The New Brunswick and federal governments are providing more than $284,000 to help Canadian Syrup Inc., a maple syrup company in Elgin, N.B. build a modern and more efficient plant. The provincial government is providing $40,000 through the NB Growth Program to enable the company to build a 1,080-square-metre (12,000-sq.-ft.) plant with modern processing equipment […] Read more
New Brunswick maple syrup plant receives funding
MANA sells controlling interest to Chinese company
The Makhteshim Agan Group (MANA) has announced that 60 per cent of the company will be purchased by ChemChina, a large Chinese chemicals and agrochemical company controlled by the Chinese government. Sale price will be US$1.44 billion, the company said. MANA, based in Israel, is the world’s largest manufacturer of off-patent pesticides, including 17 herbicide, […] Read more
Dryness continues in Argentina
Hot weather and dryness continue to threaten corn and soy production in Argentina, where some corn crops are entering a a key growth stage, according to a Reuters report. Corn plants are starting to die in some areas and the soy crop is developing at a slower rate than normal due to parched conditions, which […] Read more
New standard samples for Eastern grains
The Canadian Grain Commission’s Eastern Standards Committee has released new standard samples and standard prints (photographs) for peas, pea beans and lentils. The committee also recommended a new guide for No. 1 Canada Eastern Red (Winter), Mildew Guide. Standard samples and standard prints represent the subjective visual grading factors that are most common in a […] Read more
New standard samples for Western grains
The Canadian Grain Commission’s Western Standards Committee has released new standard samples and standard prints (photographs) for several grades of CWRS, peas, pea beans and lentils. Standard samples and standard prints represent the subjective visual grading factors that are most common in a given year. Standard samples and standard prints reflect the proportion of such […] Read more
Tomato and tobacco growth regulator registered
Syngenta Crop Protection Canada has picked up registration for a growth regulator that also works to boost natural defences against bacteria and mould infections in plants such as tomatoes and tobacco. The company on Dec. 15 announced approval for Actigard, a plant growth regulator billed as offering protection against bacterial speck and bacterial spot in […] Read more
Folicur label expanded to oats and barley
Bayer CropScience’s wheat crop fungicide Folicur has been reformulated and rebranded for use on oat and barley crops. The new formulation, dubbed Folicur EW, is registered to suppress fusarium head blight and control assorted foliar diseases such as rust, tan spot and septoria leaf blotch, the company said in a recent release. Growers using the […] Read more
Agrium sees A$40 million in synergies in AWB purchase
Agrium says that its proposed purchase of Australian grain handler and agri-retailer AWB Ltd. would be “significantly accretive” to earnings in the first year, and that it could generate A$40 million in synergies annually. “We believe we will be able to generate synergies of A$40-million or more on an annual basis, with limited synergies realized […] Read more
CWB says export barley market attractive through GPCs
The Canadian Wheat Board has issued a special feed barley market update alerting farmers to the recent strength in export prices. The CWB said that for the past two years, barley from Black Sea exporters have dominated world feed markets, but an export ban from Russia and one expected from Ukraine have driven prices sharply […] Read more
Quebec looks to get more local products on grocery shelves
Quebec Minister of Agriculture Claude Bechard has announced the establishment of five working groups to increase the presence of local foods on Quebec grocery shelves. “We are launching today a framework of meetings that will encourage an exchange, a better understanding of the constraints and expectations of different partners in the food chain and, hopefully, […] Read more