An independent crop input retailer is being merged into one of its neighbours near Winnipeg as grain firm Richardson International continues on a retail expansion track. Privately-held Richardson announced Dec. 11 it has closed a deal to buy the retail assets of Bestland Air Ltd. at Starbuck, Man., about 30 km southwest of Winnipeg. Bestland […] Read more
Richardson buys Winnipeg-area input retailer
Vancouver port space secured for pulse processor AGT
In need of ready access to West Coast tidewater, Prairie pulse crop processor AGT Food and Ingredients is set to work with the B.C. forestry sector to get it. Regina-based, publicly-traded AGT announced Monday it has reached a long-term terminal services agreement with Fibreco Export Inc., a wood fibre and canola meal exporter majority-owned by […] Read more
No prison for Saskatchewan rancher over stolen farm equipment
A western Saskatchewan rancher who pleaded guilty in August to charges over the discovery last year of missing tractors, balers and other farm equipment will serve time outside the prison system, Saskatoon media reported Friday. Iain Stables, now 40, was sentenced Friday in Provincial Court in Saskatoon to a conditional term of two years less […] Read more
Good winter reads for cattle ranchers
If you are looking for a Christmas gift or just a good read about life on a ranch, longtime Grainews columnist Heather Smith Thomas has written three excellent books that fit the bill. In these volumes, Thomas has captured the essence of the joys and challenges of working with cattle and horses over her lifetime […] Read more
Agri-food supercluster announces board, CEO
The new Smart Agri-Food Supercluster (SASC) will field a team of 11 innovation and corporate leaders from across Canada as its interim board of directors. The board (see below), which will be chaired by Doug Beever of Agrium, has also appointed Rob Davies as its interim CEO. Davies brings more than three decades of leadership […] Read more
Harvestec owner Linamar set to buy MacDon
Canadian harvesting equipment company MacDon is set to join the ag arm of industrial equipment and parts manufacturer Linamar. Guelph-based Linamar Corp., which markets the Harvestec brand of corn harvesting headers in North America, on Thursday announced a “definitive” agreement to buy 100 per cent of Winnipeg-based MacDon and its group of companies for $1.2 […] Read more
Canola study on Alzheimer mice seen as ‘huge stretch’
Upon review, a U.S. study of what happened to mice bred for Alzheimer’s symptoms when canola oil was added to their diet doesn’t translate to a risk for people, researchers and the Canola Council of Canada say. The mouse study, which was published last week by researchers from Temple University in Philadelphia, examined mice genetically […] Read more
Canadian fast-food, dining firms plan merger
A restaurant firm with well known brands in Eastern Canada’s casual dining market is set to merge into a neighbouring firm behind the franchises populating many of Canada’s mall food courts. Montreal-based MTY Food Group announced Tuesday it has a cash-and-stock agreement in place to pick up all outstanding common shares of another Montreal firm, […] Read more
Study finds canola oil unhelpful against Alzheimer’s in mice
A U.S. study of mice genetically engineered to model Alzheimer’s disease has found those on a diet rich in canola oil were more prone to certain markers of the disease than the same type of mice on regular chow. The Canola Council of Canada, the value-chain industry group for the world’s top canola-exporting country, said […] Read more
Wildfire-damaged grazing areas up for Saskatchewan aid
Saskatchewan’s provincial disaster assistance program (PDAP) will be opened up to cover southwestern grazing areas damaged by this fall’s wildfires. The province’s government relations minister, Larry Doke, on Wednesday announced producers who incurred wildfire damage on “tame and native lands” intended for grazing may now apply for assistance to get feed for affected livestock. Winds […] Read more
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