A former agriculture critic for Quebec’s provincial Liberals and former chair of the assembly’s agriculture, fisheries and food committee is the province’s new agriculture minister. Announcing his cabinet Wednesday following the April 7 election [Related story], incoming Premier Philippe Couillard named Pierre Paradis, the MNA for the Monteregie riding of Brome-Missisquoi since 1980, as the […] Read more
Ex-ag committee chief Paradis named Que. ag minister
Crop Season in Review available
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development’s 2013 Crop Season in Review is now available. It presents a review of the crop season and an analysis of crop production statistics for 2013, with topics including insects and crop diseases, forage and pasture, crop production 2013, forage production, 2013, crop production tables and a precipitation map. The review […] Read more
CP, CN book higher Q1 grain revenue, smaller grain handle
First-quarter revenue from grain handling is up at both Canadian Pacific (CP) and Canadian National (CN) Railways as the two companies both reported higher overall quarterly profit. CP on Tuesday booked overall first-quarter net income of $254 million on revenues of $1.509 billion for the period ending March 31 — the company’s best-ever Q1 result, […] Read more
OAC’s Kemptville campus funded for skills training
The Ontario government has put up $2 million to extend skills training programs at the Ontario Agricultural College’s (OAC) soon-to-be-shuttered Kemptville campus for the coming academic year. The province announced the funding Tuesday for the campus to continue to host skills training programs that “support the agricultural sector in eastern Ontario,” including the agricultural equipment […] Read more
Keeping young people on the farm — in Mali
A 'radio reality' series on a local radio station aims to convince young Africans that farming can be a profitable career
Reading Time: < 1 minute It’s a worldwide challenge — convincing young people that farming can be a profitable and rewarding career. In Mali, a rural radio station is taking on the challenge through a contest developed along with Farm Radio International, a Canadian organization that works with more than 500 radio stations broadcasting to millions of farmers in Sub-Saharan […] Read more
2014 Blue Book ready
Reading Time: < 1 minute The 2014 version of the “Blue Book” is now available. Officially called the Crop Protection book, the 2014 edition has several new entries in its four sections (herbicides, insecticides, seed treatments and foliar fungicides), said Mark Cutts, crop specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. These include newly registered foliar fungicides; new seed treatment products […] Read more
Billiton resumes Sask. potash work at ‘modulated’ pace
Global mining giant BHP Billiton has resumed excavation work it put on hold late last year at its potash mining project in Saskatchewan — but plans to pace its dig to best meet market demand. The Australian/British company on Wednesday released its operational review for the nine months ending March 31, in which it reported […] Read more
Sask. sets up pre-emptive PEDv response fund
Saskatchewan and its hog industry are setting up a contingency fund against the day porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) arrives in the province. The federal and Saskatchewan governments on Thursday announced $200,000, to be matched by industry association Sask Pork, to offset “costs related to disease containment strategies, welfare issues, enhanced marketing efforts and mortality management” […] Read more
Maple Leaf’s Hamilton wiener plant now closed
A wiener processing plant on Maple Leaf Foods’ list of six further-processing facilities tapped for closure in the company’s 2011 “value creation” plan has officially shut its doors. The Toronto meat processing company on Thursday announced its plant on Brockley Road in Hamilton has closed and its production — plus 88 per cent of the […] Read more
Winnipeg egg processor to join Post
Winnipeg foodservice egg processor MFI Food Canada is poised to become an arm of breakfast giant Post as part of the U.S. company’s biggest-ever takeover deal. Post Holdings, whose brands include cereals such as Honeycomb, Alpha-Bits, Grape-Nuts and (in Canada) Shreddies, plus other cereal, snack and nutrition supplement products, announced Thursday it has an agreement […] Read more
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