Canadian pulse processors claim their counterparts in the United States are distorting bean and lentil markets by bending farm aid rules. In a letter sent to Pulse Canada and the Canadian Special Crops Association, former CSCA president Scott Cunningham said American firms are using Canadian product in PL480 food aid programs, which is against the […] Read more
News
Pulse traders accuse U.S. firms of abusing farm aid
Cattle ID measures need to be easy, low cost
Cattle producers worry about the snags that could arise when the United States reopens its border to Canadian live cattle under 30 months of age. They wonder what protocols will be needed for that trade to resume, and whether those will add to the cost, labour and risk of shipping cattle south. They also wonder […] Read more
U.S. pulse threat didn’t come to pass
Pulse crop pundits used words like horrid, devastating and disturbing to describe the inclusion of peas, lentils and chickpeas in American subsidy programs introduced in 2002. One Canadian trader said, “the pulse party could be over,” referring to the anticipated massive growth in U.S. pulse acreage. But two years into the new farm bill era, […] Read more
Chairs fill at producer meetings
GRANDE PRAIRIE, Alta. – Attendance at Alberta Beef Producers fall meetings is up dramatically this year. About 150 people attended the Grande Prairie meeting last week. Erin Moskalyk, a beef producer delegate, estimated that’s at least 50 more than were at the meeting a year earlier. Twice as many cattle producers also came to the […] Read more
Sask. RM councillor removed from office
A court order to remove a Saskatchewan farmer from a municipal council serves as a warning to other councillors and reeves who find themselves in a conflict of interest, says the president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities. “I always tell my councillors that if you’re in doubt, step outside,” said Neal Hardy. He […] Read more
Alta. ranchers resist checkoff hike
GRANDE PRAIRIE, Alta. – Some cattle producers think the provincial cattle organization should reduce its spending instead of asking for another $1 per head checkoff. The Alberta Beef Producers has proposed that the checkoff from every beef animal sold within the province be increased to $3 a head from $2 to help finance the recovery […] Read more
Pasta group won’t quit
Last November the chair of Prairie Pasta Producers was in a celebratory mood after inking a deal allowing his members to invest in America’s third largest pasta company. It was the first bit of good news for a floundering project besieged by a series of setbacks. But with the option to purchase shares in Dakota […] Read more
Bison industry goes through shakeout
GRANDE PRAIRIE, Alta. – Bison producers who have suffered through drought, high feed prices and now BSE are hoping better prices will soon return to their industry. “The people left are serious about the industry, but they’re also questioning how much longer they have to hang on,” said Linda Saunter, with the Alberta Bison Centre. […] Read more
Ag Notes
Pulse king Al Slinkard, professor emeritus at the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre, was one of three Canadians inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame during the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto Nov. 9. Slinkard helped establish Canada as the world’s largest exporter of peas and lentils and as a top exporter […] Read more
Lamb gets into Costco
FOAM LAKE, Sask. – Standing over a hot grill for four days at a Montreal food show earlier this year paid off for Gordon Schroeder and other Saskatchewan lamb producers. The general manager of Canadian Prairie Lamb Inc. signed a deal with Costco Nov. 10 to put processed lamb products in 38 of its eastern […] Read more
