Quality over quantity | Poor need proper food to fight malnutrition
International food and health specialist Rachel Nugent says it is time for food donor countries and food aid agencies to rethink their food aid priorities. Instead of focusing on getting adequate quantities of food to hungry people or food-deficient regions, the emphasis should be on the quality of food supplied, she said in a late […] Read moreNews — page 2494
Aid more than filling bellies
Royalty fee based on production attracts breeders
EDMONTON — A new funding method has created a cereal research boom in Australia. Steve Jefferies, chief executive officer of plant research firm Australian Grain Technologies Pty. Ltd., says farmers now pay a research fee when they sell the crop instead of paying a fee or royalty when buying seed. He recently told FarmTech 2012 […] Read more
Sunflower growers look to expand export markets
Consumers used to have two choices when it came to sunflower seeds: salted or unsalted. These days seed lovers can choose from a plethora of flavours, from spicy garlic and dill pickle to nacho cheese and jalapeno hot salsa. But while North American consumers prefer a variety of flavours, seed connoisseurs in other parts of […] Read more
Dairy website aims to deliver ‘real’ story
Campaign fights back | Media full of distorted and twisted information, says DFC president
Dairy Farmers of Canada has launched an aggressive campaign to confront its critics in the face of incessant demands that supply management be weakened or abandoned as a trade liberalization concession. Last week during its annual policy conference, the organization an-nounced the launch of a new website at www.yourmilk.ca that will give the dairy farmer […] Read more
When bans become banes
Manitoba considers cosmetic pesticide ban | Producers say legislation will have unintended effects
The president of Manitoba’s Keystone Agricultural Producers is almost always calm, composed and collected when he discusses agricultural issues facing his province. But there was a hint of irritation in Doug Chorney’s voice last week when he answered questions about the Manitoba government’s plan to ban cosmetic pesticides in the province. In short, Chorney said […] Read more
Grain drying turned upside down
Use fans only at night | Throw what you thought you knew about drying grain out the window
MELVILLE, Sask. — Farmers can dry their binned grain more quickly by running aeration fans only at night, new research has found. That contradicts decades-old wisdom that suggested fans should run continuously until grain is dry. In fact, that practice can actually damage grain by heating it and adding water to the kernels, said Ron […] Read moreChina bans India meal imports
China has banned imports of oilseed meal from India, creating a soybean and canola meal export opportunity in one of the world’s largest meal markets. The ban, which was implemented Jan. 1, is due to the detection of malachite green in rapeseed meal shipments from India. Malachite green is a hazardous chemical used in dyes. […] Read more
A countryside photo with tragic story
For Brian Evans, Canada’s chief veterinary officer and chief food safety officer, it is the picture that tells thousands of words. In his long-running campaign to promote vigilant biosecurity measures on Canadian farms, Evans often ends his presentation with a photograph of a green, serene, peaceful English countryside scene. The bucolic vista masks a sad […] Read more
Soggy canola fields still salvageable
BRANDON — Is a waterlogged canola field worth keeping and harvesting, or should farmers just plow it down? Results from a quick study the Canola Council of Canada conducted on saturated Manitoba fields this year suggests farmers should keep it. “I definitely would not write it off right away,” said canola council agronomist Kristen Phillips. […] Read more
Shoppers seek local beef, but grading info needed
Beef is king at the Canadian meat counter, according to retailers who talked to a University of Guelph demographic scientist in a recent survey. Tanya Mark surveyed meat managers and operators in seven grocery store chains in Eastern and Western Canada to gauge their attitudes toward beef and sales approaches. She told Lethbridge area cattle […] Read more
