Reading Time: 2 minutes If you’re wondering if hops might be something you’d like to try, Ontario’s Ag Ministry’s website has a powerpoint primer called Local Hops: A brewing industry. Even though the presentation is barely a year old, Alberta doesn’t even make the list of hops-growing provinces. The owners of Northern Girls Hops west of Edmonton actually started […] Read more
Demand is there, but jumping into hops isn’t easy
Canola study on Alzheimer mice seen as ‘huge stretch’
Upon review, a U.S. study of what happened to mice bred for Alzheimer’s symptoms when canola oil was added to their diet doesn’t translate to a risk for people, researchers and the Canola Council of Canada say. The mouse study, which was published last week by researchers from Temple University in Philadelphia, examined mice genetically […] Read more
Zimbabwe orders illegal settlers to vacate farms
Harare | Reuters — Zimbabwe’s new agriculture minister on Wednesday ordered illegal occupiers of farms to vacate the land immediately, a move that could ultimately see some white farmers who say they were unfairly evicted return to farming. Perrance Shiri, a military hardliner who was head of the air force before being picked for the […] Read more
‘Go local’ also applies to Christmas trees
Reading Time: < 1 minute Thinking of cutting your Christmas tree on Crown land this year? “To do this, you will need to obtain a permit from an Alberta government forestry office,” said provincial woodlot extension specialist Toso Bozic. “When cutting your own tree, you know that it’s fresh.” For information on obtaining a permit, go to the Alberta Agriculture […] Read more
Christmas gift suggestions for green thumbs (and bee lovers)
A comprehensive how-to guide might be an ideal gift for someone keen on gardening, beekeeping, or starting a sideline enterprise
Reading Time: < 1 minute Know someone interested in commercial production? These Alberta Agriculture and Forestry books might be a perfect gift. Commercial Vegetable Production on the Prairies ($20 plus GST): A comprehensive 300-page resource and reference tool suitable for new and experienced vegetable growers at all scales of commercial production. Key topics included planning for vegetable production, seeding, transplanting, […] Read more
CanniMed asks regulators to step in on hostile bid
Reuters — Medical marijuana company CanniMed Therapeutics has asked federal regulators to intervene as it seeks to prevent a hostile takeover by bigger rival Aurora Cannabis Inc. Saskatoon-based CanniMed said Monday it asked the Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan and the Ontario Securities Commission to declare that Aurora’s move to take its buyout […] Read more
Feds, provinces end dispute on how to split pot tax revenues
Ottawa | Reuters –– The Canadian government and the 10 provinces on Monday settled a disagreement on how to split the revenues from a proposed federal tax on the sale of marijuana once the drug is legalized, Finance Minister Bill Morneau said. Morneau told reporters that for an initial two years, 75 per cent of […] Read more
Study finds canola oil unhelpful against Alzheimer’s in mice
A U.S. study of mice genetically engineered to model Alzheimer’s disease has found those on a diet rich in canola oil were more prone to certain markers of the disease than the same type of mice on regular chow. The Canola Council of Canada, the value-chain industry group for the world’s top canola-exporting country, said […] Read more
Maple Leaf buys further into ‘meat’ market
One of Canada’s biggest packaged meat companies is further expanding its space on the non-animal protein shelf with a deal for U.S. processor Field Roast Grain Meat. Maple Leaf Foods announced Nov. 30 it will pay US$120 million (C$153.9 million) for the Seattle-based company, which makes and markets premium grain-based “meat” and vegan cheese products. […] Read more
Saskatchewan to offer discount option on Crown land
Facing another rent hike in 2018, some Saskatchewan farmers leasing cultivated and “formerly cultivated” Crown land from the province are getting an option to buy the land instead at a 10 per cent discount. Provincial Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart on Tuesday announced a “targeted incentive” program aimed at about 1,100 eligible leaseholders, offering the 10 […] Read more