A tide of cautious hope for reconciliation is washing through the grain transportation system after a year of fighting. “I think communication is the best thing to solve a problem,” John Corey, a dispute resolution specialist with the Canadian Transportation Agency, told the Fields on Wheels conference Dec. 3. “If your car is late for […] Read more
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Grain crisis forcing co-operation across logistics system
Feds new grain shipment targets called wishy-washy
Ottawa gone soft | Updated order in council is watered down and lacks teeth for enforcement, says Liberal MP Ralph Goodale
The federal government’s latest plan to regulate railway performance in Western Canada isn’t as tough as it might appear on the surface, says Liberal MP Ralph Goodale. Under closer scrutiny, he added, it looks more like a railway lap dog than a producer watchdog. “The government wanted to appear tough so they continued the order […] Read moreNew-Life Mills closure aims for efficiency: Hi-Pro Feeds
Lethbridge facility transition | Employees from the closed plant will move to Hi-Pro’s upgraded feed facility or Parrish and Heimbecker’s flour mill
Hi-Pro Feeds’ deal to buy New-Life Mills in Lethbridge was announced Nov. 26, and New-Life was permanently closed five days later. The purchase, for an undisclosed sum, represents consolidation in the southern Alberta feed industry. New-Life is a division of Parrish and Heimbecker, and its Lethbridge facility was adjacent to the company’s flour mill. It […] Read moreCFIA reviewing reportable diseases
Due for an update | Ten of the 31 on the list have never been found in Canada
OTTAWA — The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is reassessing the list of animal diseases that it deems reportable, immediately notifiable and annually notifiable. Dr. Penny Greenwood, national manager of domestic disease control for the CFIA, said the current list is due for an update. “A lot of the things that we used to put the […] Read moreSheep average $530 per head
Brad Magnus of Luseland, Sask., bought six of 14 lots in the Katahdin sheep sale at Canadian Western Agribition, including the high seller. He paid $800 for the grand champion ram, BRT 875B, from B & R Farms of Raymore, Sask. He also took home another ram and eight ewes from several different consignors. The […] Read more
Video: Non-GM flax variety in limbo
A breeding project that was supposed to bring flax into the 21st century has stalled. The Flax Council of Canada has stopped funding a multimillion-dollar project to develop a non-genetically modified herbicide tolerant line of flax. In 2010, the council announced with much fanfare that it had signed an agreement with Cibus Global to develop […] Read more
The problem with success is profit — and profit means taxes
Many people in agriculture don’t understand that taxes are a sign of prosperity. In an industry that is taught to avoid paying taxes at all costs, the thought of forking over any money to the government, even in years of record profits, is hard to swallow. Canadian agriculture tax rules allow farmers to defer cash […] Read more
PotashCorp eyes control of firms
(Reuters) — PotashCorp is sizing up its chances of gaining control of four companies in which it holds minority stakes. The company, which is the world’s largest fertilizer producer, is reviewing its $4.5 billion worth of investments in China’s Sinofert Holdings Ltd., Israel Chemicals, Jordan’s Arab Potash Co. PLC and Chile’s SQM. “The strategic objective […] Read more
Farm groups suggest rail system improvements
A coalition of farm groups based in Saskatchewan has issued a 39-page document suggesting far-reaching changes to the Canadian Transportation Act, the federal legislation that regulates railway operations in the country. The document, released in Regina, is endorsed by a coalition of farm groups including Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, the Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission, the Saskatchewan […] Read more
Flax group to tout health claim
The Flax Council of Canada is weeks away from launching a new website to promote its recently attained health claim from Health Canada. The healthyflax.org website will tell consumers and health-care professionals about the proven benefits of eating flax. The council announced in January that Health Canada had accepted its claim that eating ground whole […] Read more
