Western Producer reporter Mary MacArthur is on assignment in India exploring the alluring yet confusing entity that is India. Check out her blog here. NEW DELHI, India– An Indian researcher is relying on the time-tested techniques of research plots, tours and discussions to help farmers adopt new crop varieties in rural India. Ashutosh Sarker, regional […] Read more
News
Indian farmers test new varieties
Agriculture committee animosity revealed in reports on young farmer issues
Was it really so long ago when members of the House of Commons agriculture committee would brag that they were part of the least-partisan committee on Parliament Hill? The collection of MPs that sit on the committee in this session would make no such claim. Worthy and hardworking as they are individually, they are a […] Read more
Farmers shouldn’t count on $200 per hog prices
STEINBACH, Man. – Many hog farmers are banking on high prices to make up for the crippling losses of the last few years. However, producers shouldn’t assume they’ll receive $200 per hog, says Perry Mohr, general manager of Hams Marketing Services. “I would never say never, but … in the next year it is probably […] Read more
Sectional snowplow goes up and over hidden objects
FARGO, N.D. – The worst hit a snowplow operator can take is when the blade snags an immovable object hiding in the snow. A new plow design helps reduce the damage caused by hitting rocks and frozen ridges. “The Sectional Sno-Plow blade is made up of individual 32-inch blade sections,” says Zach Bertschi of Titan […] Read more
Import inspection has improved, assures CFIA
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has significantly improved inspection of imported food since an internal audit found serious gaps in import inspection, a senior CFIA official said last week. This autumn, the agency’s chief auditor said inspection of imported food does not have enough rigour to assure consumer safety. “In my opinion, CFIA management of […] Read more
Canada talks beef with Korea
Canada and South Korea are discussing a deal that would allow Canadian beef back into that key Asian market without waiting for the outcome of a World Trade Organization judgment. Canada has launched a WTO case against Korea’s continued ban on import of Canadian beef since the 2003 BSE outbreak. Korea has refused to accept […] Read more
Tied to the tracks: rail review needed
The following is an excerpt from the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan response to the rail service review panel’s interim report, written by policy manager Doug Faller. In the interim report (October 2010), the Rail Freight Service Review Panel provides a clear, consistent, and convincing analysis of the lack of competition in the rail transportation […] Read more
Analyst bullish on wheat
Future wheat prices depend on the pace of exports out of the United States, says a grain industry analyst. Marlene Boersch, a partner in Mercantile Consulting Venture, said some industry observers believe U.S. exports have been front-loaded and that the hectic early-season pace won’t be sustained throughout the second half of the 2010-11 marketing campaign. […] Read more
Ontario finds more weeds resistant to glyphosate
Scientists from the University of Guelph have discovered more soybean fields in southwestern Ontario where weeds have developed resistance to glyphosate. Monsanto Canada confirmed in a news release Nov. 15 that researchers have detected glyphosate resistant giant ragweed in 16 fields in Essex County near Windsor, Ont. In late March, Monsanto announced the first confirmed […] Read more
Food safety panel formed
The federal government has appointed a panel to advise on food safety issues, trying to counter critics of its food safety record. Led by former Canadian Food Inspection Agency president Ron Doering, the Ministerial Advisory Board will offer regular proposals and an annual report on food safety issues. “This highly qualified and diverse advisory board […] Read more
