Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has announced funding of $1 million to the Beekeepers Commission of Alberta to initiate a four-year national surveillance project to document the health profile of honeybee colonies in Canada. An Agriculture Canada release said the aim of the project is to record the nature, extent and prevalence of diseases, pest organisms […] Read more
Feds fund honeybee surveillance project
Ont. Tories’ former ag critic returns to post
Ontario’s provincial Progressive Conservatives have brought back a former agriculture critic in a shuffle of their shadow cabinet as the legislature returns to work. Toby Barrett, the MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk since 1995 and Tory ag critic from 2005 to early 2008, has been renamed as critic for agriculture, food and rural affairs, replacing Oxford MPP […] Read more
Agropur to take over N.B.’s Northumberland dairy co-op
The dairy arm of New Brunswick’s Northumberland Dairy Co-operative is poised to become part of dairy co-op giant Agropur. Agropur on Monday announced it has an agreement in place with Northumberland to take over the Miramichi, N.B.-based co-operative’s dairy processing and food distribution business, leaving Northumberland with its hardware and building supply operations. Financial terms […] Read more
Bugs helping control bugs in Alberta
Reading Time: < 1 minute In his weekly Call of the Land interview, Alberta Agriculture insect specialist Scott Meers says wheat midge are now emerging across the province. “Interestingly enough, they’re actually coming out first in the Peace and just this week they’re starting to come out across the rest of the province,” Meers said. Recent warm weather should mean […] Read more
Stay of default granted on Prairie growers’ cash advances
Given the obstacles against shipping Prairie grain since last fall, Prairie crop growers who took out federally-backed cash advances last year now have more time to repay them. Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz on Thursday announced a six-month stay of default on repayment of advances, for any producers who got advances on their 2013-14 crops […] Read more
Agropur to buy Safeway dairy plants in West
Dairy co-operative giant Agropur is set to build its milk muscle in Western Canada with a $356 million play for Sobeys’ former Canada Safeway milk processing plants. Quebec-based Agropur and Nova Scotia-based Sobeys on Tuesday announced a “strategic partnership” agreement in which Agropur will buy the four plants, supply Canada’s Sobeys, IGA and Safeway retail […] Read more
Lenders offer breaks in flood-impacted Prairie areas
Farmers and others hit by widespread summer flooding in western Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan may be able to seek deferrals on payments to lenders. Some Prairie lenders, while pledging financial support to flood relief in the region, have also pledged to work with affected farmers and other customers to ease their loan payment obligations. Farm […] Read more
Ont. ag minister seeks ‘move away’ from wide neonic use
Ontario’s corn and soybean growers’ group says it’s insulted and disappointed to find out the provincial ag ministry plans to put new limits on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides. Grain Farmers of Ontario chairman Henry van Ankum said Monday the association is “extremely disappointed” to learn through the media — specifically, an article Sunday on […] Read more
Flood damage not as bad as feared in southern Alberta
Reading Time: 2 minutes A post-flood heat wave was just what the doctor ordered for flooded producers in southern Alberta. “The hot weather is helping remarkably,” Doug Dueck, area manager for the south region of Agricultural Financial Services Corporation, said in early July. “Those that are completely underwater, they’re not going to come back. We know that. There is […] Read more
Canada pans USDA’s planned shifts in cross-border inspection fees
Plans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to recover more of its agricultural quarantine inspection (AQI) costs from users moving goods into the country have left Canada officially underwhelmed. Canada’s International Trade Minister Ed Fast said last week the proposal by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to adjust AQI user fees “would […] Read more
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