Dairy Farmers of Canada takes issue | The report is one-sided and contains flawed information, says national leader
Dairy Farmers of Canada is curd-ling over a report released June 21 by former Liberal MP and trade critic Martha Hall Findlay. She said Canada’s supply management system for dairy products overcharges consumers and interferes with international trade talks. Hall calls for an end to the 40-year-old system of production controls, import tariffs and cost-of-production […] Read moreNews
Report on supply management raises ire
Cervus expands
Cervus Equipment Corp. has ac-quired five John Deere dealerships in New Zealand. The Calgary based company said it bought the three dealerships of Bayquip Agricultural Ltd. for about $1.93 million and two dealerships of Fieldpower Northland Ltd. for $1.69 million. “These acquisitions are a significant step in our strategy to consolidate agricultural equipment dealerships in […] Read more
Aster yellows bites into canola yield
Damage in wheat also seen | Extent of devastation across Prairies alarming agronomists
Tiny pests are causing massive damage to this year’s bountiful crops. Aster yellows disease was brought north from the U.S. Midwest on the bodies of the six-spotted leafhopper, a white insect the size of an aphid. “We’ve lost hundreds of millions of dollars to aster yellows,” said Ieuan Evans, a forensic pathologist with Agri-Trend Agrology […] Read moreHorses get royal treatment at equestrian centre
SPRINGBANK, Alta. — Kestrel Ridge Farm is a private equestrian centre with Olympic sized dreams. Owned by Julia and Tony Vysniauskas since 2000, the facility is devoted to promoting dressage in Alberta. The farm is located on a quarter section west of Calgary in the Springbank district where riders of all ages come for training […] Read more
CWB gains elevator, port access
Farmers who sell wheat, durum and barley through the CWB can now make deliveries to any grain elevator on the Prairies. CWB president Ian White confirmed Aug. 7 that the voluntary wheat board has reached commercial grain handling agreements with 10 more companies, including Paterson Grain, Parrish & Heimbecker, Weyburn Inland Terminal, Prairie West Terminal, […] Read more
Growers seek new pulse specialist in Manitoba
Vacancy hurts high value crop, say producers Former specialist promoted two years ago but not yet replaced; others are filling in
Manitoba Agriculture needs to fill a long neglected job vacancy, says a provincial farm group. The Manitoba Pulse Growers Association wants the province to hire a new pulse crop specialist to replace the one who got promoted more than two years ago. “I would like to see that position filled as soon as possible,” said […] Read moreGrain commission sampling program targets crops exported in shipping containers
The Canadian Grain Commission has announced two new programs aimed at assuring the quality of Canadian grain shipped in containers. The Accredited Container Sampler Program and the Certified Container Sampling Program were launched Aug. 1. The voluntary programs are designed to address industry concerns and ensure that the grain shipped in containers meets the expectations […] Read more
Logistics give grain companies plenty to ponder
New marketing era, new issues | Private firms take over from the CWB in co-ordinating sales and shipping routes
Executives from major grain handling companies say the transition to an open marketing environment has been a smooth one so far. However, there are unanswered questions about how the industry will evolve, particularly when it comes to grain movement. “To a large extent, the move from a single desk to an open market environment is […] Read moreGrain transportation glitches possible
Without the CWB co-ordinating shipments, grain marketers will be competing for sales and rail service
If Mother Nature co-operates, farmers and grain handling companies on the Canadian Prairies could be shipping a large and unusually valuable grain crop to overseas buyers this fall. But getting that crop to market in a timely manner could be a challenge, according to some industry observers. According to CWB officials, Western Canada’s farmers are […] Read more
Invest in cameras, confetti, barricades to protect grain from thieves
Prairie producers will be augering billions of dollars worth of grain into storage bins across the West this year, often at remote and isolated bin sites. That could prove to be an irresistible target for grain thieves, said Todd Heroux, a Saskatchewan grain and oilseed producer who lost nearly $60,000 worth of canola in 2010. […] Read more
