Beginning as early as autumn, the Canadian beef industry could be in a position to collect $1 per head on imported beef with the money earmarked for research and promotion. The levy, similar to import levies applied to Canadian beef imports in other countries, was announced July 30 at an eastern Ontario farm with agriculture […] Read more
News
Beef levy benefits sector
Ottawa ‘hiding truth’ on budget cut impacts
Agriculture Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are defying a demand from the parliamentary budget officer that they provide more details on the impact of their budget cuts. Interim PBO Sonia L’Heureux has asked all departments and agencies twice since April for detailed information on the impact of budget cuts imposed in the 2012 […] Read more
Russia’s Uralkali rocks potash sector by pulling out of cartel
MOSCOW, Russia — Canadian potash producers, the Saskatchewan government and rural communities benefiting from the billions spent on new and expanding mines are trying to assess the impact of the breakup of a potash cartel in the former Soviet Union. Russia’s Uralkali quit one of the world’s two big potash cartels July 30, heralding a […] Read more
Farmer fined for patent infringement
Monsanto filed suit | Company said Roundup Ready canola was improperly grown in field
A farmer from Strathmore, Alta., faces a fine of approximately $544,000 in a default judgment for patent infringement of Roundup Ready canola. In a July 24 hearing in Federal Court in Toronto, the court ruled that Doug Van Verdegem and Bar V Farms Ltd. violated the terms of a contract with Monsanto for use of […] Read moreQuebec farmers earn more through collective marketing, says official
MONTREAL — With a significantly smaller agricultural sector than neighbouring Ontario, Quebec agriculture consistently records one of the highest net farm incomes in the country. In 2011, Quebec’s $1.2 billion in net farm income was the strongest in the country. Ontario recorded net farm income of $880 million that year. Last week, Quebec farm leader […] Read more
Program cuts, price declines could put farmers at risk
Risk management | CFA calls on feds to review farm safety net programs
MONTREAL — With early signs of softening agricultural commodity prices, Canadian Federation of Agriculture directors are calling on governments to commit to a review next year of the effectiveness of weakened safety net programs. There are also warnings that cuts in the level of program coverage could entice farmers into direct political action and protest […] Read moreSask. crops doing well, but weather delays are an annoyance
Saskatchewan crop report as of Aug. 8 Crops are podding and filling, although cool, wet weather is delaying development. Rain in early August slowed haying progress and reduced quality. Livestock producers had 90 percent of the hay crop cut on Aug. 5, according to the provincial crop report. Eight percent of the crop is rated […] Read more
4-H, Federated Co-op, Ducks Unlimited combine forces
Yorkton, Sask. — Three rural-based organizations in Saskatchewan have pooled their resources under a new fund-raising initiative. 4-H Saskatchewan, Federated Co-operatives Limited and Ducks Unlimited Canada have united in a canola growing project to raise money for rural youth and wetland conservation. Under the Growing the Future project, the three organizations are growing a canola […] Read more
Manitoba’s Hemp Oil Canada planning plant expansion
One of Canada’s most profitable food processing companies is planning to capitalize on its success and increase production of what may be the hottest food item in North America. Hemp Oil Canada, which processes hemp seeds, hemp seed oil and hemp flours, is planning to double or triple the capacity of its plant in Ste. […] Read more
New executive to assess FCC risk levels
Chief risk officer | Michael Hoffort will look for financial exposure and vulnerability to fraud
Farm Credit Canada’s newly appointed chief risk officer says his major role is to make sure Canada’s largest farm lender is living within its “appetite for risk.” It is also Michael Hoffort’s job to assess the policy directions coming from the federal government and the government-appointed board of directors to ensure they do not jeopardize […] Read more
