CNS Canada — After a winter spent waiting for snow, farmers across the southern Prairies were happy when the forecast was right and Western Canada received a late winter snowstorm. “We’ve heard moisture’s coming before and it doesn’t show up or it goes around us. So when it started snowing and it started adding up […] Read more
Late-season snowstorm brings Prairies moisture
Sleeman investing to bring back production from U.S.
Canada’s third-biggest national brewer plans upgrades at its southwestern Ontario plant, with which it plans to bring back some production it now contracts out to a U.S. brewery. Guelph-based Sleeman Breweries, owned since 2006 by Japanese brewer Sapporo, announced Monday it will invest $6.61 million to expand packaging capability, put up new beer tanks and […] Read more
Smucker drops bid to buy Wesson Oil after U.S. objects
Washington | Reuters — J.M. Smucker Co. said on Tuesday it will abandon its plan to acquire Conagra Brands’ Wesson Oil brand after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission had moved to block the deal arguing it would likely lessen competition and violate anti-trust law. Mark Smucker, CEO of J.M. Smucker, said “it is not in […] Read more
Alberta’s most abundant tree species under threat
The reasons aren’t known for certain but the widespread loss of poplars has significant implications for farming
Reading Time: 4 minutes Have you noticed that the poplar trees in your yard and in your bush are dying? You’re not alone. Alberta is experiencing a significant dieback of one of its most abundant species, and while some landowners are skeptical of the cause, evidence points to climate change as one possible contributor. A massive poplar dieback is […] Read more
Pot firm Aurora’s CanniMed deal gets regulatory nod
Reuters — Canada’s No. 2 marijuana producer Aurora Cannabis on Wednesday received final regulatory approval for the purchase of smaller rival CanniMed Therapeutics, which would make it the world’s most valuable weed producer. The approval of the $1.1 billion deal from the Competition Bureau follows months of tensions between the companies and comes at a […] Read more
You need to up your game on managing people, say producers
Top-down management doesn’t cut it anymore, but fewer than one in five farms have a human resources plan
Reading Time: 3 minutes Five years ago, Kevin Serfas tried to manage human resources on his farm. It was a “train wreck.” Workers were walking away from the job. The people who stayed weren’t happy. And Serfas found himself on Facebook, “begging people to come run a tractor.” Finally, he went to one of his remaining workers and said […] Read more
U.S. judge halts California plan for warnings on glyphosate
Chicago | Reuters — A federal judge has temporarily blocked California’s plans to require cancer warnings on products containing glyphosate, in a win for manufacturer Monsanto. U.S. District Judge William Shubb said the warnings would be misleading because glyphosate is not known to cause cancer, according to court documents filed on Monday in California. He […] Read more
Spring outlook cooler for Prairies, warmer for Ontario
Growers in parts of Ontario may get an early start on planting this spring, while Prairie fields may see lingering snow and later-than-average last frosts. WeatherFarm’s spring forecast, powered by U.S.-based DTN Progressive Farmer, projects a cold start to the spring as likely for the western half of Canada, reversing the milder conditions shown over […] Read more
Norway to upgrade ‘doomsday’ seed vault
Oslo | Reuters — Norway plans to spend 100 million Norwegian crowns (C$16.1 million) to upgrade a doomsday seed vault on an Arctic island built 10 years ago to protect the world’s food supplies, the government said on Friday. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is meant as a natural deep freeze to back up the […] Read more
Southern Ontario median farmland price jumps in 2017
The threat of interest rate increases hasn’t dampened the prices southern Ontario farmers are paying for land. The annual Valco study of land values showed an increase in value of 9.76 per cent for farmland sold in 2017 over 2016. This increase is the largest since 2013. The median price for land in the surveyed […] Read more
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