A major Prairie canola processor that’s certified to crush "sustainable" feedstock oils for the European biodiesel market has set up a program to certify its canola growers. ADM (Archer Daniels Midland) Agri-Industries at Lloydminster, Alta. on Tuesday launched what it’s dubbed the Sustainable Grower Program, following its own certification through International Sustainability and Carbon Certification […] Read more
Canola crusher offers EU-grade sustainability program
Prairie shortline railways look ahead to new reality
The looming end of the Canadian Wheat Board’s single desk for marketing wheat, durum, and barley in Western Canada on Aug. 1 may lead to changes to the shortline railways in the region. The shortlines predominantly move CWB grains, but industry participants expressed confidence in their viability and the continued use of producer rail cars […] Read more
AG SAFETY WEEK: Safety plan campaign enters home stretch
Canadian Agricultural Safety Week this year kicks off the final year of a three-year effort to encourage development of on-farm safety plans. "I encourage farm operations to assess, improve and if necessary further develop safe farming practices," Prince Edward Island’s Agriculture Minister George Webster said in one of many public-sector releases this week promoting the […] Read more
Ontario to boost fees for farm plates
Putting plates on farm vehicles in Ontario is going to get a bit more expensive each year starting in 2013. The province on Tuesday announced it will begin to boost the annual fees for vehicle licence validations across various categories, as well as driver’s license renewal fees and driver exam fees. Included among those, as […] Read more
Nearly-ended program backs Sask. biodiesel maker
A biodiesel processor in eastern Saskatchewan will get up to $1.7 million in loans from a provincial biofuel support program in its final days. Milligan Bio-Tech, based at Foam Lake, about 90 km northwest of Yorkton, will get a "repayable contribution" from the province’s four-year, $80 million SaskBIO program, which ends March 31. The program, […] Read more
Ont. to halt horse racing industry’s slots program
In a move which has the province’s horse breeders fearing a meltdown, the Ontario government has told its gaming agency to shut down the Slots for Racetracks program by the end of March next year. The program, a revenue-sharing agreement in place since 1998 between the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG), the province’s racetracks […] Read more
BIXS funds to help ‘complete circle’ of cattle data flow
Additional funding for the Beef InfoXchange System (BIXS) is expected to help cattle producers and beef packers "complete the circle" of animal and carcass data. The federal government on Thursday announced a further $3 million for BIXS during the annual meeting in Ottawa of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, which operates the system. "This additional funding […] Read more
Sask. launches AgriStability intake system online
The agency running the federal/provincial AgriStability income stabilization program for farmers in Saskatchewan has put the intake process online. Melville-based Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. (SCIC) on Tuesday launched AgConnect, a web-based system through which eligible farmers can both submit and manage their AgriStability information. AgConnect "will make the entire AgriStability application process easier and more […] Read more
Shipping slump seen extending into 2013
The global shipping slump is expected to last well into 2013 as a glut of vessels and a growing credit squeeze will challenge even the toughest companies in the seaborne sector, Moody’s Investor Service said on Wednesday. Shipping companies, especially in the oil tanker and dry bulk sectors, already hit by worsening economic turmoil, weak […] Read more
FNA joins OFA’s member benefits program
Saskatoon-based ag input buying group Farmers of North America has become a partner in the Ontario Federation of Agriculture’s member benefits program. Effective immediately, OFA members will receive a "significant discount" on the price of a membership in FNA, which would allow them to access FNA programs and services such as lower-cost inputs. "At FNA, […] Read more
