Birders gather in groups, just like the creatures they count, and Christmas is one of their favourite times to get together. This is Charlotte Wasylik’s seventh season counting birds at Christmas. She and 30 other birders from Vermilion, Alta., were scheduled to get together Dec. 19 and count birds. The Christmas Bird Count is conducted […] Read more
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Tallying up feathered friends
Latest PED case evidence virus still circulating
Ontario reported another case of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus Dec. 2, its first since July 14. The province has had 85 premises infected with the deadly hog disease, but many of those have been disinfected in the months since the first cases were found in January 2014. Only 16 new cases were reported in 2015, […] Read more
Pulse crops expected to steal acres from cereals in 2016
WINNIPEG — Canadian farmers are expected to seed more pulse crops at the expense of cereals in 2016, according to early projections from industry experts looking at current market trends. PULSES “Definitely, we’ll see an increase in pulse crop acreage,” said Bruce Burnett, weather and crop specialist at G3 Canada Limited. Lentils and peas are […] Read more
Noble exits agricultural markets with unit sale to China’s COFCO
NEW YORK, Dec 22 (Reuters) – Noble Group Ltd said on Tuesday it has agreed to sell its remaining 49 percent stake in its agribusiness to China’s state-owned COFCO International Ltd, exiting agricultural markets as the Asian commodity merchant seeks to slash debt and shore up cash. The deal will give COFCO full ownership of […] Read more
Costco E. coli outbreak appears to be over – CDC
Dec 22 (Reuters) – An outbreak of E. coli linked to rotisserie chicken salad sold by warehouse club operator Costco Wholesale Corp appears to be over, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said on Tuesday. The most recent illness in this outbreak reported to CDC started on Nov. 3, the federal agency said. The […] Read more
Updated: Syngenta in talks with Monsanto, ChemChina, others
ZURICH, Dec 22 (Reuters) – Swiss agrichemicals group Syngenta is in talks with Monsanto, ChemChina and other rivals but has not received a concrete takeover offer and is keeping all options open, Chairman Michel Demare told a Swiss newspaper. “Given what shareholders expect for the next 12 months, going it alone is hardly possible,” he […] Read more
Nestle to switch to cage-free eggs in U.S. by 2020
NEW YORK, Dec 22 (Reuters) – Nestle SA said on Tuesday it will stop using eggs laid by caged hens in its U.S. products by 2020, making it the largest packaged food company to go cage-free amid pressure from consumers and animal-rights groups. The world’s largest food maker said it uses about 20 million pounds […] Read more
LIVESTOCK-CME live, feeder cattle futures extends rally
CHICAGO, Dec 21 (Reuters) – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures on Monday ended sharply higher, with the February contract up the expanded 4.5-cents per lb price limit, on more short-covering following Friday’s bullish government cattle report, traders said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cattle-On-Feed report on Friday showed the number of cattle placed into […] Read more
Rail transportation report in hands of minister
A much-anticipated report from the Canadian Transportation Act (CTA) review panel is in the hands of federal transportation minister Marc Garneau. Natasha Gauthier, senior media relations adviser with Transport Canada, said the CTA panel’s final report was submitted to Garneau’s office earlier today, Dec. 21. The review examined various aspects of the national transportation system […] Read more
Oil slide cuts revenue at Federated Co-op
Revenues at Saskatchewan’s largest company, Federated Co-operatives Limited, were down by $1.7 billion, or 16 percent, in 2015, the result of a downturn in the energy sector, weaker crude oil prices and the resulting negative effects on FCL’s Co-op Refinery Complex in Regina. Nonetheless, the company still reported net earnings of $539 million last year, […] Read more
