MANILA, Phillipines (Reuters) — The new Liberal government is reviewing a $4.3 billion package designed to compensate farmers for losses they might incur under a new Pacific trade deal, trade minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters. Freeland’s remarks add to the uncertainty over whether the Liberals will ratify Canada’s participation in the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, […] Read more
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Liberals review TPP compensation
VIDEO: People skills key to economic success
Part 5: This series looks at how farmers, agriculture consultants and service providers are professionalizing agriculture by integrating the many skills required by today’s complex and challenging industry. You can follow the entire series here. NIVERVILLE, Man. — Farmers still need the hard-nosed skills that they have always had, but softer people skills are also […] Read more
Alta. property rights advocate shown door
Alberta’s first property rights advocate is out of a job. Lee Cutforth, a Lethbridge lawyer, learned last week that his contract would not be renewed. It expires Dec. 10. Provincial justice minister Kathleen Ganley said in an email that her department is in the process of finding an interim advocate. “We are taking this opportunity […] Read more
Zebra chip harmless so far
RED DEER — The potato psyllid, which is responsible for spreading zebra chip disease, has been found in southern Alberta but so far has done no harm. Researchers led by Dan Johnson of the University of Lethbridge found the insect in the potato growing regions of Coaldale, Grassy Lake, Taber, Vauxhall and the Blood Reserve. […] Read more
Know your fusarium to make correct control decisions
Alberta potato growers told to look for resistant varieties and take measures to avoid fungicide resistance
RED DEER — Fusarium infections in potatoes are common, but more strains are showing resistance to fungicides. “Resistance management is an important piece to consider when making plans about how we are going to manage fusarium,” Mike Harding, a plant pathologist at Alberta Agriculture’s Crop Development Centre, told Potato Growers of Alberta’s annual meeting held […] Read moreGroups call for more research to boost wheat acres
The National Association of Wheat Growers has launched a national contest to encourage farmers to boost productivity
The U.S. wheat industry is at-tempting to mount a second Green Revolution. The National Association of Wheat Growers and the National Wheat Foundation have launched the National Wheat Action Plan, which is an attempt to increase wheat productivity so that the crop stops losing acreage to corn and soybeans. “Right now the plan is conceptual,” […] Read moreRice project gives African women security
The government’s plan to increase commercial rice production saw acres more than double last year, largely due to interest by women
NDOP, Cameroon (Thomson Reuters Foundation) — Women farmers in western Cameroon are leading the way in commercial rice production, benefiting from new seeds and marketing opportunities that are helping them cope with climate stresses and provide for their families. A program run by the Upper Nun Valley Development Authority (UNVDA), a government agricultural industry body, […] Read moreMonsanto ponders consolidation with rival chemical lines
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (Reuters) — Monsanto executives are discussing whether they should acquire rivals, including top pesticide maker Syngenta, company executives said as talk of consolidation continues in the global farm chemical industry. “We’ve had conversations inside” about Syngenta and other agricultural companies, Monsanto president Brett Begemann said at an investor meeting at its headquarters […] Read more
Boy dies in forklift rollover
A 10-year-old boy has died following a farm accident near Killam, Alta. The accident occurred Nov. 21 at 11 a.m. when the boy was driving a forklift along a gravel roadway and lost control of the machine. The machine drove into the ditch and rolled. The RCMP said the boy was pronounced dead on the […] Read more
New fungus strains developing pesticide resistance
RED DEER — Late blight in potatoes is an old scourge that is showing up as a super fungus. The disease showed up in 2009, ruining potato and tomato crops, said Agriculture Canada researcher Larry Kawchuk of Lethbridge. “In the field you would sometimes see in dry climates, like Alberta, the disease appear and dry […] Read more
