One potential development threatening to douse the red-hot corn market is the looming decision on U.S. ethanol subsidies. American legislators are debating whether to extend a 45 cent US per gallon excise tax credit that is paid to refiners who blend ethanol with gasoline. The tax credit, which is the lifeblood of the industry, is […] Read more
News
End of ethanol subsidy may affect grain prices
Investors interested in sustainable ag
Agriculture could be the next sexy thing to attract investors. “There are many billions of dollars that have come to the market in the last three years and there is a lot of activity,” said Armand Lavoie of the Kirchner Private Capital Group, a North American investor group focusing on small and medium enterprises with […] Read more
Gestation stalls not advised
The Manitoba Pork Council will probably recommend that farmers stop building dry sow stalls in construction or barn renovation projects. The financial risk to farmers in building a system that could eventually be banned or restricted by future regulations is too great, said the general manager of the farmer organization. “We may not get into […] Read more
Ottawa talks with Man. about helping flooded out cattle producers
A deal may be in the works to get government aid money to cow-calf producers in Manitoba and possibly eastern Saskatchewan whose pastures and feed were damaged by excess rain this year. It would be a federal-provincial payment under the AgriRecovery program that announced $450 million last summer for washed out crop producers. Agriculture minister […] Read more
Football and farming: same basic strategy
There’s no fighting it, so why pretend otherwise? Football is the only thing on Saskatchewan’s mind right now. It’s all green and white, all the time, as the clock ticks down to Sunday when the Roughriders play the Montreal Alouettes in the Grey Cup for the second time in as many years. This time the […] Read more
Unusual breed turns some heads
Paddy was the talk of the barn at this year’s Saskatoon Fall Fair, catching the attention of many passing by his stall. It was the first time in the fair’s 45-year history that a Highland bull was shown. The eight-month-old bull, owned by 11-year-old Wyatt Millar of Grandora, Sask., spent much of his time at […] Read more
Trade plan with EU progresses
Canada-European Union trade negotiations continue to progress but sensitive agricultural negotiations still have not been tackled, said the chief Canadian negotiator. After the latest negotiation in Ottawa last month, ministers from Canada and the EU promised to decide by year end if there is enough common ground to conclude an agreement next year. If not, […] Read more
Manitoba expands insurance in ag sector
The Manitoba government has promised to introduce insurance programs for the province’s cattle, hog and honey producers. Keystone Agricultural Producers president Rob Brunel welcomed the announcement, which was made in the government’s recent speech from the throne. “We don’t typically hear a lot about agriculture in the throne speech … but there were a few […] Read more
Sask. farm sues CWB over ineligible variety
A Saskatchewan grain farming company has launched a $50 million plus lawsuit against the Canadian Wheat Board. Ben Hudye, president of Hudye Farms of Norquay, Sask., filed the lawsuit in Court of Queen’s Bench in mid-November, in the middle of the current CWB election period. The lawsuit claims the board acted improperly earlier this year […] Read more
Question election
CWB monopoly candidate Stewart Wells, in the Sept. 9Western Producer,said the CWB elections will send a message to Ottawa. The only message going to Ottawa should be that this is the seventh CWB election run under highly questionable guidelines. This election has absolutely no credibility on the basis that there is no way to check […] Read more
