Gerry Ritz, the federal minister for agriculture and agri-food for nine years in Stephen Harper’s Conservative government, is done with federal politics. The MP for the western Saskatchewan riding of Battlefords-Lloydminster since 1997, Ritz announced via Twitter Thursday morning that he “will not be returning to my seat in the House of Commons this fall.” […] Read more
Ex-agriculture minister Gerry Ritz quits Commons
Federal Tories look east for ag critic
The federal Conservatives have tapped one of their rookie Quebec MPs as the new agriculture critic for Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition. Andrew Scheer, elected in May as the Tories’ new leader, on Wednesday announced his first shadow cabinet with Luc Berthold, the MP for Megantic-L’Erable, as agriculture and agri-food critic and John Barlow, MP for […] Read more
Whole Foods slashes prices on some produce
Los Angeles/Chicago | Reuters — On its first day as part of Amazon.com, organic grocery chain Whole Foods Market slashed prices on popular items like avocados and apples on Monday by a third as it bid to shake off its “Whole Paycheque” reputation for high prices. In another sign of changes to come, a display […] Read more
Harvey’s rains sending fuel prices higher
Houston | Reuters — U.S. fuel prices surged on Monday as two more Gulf Coast refiners cut output and a third considered reductions, leaving more than 13 per cent of the country’s refining capacity offline after Tropical Storm Harvey flooded plants and shut seaports. The storm swung back over the Gulf of Mexico on Monday […] Read more
Toromont to buy Cat dealer Hewitt
Reuters — Toromont Industries said Monday it would buy privately held Hewitt Group for about $1.02 billion in cash and shares to expand its network of heavy equipment dealers in Eastern Canada. Through the deal, Concord, Ont.-based Toromont will acquire Hewitt’s 45 Caterpillar dealerships in Quebec, the Maritimes, Labrador and Ontario, increasing the number of […] Read more
Greig: Southern Ontario farmers protest high-speed rail impact
A power corridor that runs from London to Kitchener, Ont. has been a silent neighbour for many who farm in that area. But it’s looking a lot more menacing to them lately, as the likely route for a proposed high-speed rail line from London to Toronto, with stops in Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph. Farmers in the […] Read more
Amazon to cut Whole Foods prices amid intense grocery turf war
Reuters — Amazon.com said Thursday it will cut prices on a range of popular goods as it completes its acquisition of Whole Foods Market, sending shares of rival grocers tumbling over fears of even more brutal market share battles. Amazon’s $13.7 billion purchase of Whole Foods, which won antitrust approval from U.S. regulators on Wednesday, […] Read more
U.S. FTC clears Amazon acquisition of Whole Foods
Washington | Reuters — The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Wednesday it has cleared Amazon.com’s planned US$13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods Market. The FTC said in a statement that it had reviewed whether the deal would substantially lessen competition or constituted an unfair method of competition and opted not to pursue its investigation […] Read more
Mexico, Canada dismiss Trump threats to scrap NAFTA
Mexico City/Ottawa | Reuters — Mexico and Canada on Wednesday dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to scrap NAFTA, describing it as a negotiating tactic designed to gain an advantage during talks to update one of the world’s biggest trading blocs. In comments that initially pushed Mexico’s peso currency down by more than one per […] Read more
Online livestock supply store expands reach west
An Ontario livestock nutrition firm’s venture into online retail for producers is expanding into the Prairie provinces with four pickup and ordering points in the region. Cambridge, Ont.-based GVF Group announced Thursday its Farmers Farmacy business, previously available only to producers in Ontario, the Maritime provinces and Quebec, now also serves Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
