Website offers sustainability self-assessment

Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta’s four crop commissions have launched a new Farm Sustainability Readiness website tool for farmers considering obtaining sustainability certification. “Companies like Walmart, General Mills, and McDonald’s are looking to source sustainable ingredients to meet the growing expectations from stakeholders to be more responsible for their suppliers’ social, ethical, and environmental practices,” Alberta Wheat said in […] Read more

Normal monsoon season expected for India

Reading Time: < 1 minute The India Meteorological Department is suggesting this year’s monsoon season will be average, the Times of India reports. The newspaper points to a recent weather bulletin from the agency saying El Niño won’t be a factor during the summer rainy season. The weather pattern — an abnormal warming of the ocean surface in central and […] Read more


(Video screengrab from Richardson.ca)

Richardson moves further into eastern Alberta retail

Grain firm Richardson Pioneer’s crop input retail business is expanding into an area of eastern Alberta its network hasn’t yet reached. The company, an arm of Winnipeg-based agrifood firm Richardson International, closed a deal April 4 to buy Eagle Agro Services, an inputs dealer at Veteran, Alta., about 200 km east of Red Deer. The […] Read more

A controlled atmosphere stunning system for chicken processing. (Marel.com)

Cargill to replace chicken plant’s stunning system

Agrifood firm Cargill has budgeted $22 million to swap out an electric stunning system at its London, Ont. chicken processing plant in favour of a new controlled atmospheric stunning (CAS) system. The CAS system, expected to be up and running this spring, “will help reduce handling stress with chickens, resulting in a higher-quality, more consistent […] Read more


Ag scholarship opens the world to farmers

Application deadline is April 30

Reading Time: < 1 minute There’s still time to apply for a 2019 Nuffield Canada scholarship or to consider taking advantage of this learning opportunity in the future. Nuffield Canada offers five $15,000 scholarships, which allow scholars to participate in a training session with other Nuffield participants from the U.S., Britain, Ireland, France, New Zealand, Australia, Holland, Brazil, China, India, […] Read more

(Kubota.ca)

Kubota to relocate Canadian warehousing

Japanese tractor and equipment maker Kubota’s Canadian arm plans to decamp its warehousing and head office next year for a new “state of the art” space 25 km east. Kubota Canada announced Thursday it will move those operations from Markham, Ont. to a new facility it will build at Pickering by the end of 2019. […] Read more


AFSC lowering crop insurance premiums this year

AFSC lowering crop insurance premiums this year

The provincial crop insurer says it is reducing premiums 
by an average of 
eight per cent

Reading Time: < 1 minute Agriculture Financial Services Corporation is lowering crop insurance premiums. “On average, 2018 premium rates for crops are eight per cent lower than they were in 2017,” AFSC said in a news release. “The decrease in premium rates is a reflection of the generally good growing conditions over the past few years, which resulted in positive […] Read more

(SecondCup.com)

Second Cup to set up cannabis lounges in West

Updated, April 13 — Canada’s No. 2 specialty coffeehouse chain has a partnership deal in place to convert some of its outlets in Western Canada to recreational cannabis shops and lounges. Second Cup on Thursday announced a “strategic alliance” with National Access Cannabis Corp. (NAC) to roll out a network of NAC-branded recreational cannabis dispensaries, […] Read more


Alberta names civil engineer as new deputy ag minister

Reading Time: < 1 minute A civil engineer and 28-year veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces is the province’s new top agriculture bureaucrat. Andre Corbould took over from Beverly Yee as deputy minister of Agriculture and Forestry earlier this month. He has previously been deputy minister with several ministries, including environment, labour, transportation, and municipal affairs, as well as chief […] Read more

(Bovins.qc.ca)

Quebec cattle producers join national body

Quebec’s cattle producer group is now the ninth provincial member cattle organization in the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. Les producteurs de bovins du Quebec (PBQ) announced its membership in the CCA during the provincial body’s annual meeting Wednesday and Thursday in Quebec City. “At a time when new frontiers are continually opening up and our buyers […] Read more