Manitoba farmers owed at least $1 million for feed grain delivered to financially troubled hog producer Puratone Corp. are left holding an empty bag with the company’s pending sale to Maple Leaf Foods. Earlier this month Toronto-based Maple Leaf, which operates a major hog-slaughtering plant at Brandon, Man., announced it was buying Puratone, one of […] Read more
Farmers left in lurch on sale of Man. hog producer
Western seed industry worried about Roundup Ready alfalfa
Efforts to commercialize genetically modified (GM) Roundup Ready alfalfa in Eastern Canada can’t be done without harming forage seed exports from Western Canada, according Manitoba forage seed officials. "I’m very concerned because I do not believe there’s any way to restrict the seed to eastern Canada," Kurt Shmon, president of Winnipeg-based Imperial Seed, said in […] Read more
Hundreds of weanling hogs euthanized at W. Man. farm
Provincial officials are investigating a suspected case of animal abuse after 1,300 piglets found in a state of "severe distress" were euthanized at a hog production facility in west-central Manitoba late last week. The provincial chief veterinarian’s office (CVO) responded to a call reporting the inappropriate treatment of hogs on the farm Aug. 24, a […] Read more
No ad hoc aid for Ontario producers: Ritz
The federal government doesn’t expect to announce any ad hoc aid programs for Ontario farmers suffering from drought, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz told reporters in Saskatoon July 31. "I think we have fullness in our programming that allows us the latitude to address this," Ritz said. Earlier in the day Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty asked […] Read more
Manitoba canola growers urged to scout for blackleg
Manitoba canola growers are being urged to check their fields for blackleg infections after two severely infected fields were discovered recently in the province even though the varieties were rated as blackleg resistant. "It’s the worst blackleg I have ever seen and I’ve been looking at blackleg in canola since the late ’90s," Manitoba Agriculture, […] Read more
Industry co-operating to improve wheat registration process
The search is on for a way to allow higher-yielding wheats while protecting Western Canada’s reputation as a premium producer of red spring and amber durum wheat. “All of the sectors affected by variety registration have come together in a very positive spirit to work towards developing something that will address the concerns and preserve […] Read more
CROP CHECKUP: Don’t miss the boat when spraying for sclerotinia
There’s little point spraying canola at 50-per-cent bloom or later for protection against sclerotinia, says a plant pathologist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives. “You may see a visual difference (less disease) but there won’t be a yield difference,” said Holly Derksen. If conditions warrant, the ideal time to apply a fungicide is at […] Read more
Cigi names three farmers to board
Three Prairie farmers have been appointed to the Canadian International Grains Institute’s six-member board, just one of many changes to the institute in the wake of the end of the Canadian Wheat Board’s wheat and barley sales monopoly Aug. 1. Cigi, which teaches customers how to use Canadian crops, was founded in 1972 by the […] Read more
Appeal court upholds “marketing freedom” law
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz didn’t break the law by introducing legislation last fall to end the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly on the sale of Prairie wheat and barley, the Federal Court of Appeal ruled Monday. “We are pleased with this decision,” Ritz said in an email. “The Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act is in […] Read more
AAFC to clarify wheat, barley checkoff authority
The federal government plans to sign an agreement with the Alberta Barley Commission laying out how farmers’ money from a proposed new interim wheat and barley checkoff for research and market development is spent. "ABC and AAFC (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) intend to enter into an agreement that will specify what dollars-per-tonne amounts that ABC […] Read more
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