The Calgary maker of Matex drilling fluids is under new ownership from one of its minority owners and its biggest supplier of crude canola oil. Winnipeg grain firm Richardson International announced last Tuesday it has bought full ownership of Control Chemical Corp. for an undisclosed amount. Control Chemical is billed as a specialized manufacturer of […] Read more
Richardson buys up veg oil-based drilling lubricant maker
Grain firm supplies canola oil to Control Chemical
Brandt to buy Deere dealership chain Cervus
Regina firm to pay $302 million in all-cash deal
The world’s biggest privately-owned chain of Deere construction and forestry equipment dealerships is set to expand its reach into Deere farm equipment in a major way. Brandt Tractor, the equipment sales arm of the Regina-based Brandt Group, on Monday announced an agreement to buy all of publicly-traded Cervus Equipment Corp. for $19.50 a share, valuing […] Read more
Feds lock in AgriRecovery funds before election call
Ottawa's pledged share now up to $500 million
Just hours ahead of a federal election call, the federal government has committed $500 million to cover its share of federal/provincial AgriRecovery support plans for drought-hit farmers across Canada’s West. Shortly before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit Sunday to Rideau Hall seeking the dissolution of Parliament for a federal election, Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau confirmed […] Read more
Olymel, Quebec workers reach deal in principle
Agreement may end months-long strike at hog plant
The union for workers at a major pork slaughter and packing plant in Quebec’s Beauce region says it has a deal that may end a strike which has backed up hogs on farms in the province since late April. The Syndicat des travailleurs d’Olymel Vallee-Jonction (STOVJ) — which represents over 1,000 employees at Olymel’s Vallee-Jonction […] Read more
Rodent poisons allowed on B.C. farms during temporary ban
British Columbia has temporarily banned a stronger class of rodent poisons pending a review of their effects on non-target wildlife, but farm uses will be exempt. The province on July 21 announced an 18-month prohibition on sales and use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs). The second-generation products are “more powerful” than the previous generation and […] Read more
New B.C. youth work rules: Heavy lifting, ag chem handling out
New standards also lift province's 'general working age' to 16
“Light farm and yard work” are deemed appropriate for workers at ages 14 and 15 under new employment standards taking effect in British Columbia this fall. The province on Wednesday announced changes to its Employment Standards Act, which have been through the development and consultation stages since 2019, have now been finalized and will take […] Read more
Manitoba triggers hay disaster benefit
Per-tonne rate lifted to cover feed, transport costs
Manitoba’s crop insurance agency is set to lift the per-tonne rate paid out on insured forage crops to help cover livestock producers’ bills to buy and truck in replacement feed. Manitoba Agricultural Services Corp. (MASC) on Thursday announced a 2021 hay disaster benefit to provide another $44 per tonne, for every tonne below coverage, to […] Read more
Farm transfer tax treatment bill now law, feds say
Government to add amendments against tax loopholes
Despite a previous statement from her ministry, Canada’s finance minister says a bill standardizing the tax treatment of farm transfers is now officially on the books. However, while Bill C-208 is now in federal tax law, further amendments are en route to plug legal loopholes the bill may have opened. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on […] Read more
Exemptions, extensions to be granted for rail crossing upgrades
New amendments would exclude low-risk field-to-field crossings
Some farmer-owned field-to-field grade crossings over Canadian rail lines are now expected to be exempted altogether from looming federal requirements for safety upgrades. Proposed amendments to the Grade Crossings Regulations, announced June 18 by Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, this week cleared their 30-day public comment period. The amendments are expected to tweak rules which were […] Read more
Telus, Rabobank ag arms buy into farm data aggregator
Companies join in on deal for Minneapolis-based Conservis
The agriculture arms of one of Canada’s major telecoms providers and a major Dutch bank and financial services firm are taking a stake in a tech firm in the business of gathering on-farm data into a single window. Telus Agriculture and Rabo AgriFinance, which is headquartered in St. Louis and serves U.S. farm customers, announced […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
