Mumbai | Reuters — Indian authorities have opened an investigation into the heads of two leading fertilizer importing companies, alleging they secured commissions from overseas suppliers for inflating the prices of crop nutrient purchases. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), India’s top crimefighting agency, said late Wednesday it was investigating U.S. Awasthi, managing director of […] Read more
India’s federal police probe bosses of two fertilizer companies
Large-scale nutrient purchases often known to sway spot prices
Ford wires its electric trucks for business customers
Tesla, GM seen positioning electric pickups as 'lifestyle vehicles'
Detroit | Reuters — Ford Motor Co.’s newly revealed electric version of its best-selling F-150 pickup doubles down on a bet that the company can beat Tesla and other rivals by giving new technology a familiar face and convincing longtime fleet and business customers that going electric saves money. Ford officially unveiled the battery electric […] Read more
Air ambulance plan gets a boost
Reading Time: < 1 minute Cargill is giving $400,000 to STARS, the not-for-profit air ambulance organization. The organization is seeking to buy nine new, medically equipped Airbus H145 helicopters, at a cost of $13 million each, for use in Western Canada. STARS has been flying missions in the new H145 aircraft from two of its bases since mid-2019, thanks to […] Read more
Manitoba cautions on manganese in well water
About a third of wells exceed updated limits, province says
A significant number of wells in Manitoba may be carrying water with manganese levels well above new health standards, particularly for infants. The province on May 3 issued an advisory for owners of private wells that their water “may exceed a new health-based guideline” for the trace element. The element occurs naturally, and commonly, in […] Read more
Ex-GFO CEO to manage Seeds Canada
Barry Senft to help build up merged seed-industry group
The four Canadian seed industry organizations now operating as Seeds Canada have named their first organizer-in-chief. Barry Senft, whose resume in Canadian agriculture includes stints as CEO for Grain Farmers of Ontario, executive director for the Canadian International Grains Institute, chief commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission and second vice-president for Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, becomes […] Read more
New at-home learning program for 4-H’ers
Reading Time: < 1 minute 4-H Canada’s newest at-home learning initiative, Dig Into Soil, gives youth the opportunity to explore the relationship between sustainable agricultural practices, soil conservation, food security and climate change, and consider the impact their own choices can have. An all-new activity kit, available online, gives 4-H’ers fun, hands-on ways to learn about the importance of healthy […] Read more
La Nina done, U.S. CPC says
Neutral weather likely through summer
Reuters — A U.S. government weather forecaster said on Thursday La Nina has ended and El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) neutral conditions are likely to continue through the Northern Hemisphere summer. “ENSO neutral” refers to periods in which neither El Nino nor La Nina is present, often coinciding with the transition between the two weather patterns, […] Read more
The impossible dream: Buying land not an option for most new farmers
There’s no shortage of young people who want to farm, but prices are simply out of reach
Reading Time: 6 minutes Blake Hall used to joke that he was about as close to being a nomadic herdsman as a person could be in the 21st century. “All I owned was the cattle,” the Forshee-area rancher said with a laugh. “In the beginning, we moved between five farms in five years, which is expensive, labour-intensive, and stressful […] Read more
New enterprise blooms on former grain farm and tree nursery
Reading Time: 3 minutes After grain farming and tree farming, Ron and Debbie Cherdarchuk and son Cory Christopher turned to flower farming. And guess how popular you are these days when you have a landscape full of flowers that you’re willing to share? “The internet, and in particular Pinterest, have created digital envy,” said Cory (who uses Christopher for […] Read more
CP files objection with U.S. regulator over CN’s Kansas City Southern bid
Reuters — Canadian Pacific Railway said on Saturday it filed a formal objection with a U.S. regulator, stating Canadian National Railway’s near US$30 billion rival bid for Kansas City Southern does not qualify to be exempted from tougher merger rules. Last week, the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) granted a waiver to CP’s $25 billion […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
