Reading Time: 2 minutes Fields in the North West, North East and Peace Regions as well as some areas in the Central Region received some more snow over the past weekend. Consequently, harvesting operations were practically at a standstill, changing less than one per cent provincially from last week with about 73 per cent of the crops now in […] Read more
Producers wait on the weather to cooperate to resume harvest
Alberta crop conditions as of October 18
Deere to license Precision Planting wares to Ag Leader
Iowa precision ag equipment maker Ag Leader will be able to make and sell high-speed planting equipment using certain systems from Precison Planting — when, or if, Deere and Co. seals its deal to buy the latter company. Deere and Ag Leader announced Wednesday they will have a licensing agreement in place allowing Ag Leader to […] Read more
Tyson invests in non-meat protein
Reuters — Tyson Foods, the largest U.S. meat processor, took a five per cent stake in plant-based protein maker Beyond Meat amid growing pressure on food companies to reduce environmental and health risks by changing the way they source protein. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Manhattan Beach, Calif.-based Beyond Meat sells plant-based burger […] Read more
The enticing — and sometimes scary — world of alternative crops
Crops like fababeans and hemp don’t command huge acres, but have been successful alternatives for Alberta producers
Reading Time: 3 minutes Farmers are nothing if not optimistic — optimistic that Mother Nature will be kind; that prices will be good; and that today’s work will pay off a month, six months, or a year down the road. But for all their hopefulness, only some are willing to stray far from tried-and-true crops. “There is always some […] Read more
Pulses stranded at sea as shipping company flounders
CNS Canada — The bankruptcy of a major Korean shipping company has raised some concerns for Canadian pulse crops moving by container, but any disruptions to movement will likely be minor, according to an industry analyst. Hanjin Shipping Co., the world’s seventh-largest container shipping company, declared bankruptcy on Aug. 31, leaving more than half of […] Read more
Manitoba edible bean prospects hampered by wet weather
Commodity News Service Canada – Heavy rains in key edible bean growing areas of Manitoba over the past week likely cut into production prospects, although the market has yet to see any noticeable reaction from a pricing standpoint. Some bean growing areas of the province were hit harder than others, but “they’ve all had a bit […] Read more
More pulse acres expected to affect handling dynamics
CNS Canada –– Canadian grain handlers are curious how dynamics and timing in the rail freight sector will be managed in the upcoming season, given an expected boost in pulse crop production . For the moment, however, Prairie grain movement has dropped to seasonal lows. This year’s pulse area will likely be the largest on record, according to early estimates […] Read more
Hedge fund urges organics firm SunOpta to sell itself
Reuters — Hedge fund Tourbillon Capital Partners is urging Canadian organic food firm SunOpta Inc. to sell itself to a bigger rival, according to a letter sent to the company on Friday. Mississauga, Ont.-based SunOpta’s share price jumped 26 per cent after the US$4 billion hedge fund asked it to hire an investment bank to […] Read more
Canadian firm to buy Taco Time, Cold Stone parent
A Montreal company known for mall food court and quick-service restaurant brands across Canada is set to buy a major U.S. player in the same sectors. MTY Food Group, which owns or holds franchises for 40 brands including Mr. Sub, Cultures, La Cremiere, Extreme Pita, Country Style, Yogen Fruz, TCBY and others, announced Wednesday it […] Read more
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 moreCyber-Savvy Farmer
