Wheat & Chaff

Archer Daniels Midland will close a North Dakota ethanol plant near the Manitoba border, marking the first such closure for the agribusiness giant that last month announced the elimination of 1,000 jobs. The facility at Walhalla, N.D., about 30 km south of Winkler, Man., will permanently close in April, resulting in the loss of 61 […] Read more

You’re a farmer. You often work alone and so do your family members and workers. Sometimes, you don’t see another soul all day and nobody even knows where you are. That’s just the way it is. But is it safe? You know the answer. Sure, the relative safety of your situation working alone does depend […] Read more

A high-throughput Viterra elevator in Saskatchewan’s southeast corner is set to get expansions of both its storage and rail car capacity. The Fairlight facility’s rated capacity, according to the Canadian Grain Commission, now sits at 25,340 tonnes. According to Kyle Jeworski, the company’s vice-president for North American grain merchandising, the expansion will add capacity for […] Read more

LeMar Industries has introduced a new zero-entry Maverik HTF (hydraulic twin flow) commercial grain sweep that sweeps twice in a single pass. Todd Hall, vice president of research and development says, “We’ve engineered it with proprietary patent-pending technology, delivering two sweeps in a single pass with dual hydraulic augers.” The 15,000 bushel-per-hour capacity Maverik HTF […] Read more

Prairie pulse and special crop processor Legumex Walker has bought its way into the U.S. dry bean and dehulled sunflower seed markets. The Winnipeg company, formed last summer in the merger of Roy Legumex and Walker Seeds, announced it has bought St. Hilaire Seed Co. and the sunflower seed processing assets of Anderson Seed Co. […] Read more

Canadian Agricultural Safety Week wrapped up on the weekend but there are 51 more weeks to practise what Safety Week preached — PLAN.FARM.SAFETY. As a farm owner, operator or manager, you are responsible for the safety and health of everyone who lives, works or visits your farm or ranch. Everyone. Every day. That’s why you […] Read more

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has approved a new, liquid formulation, nutrient seed treatment for use on wheat, oats, barley and corn. Awaken ST is a seed-applied nutrient, with a micronutrient package including 5 per cent zinc plus boron, copper, iron, manganese and molybdenum. “Awaken ST puts nutrients where a germinating plant needs them […] Read more

The Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) will offer farmers a full portfolio of grain-marketing programs in the 2012-13 crop year, including pooling options, futures contracts and cash prices. “The grain-marketing landscape is changing, but farmers’ business needs are the same,” says CWB president and CEO Ian White. “Farmers want good returns for their grain, solid risk […] Read more

Canada’s biggest grain handler is now set to predict what it will gain from the closing of the Canadian Wheat Board’s single marketing desk. Viterra says it expects its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) to rise by between $40 million and $50 million per year in fiscal 2014 and beyond as a […] Read more

A pair of well-known cereal fungicides has been approved for combined use, allowing cereal growers new dual modes of action against diseases. The Canadian crop protection arm of chemical giant BASF has announced regulatory approval for Twinline, a liquid combination of its crop fungicides Headline and Caramba, for use on wheat, barley, oats, rye and triticale. “I […] Read more