Rome | Reuters – Italy has prevented Chinese-owned group Syngenta from buying vegetable seed producer Verisem, government officials said, underscoring Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s commitment to shield key assets from unwanted foreign bids. The decision, made at a cabinet meeting on Oct. 19 but not yet made public, marks the first time Italy has vetoed […] Read more
Italy vetoes sale of seed producer to Chinese-owned Syngenta
Berry project aims to spark a boom in greenhouse sector
Year-round strawberry and tomato production could see fivefold expansion, says college
Reading Time: 2 minutes Local only applies to strawberries part of the year, but a new collaboration by Sunterra Group and Lethbridge College aims to change that. “Current demand for fresh, locally grown produce far outstrips the available supply in a market reliant on Mexican and U.S. imports for most of the year,” the college said in a news […] Read more
White House not ruling out a U.S. carbon tax
Option 'not off the table' despite Manchin comment
Washington | Reuters –– The White House on Tuesday said it has not ruled out a carbon tax as a possible option for fighting climate change, even though U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, a critical holdout in the closely divided Senate, said he was not discussing the topic in talks about U.S. spending and infrastructure bills. […] Read more
More acres seen needed worldwide to meet mounting crops demand
U.S. acres may have already hit ceiling: AgResource chief
Geneva | Reuters — Farmers need more space to grow crops to meet mounting demand for food and renewable fuel at a time of slowing growth in yields, consultancy AgResource said on Tuesday. A renewable fuel push under U.S. President Joe Biden’s climate agenda is set to trigger a boom in soyoil use, reinforcing a […] Read more
Bayer sees farmers pre-buying inputs as supply-chain snarls continue
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
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