New changes to the guidelines meant to keep potato cyst nematodes (PCN) in check are expected to reduce the cost and testing burden on seed potato growers exporting to the U.S. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and U.S. Department of Agriculture announced adoption of their revised guidelines Tuesday. Seed potato growers, effective immediately, can be […] Read more
New rules to ease seed potato exports to U.S.
Richardson’s canola crushing expansion now on line
Prairie grain handler and processor Richardson International has ramped up its canola crushing capacity in eastern Saskatchewan with an expansion now on line. The previously announced expansion work, valued at about $30 million, brings the company’s crushing capacity at Yorkton, Sask. up to 3,000 tonnes per day from 2,400 previously. The plant, which began processing […] Read more
Ardent Mills j.v. clears U.S. antitrust review
The Canadian mills that make Robin Hood flour and baking mixes for industrial and foodservice users will be part of a new joint venture by the end of May — now that the U.S. Department of Justice has wrapped up its review of the deal. The department’s antitrust division on Tuesday announced a proposed settlement […] Read more
Saccharin cleared for use in foods in Canada
An artificial sweetener famously banned in foods in Canada for decades has been quietly re-approved for use in some products. Saccharin, a non-nutritive ingredient created in the U.S. in the late 19th century and best known for its use in Sweet’N Low table-top sweetener, had been de-listed for use as a food additive in Canada […] Read more
N.S. backs apple orchard renewal plan
Nova Scotia’s government and apple industry will put up seven figures over the next six years to update over 400 acres of the province’s apple orchards with new varieties. The apple sector will put $6.9 million into the program while the provincial ag department will put up a total of $2.2 million over six years, […] Read more
B.C. plans for PEDv prevention
The federal and British Columbia governments are putting up funding for the province’s pork sector to fend off porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) before it arrives there. The two levels of government on Thursday pledged $613,050 from the Growing Forward 2 (GF2) ag policy funding framework for “increased surveillance and preventative measures” to keep livestock diseases […] Read more
Commons votes down bid for horse slaughter ban
A New Democrat MP’s run at new limits on the country’s horsemeat industry was stopped before the finish line Wednesday in the House of Commons. MPs on Wednesday voted 155 to 102 at second reading against British Columbia MP Alex Atamanenko’s private member’s bill, C-571, which sought amendments to the federal Meat Inspection Act and […] Read more
Grain company chief George Richardson, 89
Members of the Prairie grain industry’s influential Richardson family are planning a private memorial service for George T. Richardson, who helmed their wide-ranging business interests for 27 years. Richardson, who died Wednesday at age 89, was president of the family firm, James Richardson and Sons, Ltd., from 1966 to 1993, and is credited for overseeing the […] Read more
Ont. Pork offers partial payments after packer bankruptcy
The marketing division of Ontario Pork has put up money to offer partial reimbursement to hog farmers left unpaid in the wake of Quality Meat Packers’ bankruptcy. The offer, to be funded through the division’s accumulated surplus, applies to farmers who shipped hogs to Quality through the division between March 31 and April 3. The […] Read more
Know when to apply fungicide
The fungicides that assist in defending yield-robbing diseases like Sclerotinia in canola are only beneficial if they are applied before the symptoms appear. So how do you choose to spray or not? If you have the following three conditions, a foliar fungicide application is a smart choice. A strong and potentially high-yielding stand. A good-looking […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
