Chicago/Berlin | Reuters — U.S. farmers are pre-buying seeds and chemicals they need earlier than normal, in a bid to secure supplies for next spring amid sector-wide supply-chain problems, a top executive at German agricultural and pharmaceuticals firm Bayer said Tuesday. Bayer also estimates its average seed prices will go up about five per cent […] Read more
Bayer sees farmers pre-buying inputs as supply-chain snarls continue
Conagra flags price increases to cushion inflation impact
Prepared foods firm raises sales forecast
Reuters — Conagra Brands said on Thursday it would increase prices again on its frozen meals and snacks to help cushion the blow of higher inflation, after the diversified food maker raised its annual sales forecast and topped quarterly results. Packaged food companies are grappling with inflation as the U.S. economy rebounds, while spending heavily […] Read more
Police reopen Ambassador Bridge
Bridge reopened following search for explosives
Updated, Oct. 4 — Toronto | Reuters –– Canadian police reopened a major road bridge between Canada and the U.S. after largely shutting it down for hours on Monday to search for possible explosives in a vehicle, resulting in long delays for truckers at the busiest international crossing in North America. The Canada Border Services […] Read more
Regulations on gene-edited crops to be eased in England
London | Reuters — Britain’s farming and environment minister George Eustice announced Wednesday that regulations related to gene editing in agricultural research would be eased in England following a public consultation. Rules will now largely be aligned with conventional breeding methods for research and development into plants although scientists will still be required to notify […] Read more
Growing garlic a tasty retirement project
Reading Time: 3 minutes Lorraine and Kevin Bannister just knew there was something different about the garlic they sampled at a farmers’ market in British Columbia one day 15 years ago. “It was so different from the garlic we got in the store,” said Lorraine Bannister, who operates Garlic Goodness with husband Kevin near Innisfail. “My mom was a […] Read more
B.C. startup company says it’s found a better way to deliver fertilizer
Product uses cellulose to bind micronutrients and keep them from leaching away
Reading Time: 4 minutes A Vancouver startup says it has created a “sustainable smart fertilizer” with a product made out of the hulls of lentils and peas. Lucent BioSciences says its product, called Soileos, drives an “on-demand” delivery of nutrients to plants while reducing farmers’ carbon footprint. And because it is made with cellulose, it is not water soluble […] Read more
Drought maps show little change at end of August
MarketsFarm — Much of Western Canada remained in some state of drought at the end of August despite widespread rains late in the month, according to updated maps compiled by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The area mapped out as dealing with ‘exceptional drought’ in south-central Manitoba’s agricultural regions contracted slightly compared to the previous month […] Read more
Rookie Nova Scotia MLA named agriculture minister
Greg Morrow sworn in Tuesday
A radio news director from eastern Nova Scotia has been tapped as the provincial agriculture minister for incoming Premier Tim Houston’s Progressive Conservatives. Greg Morrow, the new MLA for Guysborough-Tracadie, was sworn in Tuesday along with the other members of Houston’s 19-member cabinet. Houston’s Tories ousted Iain Rankin’s Liberal government in the Aug. 17 provincial […] Read more
Afghanistan ‘marching towards starvation,’ UN food chief says
Doha | Reuters — Millions of Afghans could soon face starvation due to a combination of conflict, drought and the coronavirus pandemic, the executive director of the World Food Programme said on Tuesday, calling on political leaders to act fast. “There’s a perfect storm coming because of several years of drought, conflict, economic deterioration, compounded […] Read more
U.S. extends travel curbs at Canada, Mexico land borders
Washington | Reuters –– The United States on Friday extended the closure of its land borders with Canada and Mexico to non-essential travel such as tourism through Sept. 21 despite Ottawa’s decision to open its border to vaccinated Americans. The latest 30-day extension by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) came after Canada said in […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
