The Canadian Wheat Board has announced its identity-preserved contract programs (IPCPs) for the 2008-09 crop year. The programs are aimed either at new varieties for market development purposes or varieties that require ongoing segregation to meet customer requirements. Farmers who take part can receive incentives such as contract and storage payements and guaranteed delivery. For […] Read more
CWB announces IP contract programs
Education campaign aimed at backyard flocks
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is spearheading an effort to educate hobbyists and other owners of backyard bird flocks on how to prevent and detect disease outbreaks. The national campaign — dubbed Bird Health Basics — promotes steps flock owners and those with pet birds can take to protect against dangerous diseases such as […] Read more
N.B., P.E.I. raise milk prices Feb. 1
Dairy farmers in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island will receive price increases of about 2.95 cents per litre on the milk they produce starting next month. The New Brunswick Farm Products Commission on Monday announced an average increase of 2.95 cents for producers, with no increase at the processor level. The standard mark-up at […] Read more
Bison making comeback: StatsCan
The bison herd on Canada’s Prairies has made a comeback, at least on Prairie farms, according to Statistics Canada. For a species once nearly wiped out of the wild as the Prairies were settled, numbers of farmed bison have risen substantially in the last five years alone, the agency said. Census numbers of bison in […] Read more
Feds put up $660K against FMD in South America
The federal government has pledged $660,000 toward South American governments’ bids to eradicate foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). The funding, announced Thursday in Buenos Aires by Alberta MP Ted Menzies, will go toward contributions of lab equipment and training in FMD diagnostic tools over the next two years. These tools include computer simulation modeling to assess, predict […] Read more
Sask. hog farmers say TAP yanked back
“Nearly all” Saskatchewan hog farmers who were eligible for the federal/provincial Targeted Advance Payment (TAP) program have been told they’ll see less than expected or nothing at all from the program, according to the province’s hog farmer organization. That’s after the province’s hog farmers got word individually from the federal Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization (CAIS) […] Read more
Pool barley still available: CWB
The Canadian Wheat Board will still offer forward sales contracts from its malting barley pool to maltsters and other customers, along with its new CashPlus cash price option for farmers, the grain marketing agency said Thursday. “We continue to encourage the industry to offer contracts to barley farmers under CashPlus,” said CWB CEO Greg Arason […] Read more
PotashCorp posts record year, again
Rising crop prices are giving farmers worldwide the “means and motivation” to boost yields and soil fertility, and to boost Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan to its fourth record year in a row, the company announced Thursday. Saskatoon-based PotashCorp reported record net income of $1.1 billion on $5.23 billion in sales during 2007 (all figures US$), […] Read more
Tight stocks, export limits boost PROs
Tight stocks and limits on other countries’ wheat exports spurred healthy hikes in the Canadian Wheat Board’s 2007-08 pool return outlooks (PROs) for Prairie wheat and durum, released Thursday. Increases in the PROs for wheat ranged from $16 to $33 per tonne. No. 1 Canada Western Red Winter (CWRW) Select 11.5 and No. 1 CWRW […] Read more
Alta. climate plan eyes emission cuts for ag
The Alberta government’s climate change action plan is expected to include strategies to help farmers reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The action plan, a general outline of which was released Thursday by Environment Minister Rob Renner and Premier Ed Stelmach, focuses largely on development of a “made-in-Alberta” plan for carbon capture and storage — that is, […] Read more