Ag labour task force elects new chair Mark Wales has been elected chair of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Labour Task Force. One of his tasks will be addressing agricultural industry worker shortages. Wales is a horticulture farmer from Elgin County in Ontario and also chair of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council, representing the Ontario […] Read more
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ADM profit jumps as big U.S. harvest boosts ag services CHICAGO, Ill. (Reuters) — Archer Daniels Midland Co. has reported higher quarterly earnings as a record-large U.S. harvest boosted grain volumes and supported strong exports. Earnings in agricultural services, which is ADM’s biggest business segment in terms of revenue, grew as bumper U.S. corn and […] Read more
Chicken from Alta. plant recalled in U.S.
Sunrise Poultry Processors, a Lethbridge chicken processor, has voluntarily recalled 2,705 pounds of poultry products that were not inspected at the U.S. border. There have been no reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of the chicken, according to information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. However, the USDA issued a Class 1 recall notice, […] Read more
New bison code of practice being developed
Development of a code of practice for bison is now underway. The National Farm Animal Care Council, which has completed seven livestock codes of practice and has five others in process, made the bison announcement Feb. 11. The code of practice relating to bison was last updated in 2001, according to Canadian Bison Association president […] Read more
Wheat up, durum down in latest port price summary
Wheat port prices rose in the latest Agriculture Canada weekly price summary but durum was lower. As of Feb. 6 the West Coast price for No. 1 CW hard red wheat was $337.96 per tonne, up $3.12 a tonne from where it was the week before. No. 1 durum prices at the West Coast fell […] Read more
U.S. southern Midwest farmland values held steady in late 2014
CHICAGO (Reuters) — Farmland prices in the southern U.S. Midwest and Delta region held mostly steady in the final quarter of 2014 despite declines in farm income amid depressed grain prices, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis said on Thursday. Quality grain land values were up 0.8 percent during the fourth quarter of 2014 […] Read more
Chickpea prices subdued, bounce unlikely in short term
WIINNIPEG — Weather issues in India have generated some rumblings in the international chickpea market recently, but prices remain subdued in Western Canada and are unlikely to see any significant strength in the near-term, according to an industry participant. “The chickpea market is still being dominated by very cheap Russian and Argentine supplies,” said Colin […] Read more
New Zealand declares partial drought, offers farm assistance
WELLINGTON (Reuters) — New Zealand has declared a drought in parts of the country’s South Island, offering financial assistance and tax relief to farmers after dry conditions have cut dairy production and increased sheep and beef slaughter rates. The government on Thursday said medium-scale drought conditions were affecting the east coast of the South Island, […] Read more
Bunge quarterly profit disappoints again
CHICAGO (Reuters) — Bunge Ltd., one of the world’s largest agricultural trading houses, reported fourth-quarter profit on Thursday that was well below analysts’ expectations due to deteriorating oilseed-crushing margins in China and further hedging losses. Declines in earnings and revenue were disappointing after Bunge’s projection last year that fourth-quarter results would be strong due to […] Read more
Local fibre industry builds network of stakeholders
Called fibresheds, these value chain networks can comprise farmers, dye producers, woolen mills, artisans, designers and retailers
GUELPH, Ont. — Fibresheds are beginning to catch on. “This is like where the organic food industry was 15 or 20 years ago,” said Jennifer Osborn of the Upper Canada Fiber Shed, who talked about the phenomena at the Guelph Organic Conference Jan. 30. “With this model, you can have a lot of impact, producing […] Read more
