offers traceability funding
OTTAWA — The British Columbia government is offering up to $3,500 to help livestock producers buy equipment to improve traceability. The Livestock Tag Reader Rebate program covers up to 70 percent of the costs of readers and the necessary software to scan cattle, pork, sheep, goat and venison tags. Applicants must be B.C. residents and […] Read more
Pulse official gets prestigious award
The president of AGT Food and Ingredients has received the prestigious Oslo Business for Peace Award. “I guess I’m the first ever Canadian winner,” said Murad Al-Katib. Past recipients include Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, David MacLennan, chief executive officer of Cargill, and Jeffrey Immelt, chair of GE. “Some cool people have received […] Read more
Farmers welcome federal budget’s ag recognition
Canadian farmers say last week’s federal budget indicates that the government recognizes the economic growth the sector can drive. The budget was short on details but set a goal of increasing agri-food exports to $75 billion annually by 2025. It proposes to invest $70 million over six years to support “agricultural discovery science and innovation,” […] Read more
