Andre Charlot’s canola field of dreams became a nightmare last month. “Before, the land was just like a garden. It was nice land and that (field) was the one that blew the most,” he said. Charlot is referring to several days of strong northwest winds that blew across his land, obliterating a good chunk of […] Read more
Tag Archives Ag Finance
Sandblasting winds cut down canola crops
Ethanol called threat to livestock industry
QUEBEC CITY — The Canadian meat industry, on both the producer and packer sides, should step up efforts to counter ethanol industry lobbying for stronger government support, says a prominent industry analyst. Kevin Grier, senior market analyst at the George Morris Centre, told the Canadian Meat Council annual conference June 1 that a biofuel industry […] Read more
Jansen mines still on despite CEO’s remarks
Work is continuing at the BHP Billiton potash mine site in Saskatchewan despite a potential delay in formal approval of the project. Spokesperson Bronwyn Wilkinson said June 4 that comments made by company chief executive officer Marius Kloppers last week, which led to speculation the approval for the Jansen project won’t come this year, were […] Read more
Singapore trader plans large processing plant for Moose Jaw
250,000 annual capacity Saskatchewan facility will focus on pulse crops, but handle grains as well
Agrocorp International PTE LTD is bucking the consolidation trend in the pulse industry by creating a new player in the processing sector. The Singapore trading house is building a large, high-throughput facility in Moose Jaw, capable of processing 250,000 tonnes of grain annually. “Our core is going to be in pulses but we’re definitely going […] Read moreAgriculture faces massive labour shortage
EI changes | Ottawa’s proposed changes to employment insurance could make shortage worse
Canadian agriculture is facing a labour shortage of at least 30,000 skilled and unskilled workers, says the chair of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council. Merv Wiseman told MPs on the House of Commons human resources committee last week that recent changes proposed to the Employment Insurance program will make the problem worse by forcing […] Read moreGM, browning-resistant apple goes for CFIA approval
Gene ‘turned off’ | Arctic Apple raises concerns in some circles
An apple genetically modified to resist browning has been submitted for approval to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, with public comment accepted until July 3. Resulting controversy has upset the apple cart among British Columbia fruit growers and those with reservations about GM technology. For Neal Carter, orchardist and president of Okanagan Specialty Fruits, the […] Read moreGrowers can contribute
Troy Prosofsky of the canola council provided sample collection guidelines:
handle the worm (larva) as little as possible do not include soil with the specimen place one larva plus feeding material (part of a host plant) into a clean container suitable for shipping. Paper bags will work for those who drop off samples every larva must have collection data including collection date, collector’s name and […] Read moreFactors to consider in long-term land sale deals
Q: I want to sell farmland to my nephew. He doesn’t have money for a down payment and can’t get a mortgage. I am thinking of letting him buy the land over time, and wondered what are advantages or risks in doing it this way. A: The obvious advantage to your nephew in buying the […] Read more
This little piggy goes to Ukraine
Canada and Ukraine have signed an agreement that reopens and maintains the Ukrainian market to imports of live swine from Canada and for the first time includes swine genetics. A hog industry leader said the deal could be worth millions of dollars for Canadian live hog and genetics exporters. “Ukraine has been trying to rebuild […] Read more
Alberta farmland returns to its original state
Wetland makeover | Ducks Unlimited reclaims almost one million acres southeast of Edmonton
DAYSLAND, Alta. — In 1953, Peter Gabruck drained a few potholes and cleared some trees to make it easier to farm his land. Today, Ducks Unlimited Canada has bought the land and started the process of flooding it to bring back the potholes and trees. Like other farmers, Gabruck has drained sloughs and knocked down […] Read more
