Prairie provinces will receive the bulk of Ottawa’s $1.5 billion commitment to support irrigation projects, according to federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday launched a three-year, $10 billion infrastructure plan aimed at five different sectors, including agriculture. The $1.5 billion is expected to result in 700,000 acres of irrigated land. […] Read more
Federal irrigation pledge seen flowing mainly to Prairies
Infrastructure plan also includes promised broadband support
Agri-Trade organizers cancel event for this year
Reading Time: < 1 minute In the end, holding Agri-Trade this year was just too steep a hill to climb. Organizers of the Red Deer equipment expo say even though they felt they could meet provincial guidelines for holding the Nov. 11-13 event they “felt had no choice but to cancel the show.” The deciding factor was policies restricting travel […] Read more
Bayer plans more cost cuts, impairment charges
Pandemic now expected to hit crop science wing
Berlin | Reuters — German drugs and chemical company Bayer announced plans on Wednesday for more than 1.5 billion euros (C$2.34 billion) of cost cuts as of 2024 and said it would take impairment charges on its agricultural business as it battles with low commodity prices. Bayer said that the impact of the coronavirus on […] Read more
Stewardship projects getting ‘ticked off the to-do list’
ALUS Canada has seen a jump in interest in its conservation programs during the pandemic
Reading Time: 2 minutes The pandemic hasn’t just prompted more housebound urbanites to undertake property improvements — more farmers are also looking at conservation projects. ALUS Canada — which helps fund projects such as fencing riparian areas or protecting wildlife habitat — has seen more applications since COVID-19 struck, said Christine Campbell, ALUS Canada’s western hub manager. “We’ve actually […] Read more
Trump issues permit for Alaska-to-Alberta railway
Washington | Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a presidential permit for a private-sector proposal to build a railway from northeastern Alberta’s oil sands to ports in Alaska, a project that still faces numerous hurdles. Trump said over the weekend on Twitter he would issue the permit, which he signed on Monday but […] Read more
India’s controversial farm bills become law despite protests
New Delhi | Reuters — India’s president on Sunday approved three controversial agricultural bills amid nationwide protests by farmers who say the new laws will stunt their bargaining power and instead allow large retailers to have control over pricing. Farmers’ organizations say one of the three laws could lead to the government stopping buying grain […] Read more
Canada not benefiting from CETA, Bibeau says
Ex-premiers write to Ottawa with critique of EU's continued trade barriers
Canada is not benefiting from the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the European Union (EU), federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau grants. Expected to spur $1.5 billion in new agri-food exports, the free trade deal has fallen short of those targets since its implementation in 2017. In a letter Monday to Prime Minister Justin […] Read more
Farmers and Canadian Foodgrains Bank set down deep roots
Reading Time: 4 minutes Across the country, thousands of farmers take time during their busiest season to harvest crops that will be sold to support the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. A few have been going for more than three decades, but many came to be during the 23 years that the charity, an alliance of 15 churches and church-based agencies, […] Read more
STARS fundraising calendars available soon
Reading Time: < 1 minute The STARS air ambulance service is hoping the public will continue to support its calendar fundraising campaign. The initiative is STARS’ second-largest fundraiser, with more than 60,000 calendars sold annually, and has raised millions over the past 28 years, the organization said. The calendars can be ordered online at starscalendar.ca or purchased at Viterra locations […] Read more
JBS vows to monitor whole cattle supply chain’s impact on Amazon
Packer plans to move against cattle 'laundering'
Sao Paulo | Reuters — JBS SA, the world’s top meatpacker, said Wednesday it plans to combat destruction in the Amazon by monitoring its entire supply chain for deforestation by 2025, as pressure mounts from environmentalists and investors. Brazilian meatpackers are facing increasing criticism that beef production is fueling deforestation in the Amazon, where cleared […] Read more
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