Los Angeles | Reuters — Whole Foods Market’s 365 grocery chain offers lower prices and more technology than the company’s namesake supermarkets, but experts say the fledgling brand must beat its many rivals without hijacking customers from its parent. 365, which debuted on Wednesday with a bright and airy store in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake […] Read more
New Whole Foods chain 365 faces tough mission
How to get a handle on farmland prices
Farm Credit Canada tracks percentage changes across the country, while Alberta Agriculture looks at dollar values in municipalities
Reading Time: 2 minutes Farm Credit Canada’s recently released Farm Land Value Report and a database created by Alberta Agriculture can go a long way to helping producers establish a land value, says a provincial farm business specialist. “According to the new FCC report, Alberta’s change in farmland values was 11.6 per cent which was 1.5 per cent higher […] Read more
Some Prairie pulses’ limited releases under review
Saskatchewan Pulse Growers wants your opinion on how they release pulse varieties through exclusive tenders. The grower group contributes levy funds to the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre pulse breeding program. In return, Sask Pulse holds exclusive commercial rights to varieties developed in the program. Most new varieties are released royalty-free to seed growers […] Read more
Canada, U.S. to collaborate on food safety controls
Food safety officials in Canada and the U.S. have formally recognized each other’s respective food safety controls under a cross-border co-operation pact. The two countries last week announced their new food safety systems recognition arrangement, reached during meetings of the Canada-U.S. Regulatory Co-operation Council (RCC) held Wednesday and Thursday in Washington, D.C. The two countries […] Read more
New-crop chickpea prices strong, but seed short
CNS Canada — Production issues in growing regions have driven chickpea prices higher, one analyst says, but limited seed means Canadian producers may not be able to take advantage of strong new-crop pricing. “Bottom line, the world is out of chickpeas,” said Colin Young of Midwest Investments. “As the year progressed everyone was hoping the […] Read more
Prairie farmers look to increase tech use, but face obstacles
CNS Canada — As spring approaches, some producers are searching for new technology to integrate into their operations — while others have opted out of the ag tech sector, whether by choice or through a lack of accessibility. “Even two years ago, it was way worse out there in terms of apps, in terms of […] Read more
Farmland fundamentals potentially bearish: FCC
Having tracked more double-digit percentage increases in Canadian farmland prices through 2015, Canada’s federal farm lender sees factors lining up for those values to retreat. Farm Credit Canada’s latest Farmland Values Report, released Monday, logged a 10.1 per cent increase in average farmland values in Canada in 2015, down from a 14.3 per cent rise in […] Read more
Saskatchewan lentil acres seen rising
CNS Canada — The International Year of the Pulses is certainly living up to its name, as territories capable of growing them look to cash in on India’s insatiable demand for supplies. However, it seems not all pulses are created equal, as lentils appear to be the main driver, with peas coming in second. “It […] Read more
Wine, foreign content now covered in organic pact with EU
The deal that clears Canadian-certified organic food for sale as organic in the European Union is now expanded to cover Canadian-processed products with some imported ingredients — and to include organic wine. Canada’s Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan on Thursday confirmed the expansion of scope for the EU-Canada Organic Equivalence […] Read more
Growers plan to plant pulses, but seeds scarce
CNS Canada — Farmers are eager to grow peas and lentils this year, but sourcing those seeds could prove difficult, according an industry group official. “We have heard that given the expected increase in area for both peas and lentils this year, the availability of good-quality seed could be a challenge,” said Carl Potts of […] Read more
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