Two biodiesel plants are set to open this summer in Manitoba.Bifrost Bio-blends, which is partly owned by canola growers in the Arborg area, has built a three million litre plant. It will use canola as its feedstock and is expected to be running in one or two months once technical hurdles are overcome.“We have a […] Read more
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Two biodiesel plants hope to begin this summer
Bison, like cattle, need minerals
A vitamin or mineral deficiency in bison may take two or more years to develop, but skimping on supplements can lead to problems in growth, diseases or parasites. Minerals are necessary for bone and muscle growth, reproduction and immune and enzyme function. Specific minerals are formulated for bison, but cattle minerals also come close to […] Read more
Cash receipts down in first quarter
Farm cash receipts plunged more than 12 percent during the 2010 first quarter, Statistics Canada reported last week.At the same time, Agriculture Canada faced complaints that it is sugar coating the real financial state of the industry as it launches consultations into future policies.Statistics Canada last week reported that in the first three months of […] Read more
MPs battle over gun bill in committee
Parliamentary hearings on a bill aimed at ending the long gun registry ended in Ottawa last week with a final acrimonious flurry of conflicting evidence about its effectiveness and cost.Now, the Commons committee on public safety and national security will go through the bill clause-by-clause and the opposition majority is expected to propose amendments that […] Read more
Farm equipment dealerships go public
Peter Lacey jumped when he saw an opportunity in the agricultural equipment dealership business unfold in front of his eyes 10 years ago.“I saw that there was going to be a big gap in owners wanting to sell and having nobody be able to buy it because of the value of the dealerships,” said the […] Read more
Farm sector headed for debt crisis if interest rates rise
Liberal agriculture critic Wayne Easter remembers the 1980s when he struggled to service farm debt as interest rates soared into the double digits and his dairy farm debt became almost unmanageable.And while high interest rates are not on the horizon, Easter warned that the farm sector is sleepwalking toward another debt crisis.“It was unbelievable to […] Read more
Sask. takes steps to ease border crossing for Alberta cattle owners
Saskatchewan is making it easier for cattle to move across the Alberta border for summer grazing.Few cattle that move west ever return to Saskatchewan; most are headed for slaughter in Alberta.In comparison, more than 20,000 cattle from northwest Alberta in particular spend the summer in Saskatchewan.Cameron Wilk, provincial field services manager with Saskatchewan Agriculture, said […] Read more
Western Producer Crop Report – for Jun. 3, 2010
Alberta South Wet snow over weekendSeeding progress was hampered by snow and rain, with as much as 17 centimetres of wet snow falling over the weekend. Crops are showing stress from excess moisture and cool weather. Central Mostly finishedMany farmers in the area finished seeding. Seeding choices may change for June. Cool weather is slowing […] Read more
Man. vet clinic, cattle dealers under investigation
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is investigating a veterinary clinic and three cattle dealers in western Manitoba.It is not providing details.The CFIA executed search warrants April 21 at Brydges and Taylor Veterinary Hospital Ltd., Livestock Ltd., D.A.M. Cattle Buyers Ltd. and J. Quintaine and Sons Ltd., located in the Rural Municipality of Elton, Langford and […] Read more
Feds plan national securities regulator
The federal government is going to try to build a national securities regulator while leaving three provincial regulators in place.But a representative of a prairie marketplace vital to farmers doesn’t think it will be compromised by this typically Canadian compromise.“We have no preference,” said ICE Futures Canada president Brad Vannan. “As long as regulation remains […] Read more
