Moose causing crop damage on farms in Newfoundland and Labrador may now be shot by farmers at night under a new special permit system. Farmers dealing with “problem moose” can now apply for permits for night shooting, via provincial agriculture development officers in their areas, the provincial fisheries and land resources department said Thursday. The […] Read more
Newfoundland farmers may shoot problem moose at night
Province to provide permits to qualified farmers
Federal surplus food program now taking applications
Qualified NGOs sought to move, distribute perishables to 'populations in need'
A federal program to get food to those who need it, using stockpiles of perishables created by the COVID-19-related shutdown of the dining sector, is now taking applications. The $50 million Surplus Food Rescue Program — which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau telegraphed in a funding announcement May 5 — will take applications from “organizations addressing […] Read more
Details on federal food surplus program expected in ‘days’
Ottawa already at work with businesses, minister says
Ottawa — Detailed plans of the federal government’s food buyback program are expected soon, according to Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau. Ottawa tabbed $50 million of its COVID-19 response funds for agriculture to buy surplus food from farmers and redistribute it to communities in need. The challenge Bibeau and her federal colleagues are faced with is […] Read more
Plenty of jobs in budding cannabis industry
Spots in Olds College cannabis program snapped up in hours, with hundreds of jobs in Alberta beckoning
Reading Time: 3 minutes Olds College’s new cannabis production program isn’t some half-baked idea — it’s high time. “We’ve been offering horticulture programming for over 50 years, so it makes sense for this new facet of the horticulture industry to come our way for training,” said Debbie Thompson, the college’s vice-president academic and student experience. “It’s a new industry […] Read more
Arysta plans market expansion in Western Canada
CNS Canada — Arysta LifeScience, a crop chemical company known in Western Canada for its line of Everest products, now wants to become a household name for Prairie farmers. Platform Specialty Products, Arysta’s parent company, last Aug. 24 announced plans to separate its agricultural solutions and performance solutions segments. Platform Specialty chairman Martin Franklin said […] Read more
Greenhouse advances saving operators big dollars
New state-of-the-art designs are halving energy costs, but even ‘simple things’ make a difference
Reading Time: 2 minutes Improved construction materials and design are making greenhouses more efficient and cheaper to operate, says a provincial horticulture specialist. “Greenhouses have traditionally been energy-intensive operations, but with increasing scrutiny and slowly shrinking margins, producers need to find ways of trimming costs wherever possible,” said Dustin Morton. For example, research by Silke Hemming of Wageningen University […] Read more
Australia dumps ‘backpacker tax’ over farm, export concerns
Sydney | Reuters — Australia on Wednesday walked back from a planned tax hike on foreign travellers who work in the country, following concerns from farmers that their supply of “backpacker labour” at harvest times may dry up and undermine Australia’s ambitions of being Asia’s delicatessen. Australian fruit exports are set to hit a record […] Read more
This holiday season think green (as in green thumb)
Whether it’s high-res imaging, bugs, or cover crops, there’s no shortage of ways to make the family horticulturalist happy
Reading Time: 3 minutes With the holiday season upon us, there is one question causing the good people of the province to lose sleep at night: What to get the horticulturalist in their life? With that question in mind (and tongue firmly planted in cheek) I’ve compiled a list of ideas with something for every budget that is sure […] Read more
Opportunities abound in horticulture, says provincial specialist
The financial startup costs are typically lower and a host of information resources is available
Reading Time: 2 minutes More people are interested in a career in agriculture these days and horticulture offers many opportunities, says a commercial horticulture specialist. “Increased interest in local production as well as the desire to know where and how food is grown means more people are looking to get into agriculture and primary production,” said Dustin Morton. Horticulture […] Read more
Landscape crops lucrative for Alberta growers
Two central Alberta farmers have branched out into a fast-growing niche market — landscape plant production
Reading Time: 6 minutes The grass really is greener when it comes to landscaping crops — and the ornamentals smell pretty sweet, too. “The market as a whole has been growing 10 per cent a year for the last 20 years, and the economic forecasts show that it’s only going to increase,” said Joel Beatson, executive director of Landscape […] Read more
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