Sells rendering, biodiesel division | The company plans to spend $500 million on meat plants and distribution centres
Maple Leaf Foods is selling its meat rendering and biodiesel business to pay down debt and invest in its prepared meat business. The company announced late last week that it had sold Rothsay to Darling International, a rendering and food recycling company in Texas, for $645 million. “The sale of our rendering and biodiesel business […] Read moreNews
Maple Leaf reduces debt, focuses on food sector
Report calls for improved environmental performance
Think tank proposes linking farm supports with environmental practices
The Conference Board of Canada is proposing tougher government rules to improve the environmental performance of the food system. In a report published last week that is a buildup to its promised 2014 national food strategy, the Ottawa-based government and business-supported research institute recommended a stronger “Canadian agri-food environmental governance system” that would include environmental […] Read moreUrban-only ridings go ahead for Sask.
Federal electoral boundaries | Commission sticks to its guns on controversial proposal
The majority on a three-member commission created to redraw federal electoral boundaries in Sask-atchewan has rejected Conservative pressure to drop its proposal to create urban-only ridings in Saskatoon and Regina. In their final report published Aug. 21, commission members justice Ronald Mills and University of Saskatchewan political scientist John Courtney said three exclusively urban seats […] Read moreWest Hawk Lake checkpoint closed
The West Hawk Lake livestock movement checkpoint has been closed. The site, which opened in 2006, was located at the Manitoba-Ontario border to collect information on livestock moving across the country. The information was part of a health monitoring program. The plan is now to divide Canada into health zones. If a disease is found […] Read more
Former N.S. farmer takes Liberal ag critic post
Federal Liberal leader Justin Trudeau has shaken up his parliamentary caucus, shuffling many of his seasoned agricultural veterans to non-related jobs. Frank Valeriote, agriculture critic since 2011, is being replaced by veteran Nova Scotia MP and former farmer Mark Eyking, who once served as parliamentary secretary to agriculture minister Bob Speller. Valeriote becomes deputy whip […] Read more
Biodiesel report raises ire
Biodiesel producers are taking issue with recent comments made by Alberta’s auditor general. Merwan Saher was highly critical of the way the province has handled bioenergy grant programs in a report released in July. He said the province has done a poor job of ensuring biofuel projects are reducing greenhouse gas emissions and went so […] Read more
It’s the kickoff for a great year
Let the bells ring out and the banners fly. It’s our 90th anniversary. Officially, the happy date is Aug. 27, but we’re planning an entire year of celebrations because 90 is one heck of a milestone. First, we’re having a pancake breakfast in Saskatoon at our head office on Sept. 4, from 7 to 10 […] Read more
Family finds unique uses for Western Producer through the years
Congratulations on 90 years as our leading farm newspaper. I have enjoyed reading it for over half a century. My dad, John Bochar, subscribed to The Western Producer when I was about 10 years old. That is over 65 years ago. Dad and I read the paper and then it was recycled. Throughout the winter […] Read more
Straw Man plan aims to promote beef sector, sales
For more than a century, players in the Canadian beef industry have often ridden separate trails, but as the world’s food demands change, they say it is time to ride together. The Straw Man Canadian Beef Industry Strategy was born at a meeting in Calgary last spring to get people talking about how to seize […] Read more
Input sought on proposed crop variety registration
Ottawa is seeking feedback from farmers, seed growers and others on proposed changes to Canada’s variety registration system. Agriculture Canada has posted an online document entitled Crop Variety Registration in Canada: Issues and Options. The document, which can be viewed on Agriculture Canada’s web-site, outlines measures that could be taken to streamline Canada’s variety registration […] Read more
