Access worth millions | Grain and beef, pulses, maple syrup, preserved fruit are among sectors to reap additional sales
Agriculture would be a major winner across the country if Canada signs a free trade deal with the European Union this year, the federal Conservative government said last week. On April 27, it launched an aggressive national campaign to sell the potential benefits of an as-yet-incomplete free trade deal, touting the potential for increased beef, […] Read moreTag Archives Ag Finance
MPs pitch benefits of EU trade deal to ag, food sector
Women’s centre funding cut
Prairie Women’s Health Centre | Future studies for rural, remote, northern women uncertain
The future is uncertain for an organization that examines women’s issues on the Prairies following budget cuts to Health Canada. The Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence, which has studied rural, remote, northern and aboriginal women’s health issues since 1996, is one of six organizations under the Women’s Health Contribution Program to receive notice that […] Read moreOilseeds fuel excitement in airline industry
Industrial crops | Commercial test flight uses biojet fuel made from carinata and camelina
A few firsts have either been achieved or are on the horizon for biojet fuel made from two new Canadian oilseed crops. On April 17, Porter Airlines conducted the first commercial flight in Canada using a blend of biofuel and regular jet fuel. The following day, Agrisoma Biosciences Inc. announced the first comprehensive testing program […] Read moreFarmers push for revenue cap review
Western wheat farmers are calling for a review of the way the railway revenue cap is calculated after learning it will increase by 9.5 percent as of Aug. 1. Kevin Bender, president of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association, said the proposed increases — announced April 30 by the Canadian Transportation Agency — represent an […] Read more
More planned after Viterra buy: Glencore
Expanding canola crushing assets considered
Glencore executive Chris Mahoney says the company has plans for Canada beyond its acquisition of Viterra. In an interview in Regina last week, the company’s director of agriculture products said Glencore’s first priority is to gain approval of the $6.1 billion Viterra bid, probably by late July or early August. Viterra shareholders vote May 29 […] Read moreTrade tops protections: official
A rigid stance protecting supply management should not be allowed to scuttle agriculture’s golden opportunity in fast-growing Asian countries, says a former top trade negotiator. Michael Gifford, chief Canadian agricultural negotiator for the North American Free Trade Agreement and the 1993 World Trade Organization deal, argues in an April 23 report that Canada cannot allow […] Read more
Dairy commission ‘showing its age:’ critics
Antiquated system | In 2005, the auditor general advised creating a conflict of interest management process
The Canadian Dairy Commission’s failure to have a conflict of interest process illustrates the need to modernize the organization, say critics. “This just shows how antiquated the whole system is,” Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association chief executive officer Garth Whyte said. “It was written 40 years ago on a typewriter and the world has changed. […] Read moreWorld yawns over BSE case in U.S.
The discovery of BSE in a California dairy cow will be a non-event if it goes like recent cases, says an official with the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. There was a flurry of e-mails and news stories immediately following the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s announcement, and then quiet. “Everyone realizes, yes, it’s not a big deal, […] Read more
Summerfallow acres decrease to lowest level since 1915
It wasn’t too long ago that Don Connick religiously summerfallowed half of his land every growing season. This year, he plans to chemfallow 10 percent of the 1,600 acres on his farm south of Gull Lake, Sask., and that’s only because it is a new parcel that needs care and attention before planting a crop. […] Read more
StatsCan cuts worry analysts
Many crop analysts are hoping the feast of data they receive from Statistics Canada doesn’t get slimmed down by federal government cutbacks to the agency and other federal bodies. “I think the collection and processing of data is very, very important,” said Winnipeg analyst Marlene Boersch. However, most analysts, including Boersch, think fundamental agricultural data […] Read more
