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 moreNews
Rise of Chinese protectionism a threat to trade
Campaign 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 moreWill the hungry benefit from falling prices?
Falling oil prices will lower food costs, but chronic hunger will continue to affect hundreds of millions of people
ROME, Italy (Thomson Reuters Foundation) — A slump in global oil prices has brought cheaper food to many of the world’s poorest. However, the benefits are not universal. Globally, 805 million people still face chronic hunger, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. The poorest in cities may see a reduction in food […] Read moreManitoba farmers live without farm animal council
Province takes a different approach to promoting animal care than other livestock producing regions
In a time when activists regularly sneak into dairy, hog and chicken barns to film alleged livestock abuse, Manitoba doesn’t have an organization dedicated to farm animal welfare. The Manitoba Farm Animal Council dissolved in 2010, after commodity groups decided they would rather encourage and promote animal care on their own. Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario, […] Read moreIrish beef gains U.S. access
DUBLIN/BRUSSELS (Reuters) — Ireland has become the first European Union country to receive permission to export beef to the United States, 17 years after Washington banned EU imports over BSE. This follows a successful inspection by U.S. authorities of Ireland’s beef production system, which was completed in July, the Irish agriculture department said Jan. 5. […] Read more
Ex-pharmaceutical executive to head new crop input company
(Reuters) — A start-up agricultural plant health company that plans to tweak the capabilities of crops to improve their yields, has named a former pharmaceutical executive as its president. David Perry joined Symbiota in early January after leaving Anacor Pharmaceuticals Inc., which he co-founded and ran from 2002 until last year. Perry founded two other […] Read more
Wheat midge outlook gives cause for optimism
A surprisingly small number of wheat midge larvae have been found in Peace River area soil core samples, which suggests the insect likely won’t be a problem this year. However, Agriculture Canada entomologist Jennifer Otani says farmers need to continue monitoring for the pest, which can cut wheat yields in half. The Alberta Insect Pest […] Read more
New approaches helping farmers beat drought
Organizations working with herders in Kenya to adapt herd size to climate and collect hay
ALAGO ALBA, Kenya (Thomson Reuters Foundation) — Ibrahim Hassan would usually be preparing his livestock at this time of the year for a 100 kilometre trek toward greener pastures along the River Tana in northern Kenya. Like many here, Hassan knows his livestock will die if he does not move the herd ahead of the […] Read moreSawfly outlook good for Alta.
Wheat stem sawfly damage in Alberta is expected to be limited to small pockets of the southern part of the province this year. Field surveys show low populations in most of the surveyed areas, including the traditional sawfly areas in the Special Areas and the County of Forty Mile. The damage rates are based on […] Read more
Farmers urged to watch for fungal toxin in cereal
Millers and bakers are growing increasingly concerned about the presence of ochratoxin A in food made from cereals
Canadian cereal growers should be interested in a little known fungal toxin called ochratoxin A, says a baking industry representative. Ochratoxin A (OTA) can contaminate grain stored in bins when moisture conditions and temperature encourage growth of the causal fungus, Penicillium verrucosum. It may increase the risk of developing kidney and urinary tract cancer when […] Read more
