Initial payments for 2007-08 Prairie wheat will be raised by $22 per tonne, the Canadian Wheat Board announced Thursday. For example, the increase would boost the initial payment for No. 1 Canada Western Red Spring wheat, 12.5, from $325.10 per tonne to $347.10 per tonne. The May 2007-08 PRO for No. 1 CWRS 12.5 sits […] Read more
CWB initials raised on 2007-08 wheat
WTO text shows “wide gaps” in talks: Ritz
A new draft modalities text on agriculture negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) lays bare “wide gaps” separating countries’ positions at the talks, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said Thursday. The draft text released Thursday by Crawford Falconer, chair of the WTO ag talks, is an outline of his assessment of what WTO member countries […] Read more
Corn, soy growers seek clarity from McGuinty
Come again? Reports that Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty may back off a pledge to require 10 per cent ethanol in gasoline by 2010 have Ontario’s corn and soybean growers looking for clarification. “It’s disconcerting that the Premier’s office is buckling under media pressure suggesting Ontario’s small ethanol industry is the factor responsible for rising food […] Read more
Dover buys Montreal flour mill
Ontario flour miller Dover Industries has signed a deal to buy the Cereal Foods Canada flour mill at Montreal. The deal, for an undisclosed sum, is expected to close by the end of this month, the company said in a release Thursday. The mill’s current management and staff will remain to “ensure current customer service […] Read more
Canadian Pork Council names new president
Alberta hog producer Jurgen Preugschas has been named the new president of the Canadian Pork Council, replacing Ontario producer Clare Schlegel after four years at the organization’s helm. Pruegschas, who farms at Mayerthorpe, about 120 km northwest of Edmonton, is joined by a newly elected executive committee including first vice-president Jean-Guy Vincent of Ste-Seraphine, Que., […] Read more
Que. ag venture capital agency antes up
Capital Financiere agricole, the venture capital arm of Quebec’s provincial ag lending agency, la Financiere agricole de Quebec, boosted its new investments by almost 40 per cent in its last fiscal year. In its report for the year ending March 31, released Thursday, CFAI said it had authorized 12 new investments worth $5.7 million, a […] Read more
P.E.I. nitrate panel urges mandatory rotations
Potato growers on Prince Edward Island would be required to adopt a mandatory three-year crop rotation under recommendations from the provincial commission on nitrates in groundwater. The commission’s report was presented to the provincial cabinet Tuesday and is expected to be formally tabled in the legislature this fall. “In the interim, government will begin the […] Read more
B.C. farm assessment panel co-chair replaced
About six months into its 18-month assignment, British Columbia’s Farm Assessment Review Panel has replaced its co-chair. Peace River South MLA Blair Lekstrom, who was named in February as the panel’s co-chair along with Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard, resigned from the panel after he was named the province’s new community development minister in last month’s […] Read more
Quebec to lift yellow margarine ban: report
Quebec’s government plans to end its 20-year-old regulation that prohibits margarine sold in the province from having a yellow colour, Quebec media reported Tuesday. Quebec farm newspaper La Terre de chez nous and a Montreal report in Toronto’s Globe and Mail both said the move is the result of pressure from other provinces to harmonize […] Read more
McCain cuts shift at P.E.I. fry plant: CBC
McCain Foods will cut one of four shifts at its Borden, P.E.I. french fry plant, meaning layoffs for 40 workers, CBC reported Tuesday. The layoffs, affecting about 20 per cent of the plant’s workforce, are effective Aug. 25, the broadcaster said. CBC quoted Jamie MacKenzie, the plant’s manager, as citing low-priced competition weakening demand for […] Read more
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