A senior Indian government official says the country will halve its pulse imports due to prospects of a bumper crop. India’s newest 2010-11 forecast puts the pulse crop at 16.5 million tonnes, up from 14.6 million tonnes in each of the previous two years. The ministry of agriculture noted that the results will be achieved […] Read more
News
India’s forecast for lower pulse imports bad news for Canada
Australian prices
In the Feb. 3, 2011, issue ofThe Western Producer,Fred G. Willis claims that Australia has lower wheat prices for almost all Australian farmers since the adoption of a dual market. Mr. Willis states, “With the dual market system, the AWB is unable to get higher grain prices and is now treated as another grain company.” […] Read more
Abbotsford dairy farmer wins innovation award
Bill Vanderkooi has received the Investment Agriculture Foundation of British Columbia’s 2011 award of excellence for innovation in agriculture and agri-food. He is president of Abbotsford’s Bakerview Eco-Dairy Association and chief executive officer of the Nutriva Group. Bakerview EcoDairy is a demonstration farm. Its interactive tours provide public access to a fully operational dairy farm […] Read more
Bison owners’ request for hearings rejected
A Saskatchewan bison farm is asking the court to force the provincial agricultural operations review board to hear its complaint about a nearby sheep operation. RJ Game Farm, which has about 1,400 bison near Fairlight, Sask., says Teresa and Joanna Walker’s 300 sheep pose a threat of malignant catarrhal fever. Sheep are carriers of the […] Read more
China snow not enough
Light snow gave mild relief to some drought areas in China’s winter wheat region, but farmers and authorities are still worried. It was the first precipitation since September, but many areas received the equivalent of only a few millimetres of moisture rather than the 50 mm they need. Authorities used artillery and rockets to seed […] Read more
APAS complaint
Why is (Agricultural Producers of Saskatchewan) so dysfunctional? APAS continues to abuse the trust and hard-earned money that some of the producers of this province are putting into this organization. As well as a continued complete lack of good policy for agriculture, and non-existent public presence, now they are wasting your money by paying a […] Read more
Panama trade deal heads to final stage
It is a relatively small deal, but the Conservatives have allotted significant parliamentary time to pushing a free trade deal with Panama into law. Last week, the government received payback when Liberals and Conservatives combined to defeat New Democratic Party amendments that would have taken key provisions out of the bill, C-46. The Feb. 7 […] Read more
Ontario MP tables bill to let farmers opt out of CWB
In April, assuming an election has not been called, MPs will debate a bill that would allow farmers to opt out of the Canadian Wheat Board single desk. Last week, rural Ontario MP Bruce Stanton tabled a private member’s bill that would give prairie farmers the right to opt out of the pool for a […] Read more
Dwindling corn stocks put market on edge
Analysts are finding it hard to be bearish about crop markets, even if today’s bullishness is ringing alarms. “It’s easy to get caught up (by headlines),” noted Chuck Penner, market analyst with LeftField Commodity Research, at the Manitoba Special Crops Symposium. Penner noted that the price optimism worries him, because that often precedes a market […] Read more
Decontaminate the land
It was a pleasure to chat with you (Barb Glen) . Your expressions in the Dec. 30th issue are a breath of fresh air. “It’s the difference between the stuff under your fingernails and the stuff responsible for all food production, foundations and all futurers!” This is a heavenly truth, and if you continue, you […] Read more
