Clay Serby, Saskatchewan’s deputy premier and former minister of agriculture (2000-04) announced today he won’t seek re-election. Serby will continue as MLA for Yorkton until Premier Lorne Calvert calls an election, as many observers expect will happen soon. Serby still serves as deputy premier and handles the Saskatchewan Property Management portfolio, and no announcement has […] Read more
Former Sask. ag minister won’t run again
Funding to spur E. coli vaccine production
Biotech firm Bioniche Life Sciences of Belleville, Ont., plans to use $2 million in Ontario government funding to build up production of a vaccine expected to cut down levels of E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria in cattle. The vaccine, which is “indicated” to reduce the amount of E. coli bacteria cattle shed in their dung, will […] Read more
Stubble smoke gets in Winnipeg’s eyes
Smoke from resumed stubble burning on Manitoba farms Wednesday is being blamed for a severe smash-up between three semi-trailers on a Winnipeg truck route, among other reported traffic accidents in the city early Thursday morning. The provincial agriculture department on Sept. 5 lifted a blanket ban on burning of crop residue that had been in […] Read more
SaskPower eyes waste heat, wind
The Saskatchewan government and SaskPower, the Crown power company, plans to expand the province’s “green power” portfolio with more wind power and new projects within the next three to five years. On top of a proposal to expand wind generation in the province by another 100 megawatts (mW) by 2012, the province said it plans […] Read more
Corn growers drop legal action, focus on WTO
A coalition of corn producer groups in Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba that challenged imports of U.S. grain corn in 2005 has decided not to try for one last appeal of the ruling that those imports don’t injure Canadian corn growers. Canadian Corn Producers, which last year lost its trade challenge when the Canadian International Trade […] Read more
Greenbelt training farm to focus on ethnic crops
The University of Guelph’s Centre for Land and Water Stewardship will set up a new training farm for young people and immigrants in the southern Ontario Greenbelt, focusing on ethnic crops such as okra, bitter melon, sweet potatoes and green chilies. The charitable foundation Friends of the Greenbelt today announced a $400,000 grant to the […] Read more
Ridley asks Supreme Court to toss BSE lawsuit
Feed manufacturer Ridley Inc. is making another legal bid to halt a proposed class action suit before it can begin, this time appealing to the Supreme Court of Canada. Ridley, along with the federal government, is the targeted defendant in four co-ordinated lawsuits filed by cattlemen in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Quebec. All four seek […] Read more
CPR to buy northern U.S. railway
In a deal expected to increase its access to grain, ethanol and coal markets in the U.S. Midwest, Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) will pay US$1.48 billion cash to buy the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad Corp. (DM&E), the company announced last night. Headquartered at Sioux Falls, S.D., the DM&E is the only Class II railroad […] Read more
Manitoba lifts stubble burning ban
Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives has resumed daily authorizations for stubble burning in the province, following a suspension after a three-car collision west of Winnipeg August 28. Drivers involved in the mid-afternoon crash near Elie complained their visibility was impaired by smoke billowing across the Trans-Canada Highway from an unauthorized stubble burn nearby. The […] Read more
Cheques roll on Ontario COP top-up
Cheques will be in the mail in the next few days to about 30,000 Ontario farmers qualifying for $55 million in funding through that province’s Cost Recognition Top-Up program, the government reported today. The program, first announced June 8 and to be delivered by Agricorp, is a 40 per cent-matching provincial contribution to the $400 […] Read more
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