London | Thomson Reuters Foundation — As Britain’s King Charles III begins his reign after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, environmental campaigners will be watching closely to see if he continues to advocate for climate action and is able to help drive change as monarch. In his first speech to the nation […] Read more
What will King Charles’s reign mean for climate action?
Some projects may be handed to other family members
Prairies’ high-pressure ridge should give way by mid-month
Brisk harvest pace expected meanwhile
MarketsFarm — While there’s not one specific cause of the hot September the Canadian Prairies has generally been having so far, Weatherlogics chief scientist Scott Kehler notes one particular shorter-term factor. “There is a fairly strong upper-level ridge of high pressure across the Prairies right now,” he explained, adding it should dissipate by mid-month. The […] Read more
Canadian crop production bounces back, StatCan reports
Wheat at higher end of trade projections
MarketsFarm — After 2021’s historic drought on the Prairies caused crop production to fall to historic lows, the 2022 harvest has mostly bounced back to pre-drought levels, according to Statistics Canada. StatCan on Monday released its July 2022 satellite image-based principal field crop production estimates, which confirmed analysts’ expectations that this year’s crop production would […] Read more
China’s farmers struggle to save crops as heatwave, drought drag on
Chongqing | Reuters — As the tinder-dry countryside along China’s Yangtze river basin withers under a heatwave that has lasted more than two months, veteran farmer Chen Xiaohua recalled the last severe drought to hit his crops more than 60 years ago. “This year is drier than 1960,” said Chen, 68, from his plot of […] Read more
Insurance available for lightning and fire damage
Annual crop or hay fields insured under Straight Hail Insurance have the same spot-loss coverage as Hail Endorsement
Reading Time: < 1 minute It’s summertime in Alberta, and with the season comes an increased potential for volatile storm activity. Depending on your insurance coverage with Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC), you may have protection against losses related to lightning strikes and accidental fires. “Agriculture is filled with unpredictable events, including the weather,” said Ken Handford, senior product co-ordinator. […] Read more
Lactalis to shift from milk to near-milk at Sudbury
Facility to halt fluid milk processing, switch to plant-based product lines
The processor of the Beatrice and Lactantia milk brands plans to put its fluid milk processing plant in northern Ontario over to plant-based dairy substitutes. The Canadian arm of France’s Lactalis said Wednesday it will stop fluid milk processing and packaging at its plant at Sudbury effective Sept. 30 and convert that plant to a […] Read more
Sierra Leone passes new laws to boost landowners’ rights
Freetown | Reuters — Sierra Leone’s parliament on Monday passed two laws that lawyers say will help boost the rights of rural landowners and women against land grabs by big mining and agribusiness firms. The West African country has a history of sometimes deadly conflict between local communities and foreign companies that have cleared huge […] Read more
Sizzling heat stresses livestock, crops in southern U.S. Plains
Chicago | Reuters — Scorching temperatures in the southern U.S. Plains are stressing cattle as well as crops such as cotton, corn and soybeans, meteorologists and traders said on Tuesday. Temperatures were forecast to reach 111 F (44 C) in parts of the Texas Panhandle, a core area for cotton and cattle production. While much […] Read more
Denmark’s Royal Unibrew to buy Toronto’s Amsterdam Brewery
Brewer seeks new capacity in North America
Corrected, July 18 — Copenhagen | Reuters –– Danish brewer and beverage maker Royal Unibrew will acquire Toronto craft brewer Amsterdam Brewery in a deal valued at around 250 million Danish crowns (C$44 million), Royal Unibrew said in a statement on Friday. “The acquisition we are doing today is very important for the future growth […] Read more
Drought conditions remain in Alberta, Saskatchewan
MarketsFarm — After copious amounts of precipitation alleviated the most severe drought conditions in Saskatchewan and Alberta, there were still some areas dealing with extreme dryness entering July, according to the Canadian Drought Monitor. At the end of June, only 22 per cent of the Prairie region was classified in the Abnormally Dry (D0) to […] Read more
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