Chemical company BASF Canada plans to make its new Group 1 tepraloxydim herbicide Equinox “broadly available” across Western Canada for the 2008 growing season. The post-emergent dicot graminicide was only available “in limited quantities” to farmers in 2007, the company said in a release Tuesday. Equinox is registered for use in pea, flax and lentil […] Read more
BASF takes Equinox to wide release
CPR’s grain revenue up in ’07
An increased grain handle contributed to an improved bottom line for Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in 2007, the railway reported Tuesday. CPR in 2007 posted net income of $946.2 million on $4.71 billion in total revenue, up from $796.3 million on $4.43 billion in 2006. The railway also posted a healthier fourth quarter (Q4) ending […] Read more
Saputo to buy Wisconsin cheesemaker
Saputo, Canada’s biggest dairy processor, plans to expand its U.S. cheese division by buying Wisconsin’s Alto Dairy Co-operative. Alto, based in Waupun, northeast of Madison, makes both Italian- and American-style cheeses including mozzarella, provolone, cheddar, gouda and Monterey Jack, for food service and industrial markets, as well as the premium Italian-style brand Alto Bello for […] Read more
Safflowers may make rennet for cheese
An Argentinean biotech company wants to see if it can get viable amounts of a key cheesemaking enzyme out of a Calgary company’s genetically modified safflowers. Argentina’s Institutio de Agrobiotecnologia Rosario (Indear) has signed an option agreement for SemBioSys’ processes to produce chymosin, also known as rennet, in safflower plants and to extract it from […] Read more
Canada, Peru seal free trade deal
Canada and Peru on Saturday concluded talks on a new free trade agreement that will help maintain Canadian ag exports to that country, the Canadian Wheat Board said Monday. CWB CEO Greg Arason on Monday congratulated International Trade Minister David Emerson for sealing the deal. Emerson also announced the signing of a trade deal with […] Read more
Grains fund repays CPR out of new penalty
The Western Grains Research Foundation won’t have to pay withdrawal penalties to come up with cash it owed to Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). The fund, which endows research on cereal grains, is the beneficiary of penalties paid by the two national railways, CPR and Canadian National (CN), whenever they exceed their regulatory caps for revenue […] Read more
Institute to “green” Alberta’s ag sector
How Alberta’s farming sector can adapt to tap into growing demand for environment-friendly goods, services and processes is expected to be one of the key fields of study for a new provincially-funded institute. Premier Ed Stelmach launched the “virtual” Alberta Institute for Agriculture, Forestry and the Environment on Monday with $800,000 and a budget for […] Read more
Barley meeting shuts out farmer groups: NFU
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz’s planned meeting tomorrow on the future of the Prairie barley industry is rather too exclusive from where some farm groups sit. Ritz on Jan. 17 called a Jan. 29 meeting in Ottawa with officials from the Canadian Wheat Board and representatives from “industry groups, producers, grain handlers and malting companies.” Alberta […] Read more
No TB found yet in B.C. bull’s wake
Tests on animals with connections to a British Columbia bull that had bovine tuberculosis have so far turned up no new confirmed cases, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency reported Monday. CFIA said it’s identified over 1,000 animals that might have been exposed to bovine TB in relation to the lone case in northern B.C., and […] Read more
Aid offer extended for small Ont. meat plants
Small, freestanding meat plants in Ontario have more time to apply for funds to help upgrade their facilities to new food safety standards. The funding comes from the provincial meat plant assistance program, which was first announced in January 2006 with original deadlines of Feb. 15, 2008 and 2009 for small Category 2 and 1 […] Read more
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