Prairie grain handler Viterra is expanding its reach in eastern North Dakota with a deal for Gavilon Grain’s elevator at Grand Forks. Regina-based Viterra said Monday it has closed its acquisition of Omaha-based Gavilon’s Grand Forks site for an undisclosed sum, and plans “immediate capital upgrades” for the elevator. The Grand Forks site, which was […] Read more
Viterra buys North Dakota elevator
Monsanto halts sale of Precision Planting arm to Deere
Monsanto subsidiary The Climate Corp. has cancelled a deal to sell its Precision Planting business to Deere and Co., citing the months-long court fight against it. The U.S. Department of Justice filed suit in August last year to block the proposed US$190 million deal, alleging the deal would lead to higher prices for high-speed precision […] Read more
Grain handle helps CN to record first-quarter volume
Canadian National Railway reports moving more Prairie grain in its first quarter than at the same time last year, despite “more demanding winter conditions” compared to 2016. Montreal-based CN on Monday reported net earnings of $884 million on overall revenues of $3.206 billion for the quarter ending March 31 (Q1), up from $792 million on […] Read more
Prairie grain freight cost index to rise with fuel prices
An “expected sharp rise” in fuel costs in 2017 compared to 2016 may help raise the cap on how much money Canada’s big two railways can charge to move Prairie grain in 2017-18. The Canadian Transportation Agency — the tribunal which, among its other duties, sets the annual maximum revenue entitlements (MREs) on Prairie grain […] Read more
Glyphosate clears Health Canada re-evaluation
Crop protection companies selling glyphosate have two years to make minor changes to parts of their product labels, as the 43-year-old herbicide formally clears Health Canada’s re-evaluation process. The re-evaluation, launched in late 2009 in a standard federal practice for registered pesticides in Canada, has ruled that products containing glyphosate — when used following the […] Read more
Alberta recruits new board for AFSC
Alberta’s provincial government has named a new board of directors to its farm financing and crop insurance agency, to replace the board it fired last year. Agriculture Minister Oneil Carlier on Thursday announced the appointment of a new eight-member board for the provincial Agriculture Financial Services Corp., (AFSC), which has been handled by an interim […] Read more
Alberta pledges ‘streamlined’ crop insurance inspections
Alberta’s provincial crop insurance agency will “streamline” its inspection procedures to better deal with unharvested acres from last fall, the government said Wednesday. The announcement from provincial Agriculture Minister Oneil Carlier follows a conference call with officials from Agriculture Financial Services Corp. (AFSC) and from the province’s wheat, barley, canola and pulse grower commissions. “Balancing […] Read more
Operation Pollinator to create friendly spaces for bees and other pollinators on the Prairies
Syngenta Canada and the Soil Conversation Council of Canada have signed on to a multi-year partnership to promote the dedicated spaces for pollinators on the Prairies. Under the program, farmers can sign up to establish Operation Pollinator sites on their farms. In exchange for converting one to two acres of lower productivity land, the farmer […] Read more
Grain Growers applauds move to accelerate CGC outward inspection fee reduction
Grain Growers of Canada says it is pleased to see an April 22 Canada Gazette notice that proposes an early reduction of Canadian Grain Commission outward inspection fees as of August 1, 2017. The accelerated reduction is ahead of the original schedule of new user fees which would have started April 1, 2018. “This move […] Read more
OPR threatened, organic industry officials say
The organic industry is mounting a protest against pending changes for its Organic Products Regulation (OPR) that it says has potential to “undo the entire Canadian organic supply chain.” In 2012, the passage of the Safe Foods for Canadians Act resulted in a number of regulations, including the OPR, being combined into a single document […] Read more
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