CNS Canada — A heat wave in late May and a slow start to the planting season have created some ideal conditions for flea beetles. Pest specialists in Saskatchewan and Manitoba say farmers have already begun to spray for the beetle in certain locations. “They’ve been getting good conditions to feed under, they like it […] Read more

Flea beetles take advantage of late seeding

CWB class action suit takes step forward
A proposed class action lawsuit against the federal government and G3, alleging farmers’ money helped privatize the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB), is another step closer, says Anders Bruun, one of the lawyers working on the suit. In a written ruling released Monday, Master Shayne Berthaudin of the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench ruled against the […] Read more

Deal in principle announced for Churchill railway, port
The federal government has announced an “agreement in principle” which will see a new partnership fix up northern Manitoba’s washed-out Hudson Bay Railway and take over the mothballed Port of Churchill. Details of the agreement were slim at best in the government’s announcement Wednesday, except to say the buying group slated to take over the […] Read more

Manitoba sunflower acreage set to drop
CNS Canada — The closure of a sunflower processing plant in southern Alberta has Manitoba sunflower growers feeling uneasy this year. “Because of the plant closure there’s quite a bit of delay in delivery of the ’17 crop. So it’s discouraged quite a few guys from growing more (sunflowers),” said Ben Friesen, senior market manager […] Read more

Manitoba soybean acreage predictions mixed
CNS Canada — While some in the soybean sector think Statistics Canada is right about its predictions for a decline in Manitoba acres, others think plantings should still end up close to the record in 2017. Statistics Canada is predicting soybean acres in Manitoba to drop to 1.96 million from 2.29 million, according to its […] Read more

Churchill possibly to return to shipping grain
CNS Canada — Grain could once again be shipped out of northern Manitoba’s Port of Churchill if all goes according to plan for a new potential ownership group. “The port has got all of the grain handling equipment and simply said, the first thing we want to do is resume that commercial activity,” said Louis […] Read more

Prairie potato planting slightly behind schedule
CNS Canada — After a delayed start due to the long winter and spring flooding, western Canadian potato growers are out in the fields. “We’re probably only a couple of days behind… we had farmers out on the fields last week and I think quite a few more will be moving along this week,” said […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: Prairie grains continue strong rally
CNS Canada — The rally on which southern Alberta feed grain prices have been riding since the start of the year continued this week. “Right now (we’re seeing) some of the best prices on barley for farmers that have been seen in Alberta for a while,” said Joshua Boyko of CorNine Commodities in Lacombe. According […] Read more

Eastern Manitoba ice cream maker closes shop
An eastern Manitoba dairy farmer who began producing a specialty ice cream with the farm’s own milk in 2013 has closed shop citing rising production costs. Lisa Dyck, owner of the Cornell Creme ice cream brand, began producing a line of hand-crafted ice cream in 2013, using milk from the family dairy farm northeast of […] Read more

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