Updated — A global financing firm operating at higher altitudes in Canada’s food and agrifood sector now plans to expand its business down to the farm and ranch level. The Canadian arm of Rabobank — an Amsterdam-based farmer co-operative lender, providing banking, leasing and real estate services in more than 38 countries — announced Tuesday […] Read more
Rabobank to offer Canadian farm-level lending
Dutch co-operative bank's Canadian arm to loan directly to farmers, starting on Prairies
Oats face an uncertain year
Reduced acres expected in 2023
MarketsFarm — When comparing oat prices at the start of 2023 compared to one year ago, they appear to be night and day. Despite modest price increases over the past month, some western Canadian oat bids are less than half of what they were last year. In Alberta, the high-delivered bid for oats as of […] Read more
California picks up debris from latest storm, braces for next
Also: Why all this rain won't end California's drought
Sacramento | Reuters — Rain-soaked Californians took advantage of a break in a weeks-long deluge to haul away dead trees, restore downed power lines and prepare new stacks of sandbags before another series of storms hits the state beginning Friday. In Monterey County along the state’s central coast, communities near the still-rising Salinas River were […] Read more
Last year tied as world’s fifth-warmest on record, U.S. scientists say
Global CO2 emissions continue to rise
Brussels | Reuters — Last year was the world’s joint fifth-warmest on record and the last nine years were the nine warmest since pre-industrial times, putting the 2015 Paris Agreement’s goal to limit global warming to 1.5 C in serious jeopardy, U.S. scientists said on Thursday. Last year tied with 2015 as the fifth-warmest year […] Read more
Mintec acquires Agribriefing to expand agrifood data offering
Paris | Reuters — British market intelligence firm Mintec announced on Tuesday the acquisition of Agribriefing in a deal it said would create a leading global provider of data on agricultural and food markets. Financial details were not disclosed. Agribriefing’s businesses include protein price-reporting agency Urner Barry and crop consultancy Strategie Grains, the latter acquired […] Read more
War and inflation named the top two food stories of 2022
Labelling rule, climate-driven produce shortage and lab-grown meat also make the list by research institute
Reading Time: 2 minutes The invasion of Ukraine and inflation top the list of food stories in 2022 for a leading food research institute, but front-of-package labelling, a shortage of California lettuce and U.S. approval of lab-grown chicken also made its Top 10 list. While the war in Ukraine has dominated headlines since the Feb. 24 invasion, “many Canadians […] Read more
Schoepp: In everyday things, we find our stories and great meaning
On the shelves of my home are bowls that are precious for the memories they hold and the promise they offer
Reading Time: 3 minutes It is that time of year for reflection and as I hold an old cracked bowl in my hand, I am grateful. This bowl is nearly 90 years old and represents a part of my family history. For decades it has held the simple foods grown on the farm – colourful vegetables, bright berries, herbs. […] Read more
McDonald’s reported set to exit Kazakhstan on Russia war spillover
Reuters — McDonald’s Corp. is set to abandon Kazakhstan as disruptions triggered by the Ukraine crisis have left the nation without a substitute for Russian meat supplies, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The fast-food giant, which exited Russia in May, banned its local franchisee from procuring meat patties from Russian […] Read more
Red light, green light — watch out farmers
Health and eco labels a sign of how food and farming is increasingly under the spotlight
Reading Time: 3 minutes Imagine a supermarket where every product is labelled by how healthy it is – green for foods deemed best for you and red for those that aren’t. Then imagine another store, where the ratings are instead based on whether the product was produced according to preferred environmental practices. Both of these (one is called Nutri-Score […] Read more
The bid to irrigate east-central Alberta
BIG DREAMS: Many hurdles lie ahead, but proponents say massive $1.3-billion project is a lifesaver for struggling region
Reading Time: 6 minutes It’s the best thing that ever happened out here.” That’s how farmer Daryl Peers describes a proposal to spend as much as $1.3 billion to irrigate up to 108,000 acres in the Special Areas and Municipal District of Acadia. And while the project is far from a done deal, it’s desperately needed to rejuvenate the […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
