A revamped version of the CWB enters the new crop year today with a clean balance sheet, a streamlined workforce, a revised lineup of marketing contracts and a new corporate identity. But lingering legal issues surrounding the demise of the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly have yet to be resolved and likely won’t be for months, […] Read more
News
CWB enters new era
CWB signs grain handling agreement with Richardson International
CWB has signed another commercial grain handling agreement, this one with Richardson International, the largest privately-owned grain handling company in Canada. The deal means farmers who sell their grain through CWB will now have access to more than 170 delivery points across the West, including 41 Richardson Pioneer facilities located in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. […] Read more
Manitoba heat wave persists
One topic has dominated coffee shop talk in Manitoba since late June – the oppressive heat wave that refuses to break. Adding fuel to the conversational fire, residents of Portage la Prairie, Steinbach and Morden who think this is the hottest summer ever now have evidence to back up their rhetoric. Environment Canada temperature stats […] Read more
Canola closes up
Canola punched above its weight in the oilseed ring, with nearby soybeans losing slightly, while November canola gained $7.70 on the day. Early trading July 31 saw profit taking dropping the canola price from the opening bell. Influences from a bearish American soybean market clawed at the $623.60, $14.17 per bushel, canola price, falling to […] Read more
CWB unveils new logo to kick off open grain markets
The revamped version of the Canadian Wheat Board, now known as CWB, has a new logo to match its new name. CWB officials unveiled the voluntary marketing agency’s new logo on July 31 to mark the beginning of the changeover to open marketing. As of Aug. 1, the CWB will no longer be the sole […] Read more
CWB, Louis Dreyfus Canada reach grain handling agreement
CWB officials confirmed July 31 that the marketing agency has reached a commercial grain handling agreement with Louis Dreyfus Canada. Louis Dreyfus has 10 modern, high-throughput facilities on the Prairies including two in Manitoba, five in Saskatchewan, two in Alberta and one in British Columbia. Based on total storage capacity, Dreyfus ranks as the sixth […] Read more
CWB announces initial payments
The CWB has announced initial payments for farmers who sell wheat, durum and malting barley into the voluntary wheat board’s early delivery and harvest pools for the 2012-13 crop year. Initial payments are set at $255 per tonne for No. 1 Canada Western Red Spring wheat 12.5 percent protein, $257 per tonne for No. 1 […] Read more
Alberta establishes grain commissions
Alberta farmers have two new grain commissions beginning Aug. 1. The Alberta Wheat Commission will replace the Alberta Winter Wheat Producers Commission and Alberta Soft Wheat Producers Commission. The new all-wheat commission will assess a refundable 70-cent per tonne checkoff on wheat sold in Alberta. The checkoff is expected to raise $3.5 million annually for […] Read more
Venture capital fund established for innovative food companies
The federal crown corporation Export Development Canada has announced a $7.5 million contribution to a venture capital fund that specializes in investing in “innovative” food companies. Avrio Ventures Ltd. Partnership, a Canadian-based fund, invests in food and agricultural companies “that provide solutions to global challenges in areas of health, wellness and sustainability,” says a July […] Read more
Swathing ideal time to examine canola for infection risk
Producers usually scout canola fields for sclerotinia in late June or early July, when the crop starts to bloom. But scouting later in the year, when the crop is being swathed, can also yield valuable information that might save thousands of dollars down the road. Randy Kutcher, a plant pathologist with the Crop Development Centre […] Read more
