(OntLA.on.ca)

Ontario budget seeks tax flexibility for on-farm processing

The Ontario government has balanced its budget for the first time in since 2008 — but Thursday’s budget contained little news for agriculture and rural Ontario. Finance Minister Charles Sousa’s budget mostly highlighted agriculture programs that had already been announced, and maintains $100 million in funding for the provincial Risk Management Program, which helps offsets […] Read more

(AFSC.ca)

Alberta recruits new board for AFSC

Alberta’s provincial government has named a new board of directors to its farm financing and crop insurance agency, to replace the board it fired last year. Agriculture Minister Oneil Carlier on Thursday announced the appointment of a new eight-member board for the provincial Agriculture Financial Services Corp., (AFSC), which has been handled by an interim […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

PotashCorp notches higher profit as sales climb

Reuters — Saskatchewan-based PotashCorp reported a bigger-than-expected rise in quarterly profit on Thursday and raised its full-year outlook, citing lower costs and increased sales volumes. Shares of the Saskatoon-based fertilizer producer rose 1.6 per cent in early New York trading, touching a three-week high. Revenue was lower in the first quarter due to weaker prices […] Read more

(BASF.com)

BASF still out for ag chem deals

Frankfurt | Reuters –– German chemicals giant BASF said it would continue to push for acquisitions to shore up its crop protection business, after the antitrust-related sale of assets from the merger of Dow Chemical and DuPont left it empty-handed. “We are generally interested in strengthening our business further, acquisitions are part of that, that […] Read more



U.S. President Donald Trump speaks April 18 at Snap-on Tools’ headquarters in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (Video screengrab from Whitehouse.gov)

White House readies order to quit NAFTA

Washington | Reuters — The White House is considering a draft executive order to withdraw the U.S. from the North American Free Trade Agreement, a senior Trump administration official said on Wednesday. It was unclear whether the order would be enacted by President Donald Trump, who has vowed to pull out from the U.S./Mexico/Canada trade […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Subway says it shut hundreds of U.S. restaurants last year

Reuters — U.S. sandwich chain Subway Restaurants said on Thursday it shut 359 restaurants in the U.S. last year, amid stiff competition in a highly fragmented fast-food industry. Subway, owned by Doctor’s Associates, is the world’s largest fast-food chain by number of restaurants. It had 26,744 locations operating in the U.S. at the end of […] Read more

(Weetabix.ca)

Post tucks into British breakfast cereal Weetabix

London/Shanghai/New York | Reuters — Post Holdings is buying leading British breakfast cereal brand Weetabix from China’s Bright Food Group for 1.4 billion pounds (C$2.4 billion), giving the U.S.-focused company a European base on which to build. The combination will help Post’s existing brands, which include Honey Bunches of Oats and Grape-Nuts, to expand overseas, […] Read more


A rail car from SGCC’s fleet. (Dave Bedard photo)

Saskatchewan budget seen as costly touch for farms

Saskatchewan’s general farm organization is consulting its farmer members on less-discussed features of last month’s provincial budget, while warning them to brace for impact from new budget-related costs. The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan last Monday wrapped up its latest round of spring district meetings, at all six of which APAS general manager Duane Haave […] Read more