Women lack resources in developing world
LONDON, U.K. (Thomson Reuters Foundation) — Women could increase yields on their farms by more than 20 percent if they had the same access to land, credit, advice and markets as men, says a leading land rights researcher. This would boost total global agricultural production by up to four percent, added Elisa Scalise, director of […] Read moreNews
Women key to growing global food production
U.S. farm subsidies called unfair to Canada
Analyst says American programs guarantee higher prices despite forecasts for lower commodity returns
RIDGETOWN, Ont. — Subsidies under the 2014 U.S. farm bill are not farmer friendly for Canada, particularly when combined with low commodity prices, says a government policy analyst from Michigan State University. “Every cent of budget costs paid to our farm programs is a subsidy against which Canadian farmers must compete,” David Schweikhardt told the […] Read moreRains arrive in Brazil, but crop concerns remain
Irregular rains aren’t enough as farmers in southeastern region recover from historic drought
SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) — Southeastern Brazil is getting some rainfall a year after a record drought started, meteorologists say. However, it isn’t enough to eliminate worries about an energy crisis, water shortages or another season of damaged export crops. Record-high temperatures and the most severe drought in at least 80 years punished southeastern Brazil […] Read moreBeef sector needs more meat to maintain markets
Canada’s national beef strategy includes numerous statistics that support goals for the cattle and beef industry:
A new national beef strategy hopes to increase beef demand by 15 percent, increase productivity by 15 percent and reduce costs by seven percent by 2020. The plan, released Jan. 7, was devised with input from national and provincial cattle and beef organizations. It was more than a year in the making and designed to […] Read moreFarmers can help slow spread of new diseases by having new machinery cleaned
Lots of steel moves around the Canadian Prairies and up from the U.S. Midwest. But as Red River Valley farmers retool their farms, are they also introducing new diseases? “Who here bought a great new header at an auction down in Nebraska?” Manitoba Agriculture crop management specialist Anastasia Kubinec asked Jan. 7 in a session […] Read more
Sask. to fall back on agriculture as oil prices decline, says Wall
Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall says the agricultural sector will help the province weather precipitously declining oil prices. He told the Western Equipment Dealers Association meeting in Regina last week that the government is looking realistically at the challenge of low oil prices as it prepares its March 18 budget. A barrel of U.S. crude was […] Read more
Former Avena CEO dies
The former chief executive officer of Avena Foods and well-known civil servant Maryellen Carlson has died. Carlson taught school before joining the federal civil service, working for Consumer and Corporate Affairs and then Agriculture Canada. In 1997, she moved to Saskatchewan Agriculture to head the industry development branch and eventually became assistant deputy minister. She […] Read more
Young and ambitious: Here’s how you can get ahead
High grain prices haven’t just strengthened the balance sheet. They have also brought an infusion of youth into a sector where 40-year-olds are considered young farmers. However, will ambitious young people find that Mom and Dad aren’t so open to new ideas now that prices are dropping? Mike Fata hopes not. “Farming is no different […] Read more
Rise of Chinese protectionism a threat to trade
China using non-tariff barriers to slow imports of corn, cotton and dried distillers grain as country’s economy slows
SHANGHAI (Reuters) — As China lobbies world leaders to back its free trade plan, businesses are complaining about Beijing’s use of non-tariff barriers from customs clearance to quality restrictions to curb raw material imports. Amid a slowdown in economic growth, the world’s top commodities buyer is facing a supply glut that has sent local prices […] Read moreCampaign helps find homes for misfit veggies
Alberta’s Red Hat Co-op uses creative advertising to market misshapen products to customers
Hail to the twisty tomato. And cheers for the bulbous-nosed green pepper and the boomerang-shaped cucumber. These misshapen vegetables, labeled “the misfits” by southern Alberta’s Red Hat Co-op, were snatched off the shelves last year in a novel promotion slated for expansion this spring. The Misfits: Rise of the Rejects, marketed vegetables from growers in […] Read more
