Another storied eastern Ontario artisanal cheesemaker is set to go co-op. Gay Lea Foods, billed as Ontario’s biggest and Canada’s second-biggest dairy co-operative, announced a deal Wednesday to buy Black River Cheese Co. effective June 1 for an undisclosed sum. Based in Prince Edward County at Milford, about 45 km southeast of Belleville, Black River […] Read more
Gay Lea buys Ontario artisanal cheesemaker
Saskatchewan names new deputy ag minister
A promotion for Saskatchewan’s deputy minister of agriculture leads to a promotion for one of the ministry’s assistant deputies. Doug Moen, who’s leaving his post as deputy minister to Premier Brad Wall at the end of June, on Friday announced Rick Burton as the province’s new deputy minister of agriculture, effective July 1. As the […] Read more
Canadian firm to buy Taco Time, Cold Stone parent
A Montreal company known for mall food court and quick-service restaurant brands across Canada is set to buy a major U.S. player in the same sectors. MTY Food Group, which owns or holds franchises for 40 brands including Mr. Sub, Cultures, La Cremiere, Extreme Pita, Country Style, Yogen Fruz, TCBY and others, announced Wednesday it […] Read more
Window open wider for comment on CGC licensing moves
Facing “requests from stakeholders,” the Canadian Grain Commission has granted them a 12-week extension on its deadline for comments on plans to license feed mills, producer car loading sites and grain agents. The deadline, previously June 3, is now Aug. 31, the commission said in a release Friday. Input is being sought from producer railway […] Read more
Alberta lifts off-roading ban
Citing an outbreak of “wet and cool weather” across parts of the province, reducing the overall fire hazard, the Alberta government has lifted most of its restrictions on off-highway vehicle (OHV) use. The province lifted its OHV ban for “much of the province” except for its forest areas around Lac La Biche and Fort McMurray, […] Read more
Newfoundland’s first canola field seeded
Provincial crop researchers in Newfoundland and Labrador have scored a first for the province this spring by seeding its first-ever canola field. Dignitaries including Premier Dwight Ball and Christopher Mitchelmore, the minister responsible for the provincial Forestry and Agrifoods Agency, attended the seeding Friday near Pasadena, about 30 km east of Corner Brook. Agency researchers and […] Read more
U.S. study finds no risks to people, planet in GMOs
It’s time for the task of regulating new crop varieties to focus on plants’ characteristics rather than on how the plants were developed, a team of U.S. scientists recommends in a new report. A study committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine on Tuesday released an “extensive” study of genetically engineered crops, finding […] Read more
N.B. to assess unwanted potash deposit
A potash deposit from which one of the world’s biggest fertilizer companies recently walked away will be the subject of a provincial review for its future potential. The New Brunswick government announced May 11 it will soon finalize a contract to hire a third-party consultant to assess the remaining potash resource, if any, in the […] Read more
Kubota to buy equipment maker Great Plains
Japanese farm, construction, yard and landscaping equipment maker Kubota is set to expand its share in several of those sectors with a deal for Kansas equipment firm Great Plains Manufacturing. Kubota, which has had a strategic alliance with Great Plains for implements in the U.S. since 2007, announced Friday it will buy 100 per cent […] Read more
Glacier pledges support for wildfire disaster relief
Farm Business Communications’ parent company, Glacier Media, is donating $50,000 toward the Canadian Red Cross’ disaster relief efforts in the Fort McMurray area. The Vancouver company said its donation is also on behalf of individual Glacier business units, which will undertake their own awareness and fundraising efforts to help the city and its residents rebuild […] Read more
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