Brussels | Reuters — The European Union on Monday adopted quotas for farming produce it will accept from third countries after Britain leaves the bloc and acknowledged this could happen before it has concluded talks with them on the subject. The EU has in place a series of tariff rate quotas, allowing agricultural producers such […] Read more
EU adopts post-Brexit import quotas for farm produce
EU trade chief says U.S. talks won’t include agriculture
Washington | Reuters — The European Union and United States have not yet agreed on the scope of trade negotiations, but the bloc will not include agriculture in the talks, its trade commissioner said on Wednesday. U.S. President Donald Trump has sought better terms of trade with the EU, as well as China, Japan, Canada […] Read more
Outstanding Young Farmer got an early start
Giving young people a chance to learn and grow has become a tradition on Double F Farms
Reading Time: 5 minutes Passing the torch to the next generation is often the greatest challenge faced by farm families. But the way the Ference family met that challenge is a big reason why Craig and Jinel Ference were recently named co-winners of Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmer award. “It was such an interesting group because we’re all in different […] Read more
USDA outlines first-ever rule for GMO labeling
Washington | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday laid out its first-ever requirements for labeling of genetically engineered, or GMO, foods as early as 2020, a rule met with praise from some farmers and criticism from consumer groups. Consumers have been pushing for years for greater transparency over what is in their […] Read more
Alberta potato producers back non-refundable checkoff
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta potato farmers have overwhelmingly voted to make their checkoff non-refundable. In a recent plebiscite, 56 producers (82.3 per cent) voted in favour of making the service charge non-refundable. There were 11 opposing votes and one spoiled ballot. There are about 140 licensed potato growers in the province, cropping about 53,000 acres (mostly processing potatoes) […] Read more
U.S. House approves farm bill without tighter food stamps criteria
Washington | Reuters — The U.S. House of Representatives passed the farm bill on Wednesday, capping months of acrimonious debate to finalize the legislation funding the nation’s US$867 billion food and agriculture programs. The bill, which passed by a vote of 369 to 47, will be submitted to President Donald Trump for his signature into […] Read more
Alberta cattle producers vote to keep refundable checkoff
Preliminary results in Alberta beef producers’ service charge plebiscite put a slim majority in favour of keeping their checkoff refundable. Out of 1,874 votes cast, 962 votes, or 51.3 per cent, fell in favour of a refundable service charge model, with 908 for a non-refundable model and four ballots spoiled, according to the preliminary figures […] Read more
Deere mega-dealership buys into Red Deer market
A central Alberta John Deere dealership which billed itself as “one of the few independently owned” dealers in the region is set to join Cervus Equipment. Calgary-based, publicly-traded Cervus announced Friday it will buy Red Deer-based Deermart Equipment Sales for an undisclosed sum. Deermart, owned by John Donald, Jack Donald and Abe Derksen since 1982, […] Read more
The need is great — and so is this farmer’s generosity
Desire to give back results in the Alberta Farm to Food Bank
Reading Time: 3 minutes Steve Breum was looking for a way to expand his vegetable operation and give back to the community at the same time when he decided to start growing fresh produce for food banks. “We’re in a recession here, and people don’t have the money for food. These food banks need donations,” said Breum, owner of […] Read more
Walmart’s LatAm delivery app Cornershop eyes Canada
Mexico City | Reuters — Cornershop, a Latin American grocery delivery app being acquired by Walmart, plans to expand into Canada early next year as a test market for the U.S., an executive for the three-year-old mobile app said. Walmart is buying Cornershop, which offers deliveries in Mexico and Chile, for US$225 million. The deal, […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
