Incoming Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has brought a former provincial agriculture minister back to the cabinet table to handle the ag file. Ron Kostyshyn, who from 2012 to 2016 was then-premier Greg Selinger’s ag minister while serving as MLA for the northwestern riding of Swan River, was sworn in Wednesday as minister of agriculture in […] Read more
Former ag minister returns in new Manitoba cabinet
Kinew names Kostyshyn to ag portfolio
There goes the sun
Vertical farm takes Mother Nature out of the picture and augments food supply, says CEO
Reading Time: 4 minutes Give Barry Murchie just a few words to describe GoodLeaf Farms’ new Calgary-based farm facility and he’d probably say it’s a completely controlled vertically integrated operation that grows leafy greens, baby greens and microgreens. Give the GoodLeaf president and CEO a few more words and he’ll call it a step forward in Canada’s food sovereignty. […] Read more
Major U.S. peach producer files for bankruptcy to pursue sale
Setbacks have included salmonella, fires, heavy debts
New York | Reuters — Prima, a private-equity backed farmer that is the largest producer of peaches and other stone fruit in North America, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware on Friday. The company, owned by private equity firm Paine Schwartz Partners, has about $679 million in debt, and plans to sell its […] Read more
Prairie Forecast: Sprawling high to bring dry, seasonably warm weather
Issued Oct. 11, covering Oct. 11-17
For the first time in a while, the last forecast period did not play out exactly as the weather models predicted, thanks mostly to a strong area of low pressure that moved westwards from the Atlantic into central Ontario last weekend and into the first half of this week. While the low didn’t impact the […] Read more
Prairie Forecast: Building western ridge to bring warming trend
Issued Oct. 4, covering Oct. 4-10
Last week’s weather forecast played out close to what the weather models were predicting. Western regions saw cooler-than-average temperatures move in, while eastern regions saw a brief return to summer-like temperatures. This pattern was a response to an area of low pressure that spun up over the central U.S. during the second half of the […] Read more
Prairie Forecast Update: Wet weather for southern Manitoba, southeastern Saskatchewan
Update issued Oct. 2, covering Oct. 2-4
The strong area of low pressure that the weather models have been forecasting to impact the eastern half of the Prairies on Tuesday and Wednesday is starting to take shape. The latest model runs show the low pushing northward into western Manitoba early on Tuesday morning and then moving off toward northwestern Ontario by late […] Read more
Trimble Ag, Agco’s JCA link up for new precision ag venture
Agco gets majority control of a new precision ag and autonomy firm; Agco's GSI brand and others now under separate review
Global positioning tech firm Trimble is set to sell its precision ag business into a new joint-venture company that will include farm machinery maker Agco’s made-in-Manitoba autonomy arm. From farmers’ perspective, the two companies say their combined technology offering is expected to offer “seamless integration and connectivity across geographies, equipment brands and the crop life […] Read more
Prairie Forecast: Summer tries to hang on
Issued Sept. 27, covering Sept. 27 to Oct. 4
For being this far into fall, the weather models have been surprisingly accurate. Heck, I didn’t even need to send an update for the last issue! Not sure if I can be as optimistic for this forecast period, as we are moving deeper into fall and starting to see the first hints of winter trying […] Read more
Prairie Forecast: Warm fall weather to continue
Issued Sept. 20, covering Sept. 20-27
Even with some uncertainty in the last forecast, the weather models did a surprisingly good job. At one point it looked like I was going to have to send out an update as the models started trending toward a cooler pattern, but they quickly reversed back to a warm pattern. This brought the expected heat […] Read more
Major grocery chains agree to help stabilize prices, feds say
Any moves must not undercut farmgate prices, government warns
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s five major grocery chains have agreed to help the government in its bid to stabilize soaring prices, a senior minister said on Monday, following talks to address an issue that is hurting the ruling Liberals. Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne made the announcement after two hours of what he said were […] Read more
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