Q: I have been offered a new job. This is a unionized position, and all the jobs I have had up until now have not been unionized. What will be the main differences? A: For a unionized employee, the employment relationship is governed by a collective bargaining agreement. It covers all the unionized workers in […] Read more
Tag Archives Ag Finance
Differences between employees with, without union contract
Designer’s tickle trunk full of costumes, ideas
BIRTLE, Man. — Sewing is a means to an end for costume designer Elly Sotas. Her real passion lies in creating, crafting and constructing. “If I had to cut out a pattern, I would lose interest really quickly,” said the owner of Whooo’s That costume and design. From a 1922 hip roof barn loft near […] Read more
Poor Indian harvest may boost lentil, pea exports
India’s summer pulse crop is off to a poor start, following on the heels of a disappointing winter harvest. Spotty rains have slowed kharif (summer) seeding progress and forced farmers to consider switching to short-season crops. “This year, with monsoon rains playing hide and seek, it will be really a challenge to maintain the excellent […] Read more
Striving to hit spikes in volatile market not the best strategy
How do you know when to call the top in these raging crop futures markets? Here are some traders and analysts discussing the question on Twitter on Sunday night and Monday morning, as the Chicago grains market sold off in the overnight session: Doug Bartlett: “Why is it that every time corn trades lower the […] Read more
Swathing ideal time to examine canola for infection risk
Producers usually scout canola fields for sclerotinia in late June or early July, when the crop starts to bloom. But scouting later in the year, when the crop is being swathed, can also yield valuable information that might save thousands of dollars down the road. Randy Kutcher, a plant pathologist with the Crop Development Centre […] Read more
Plant seen as poor investment
A proposed fertilizer plant in North Dakota would likely mean lower nitrogen prices for growers in the Upper Midwest and the Canadian Prairies, but it represents a poor investment for farmers, said an American fertilizer industry expert. Glen Buckley, chief economist with NPK Fertilizer Advisory Service in St. Louis, Missouri, said nitrogen fertilizer production is […] Read more
$1.5 billion proposed plant to produce nitrogen fertilizer in North Dakota
Farmer-owned company | Keystone Agricultural Producers part of consortium involved
A consortium of commodity groups in the northern Plains, including Keystone Agricultural Producers in Manitoba, plans to build a $1.5 billion nitrogen fertilizer plant in North Dakota. Producers from Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota want to build a farmer-owned plant, which would use flare natural gas from the Bakken oil deposit to manufacture nitrogen […] Read moreArbitrator appointed to resolve CPR labour dispute on heels of back to work bill
The federal government has appointed labour relations expert William Kaplan as an arbitrator to settle a dispute between Canadian Pacific Railway and its Teamsters Canada Rail Conference union. The July 19 appointment comes under the terms of back-to-work legislation passed by Parliament in May. He is supposed to issue a report by mid-October that sets […] Read more
Making it in the mustard market
Gravelbourg Mustard | New owners look to new marketing, distribution approaches to turn it around
A Saskatchewan gourmet mustard company is expanding and launching new products, even though it recently lost a supplier of its main ingredient. Gravelbourg Mustard is unveiling a new label this week and another three flavours within six weeks. It is also working on national distribution. Val Michaud and her husband, Leo, bought the European-style mustard […] Read moreAlta. pork plant’s future uncertain
Sturgeon Valley Pork, a hog processing operation near St. Albert, Alta., has ceased operations and its future is in question. Dan Majeau, marketing manager for the co-operative, confirmed July 18 that the plant was not operating, but said he could not comment further. The plant, which involved more than 20 producers and has a weekly […] Read more
