Fruit/Vegetables & Production Tips

Australia dumps ‘backpacker tax’ over farm, export concerns

By GFM Network News March 16, 2016

Sydney | Reuters — Australia on Wednesday walked back from a planned tax hike on foreign travellers who work in the country, following concerns from farmers that their supply of “backpacker labour” at harvest times may dry up and undermine Australia’s ambitions of being Asia’s delicatessen. Australian fruit exports are set to hit a record […] Read more

Crops, Fruit/Vegetables, Markets

Liberals pressed on PACA pledge for produce growers

By Grainews Staff, GFM Network News March 12, 2016

The federal opposition New Democrats have cherry-picked a Liberal election promise to fruit and vegetable growers seeking insurance against U.S. and Canadian buyers who dodge their bills. Tracey Ramsey, the NDP’s international trade critic and MP for the southwestern Ontario riding of Essex, on Tuesday tabled a motion in the Commons for Canada to set […] Read more

Crops, Fruit/Vegetables, Markets, Reuters

Farmers return to vegetable patch as currency slumps

By Rod Nickel, GFM Network News February 26, 2016

Reuters — Canadian farmers are cashing in on the highest vegetable prices in years, helped by the country’s weak currency and soaring costs of U.S. imports that have made them unexpected winners in a bearish commodity world. Soft wheat and canola prices may diminish Canadian farm incomes by nine per cent this year. But it […] Read more

Crops, Fruit/Vegetables, Reuters

Australia to hike tax on ‘backpacker’ workers

By GFM Network News February 26, 2016

Sydney | Reuters — Australia is set to increase taxes on foreign travellers who work in the country, raising concerns from farmers that their supply of “backpacker labour” at harvest times may dry up and undermine Australia’s ambitions of being Asia’s delicatessen. Australian fruit exports are set to hit a record A$2.27 billion (C$2.19 billion) […] Read more

An apple tree branch with “scorched” leaves after a severe fire blight infection. (Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Apples, Crops, Weather

N.S. fruit, maple syrup producers get AgriRecovery

By Grainews Staff, GFM Network News February 1, 2016

The federal and Nova Scotia provincial governments will put up AgriRecovery funding for tree fruit growers dealing with fire blight, and maple syrup producers dealing with snow damage. The two governments on Tuesday announced separate AgriRecovery programs, budgeted at up to $2.69 million for fruit growers and up to $950,000 for maple syrup producers. The […] Read more

Crops, Dairy Cattle, Fruit/Vegetables, Reuters

Louis Dreyfus ring-fences some units, considers options

By GFM Network News January 29, 2016

London | Reuters — Louis Dreyfus Commodities is ring-fencing its crop inputs, metals, juice and dairy units and is considering options ranging from joint ventures to the sale of certain assets, a senior company source said. In December, Reuters reported the trade house had been seeking buyers for its juice and fertilizer units for some […] Read more

Crops, Fruit/Vegetables, Machinery, Pasture

Salford buys tillage equipment maker AerWay

By Grainews Staff, GFM Network News January 8, 2016

Southwestern Ontario vertical tillage and pasture equipment maker AerWay has become part of another well-known Ontario ag equipment manufacturer. Salford Group announced in December it has bought the AerWay advanced aeration products line from the Canadian trailer systems arm of German truck, bus and trailer axle and suspension manufacturer SAF-Holland. AerWay, which operates a manufacturing […] Read more

CPG, whose COO and owner Kelly Beaulieu is shown here in a file photo, will get over half a million dollars in public funds for the company’s expansion.

Crops, Fruit/Vegetables, Machinery

Puree processor gets GF2 funds for expansion

By Grainews Staff, GFM Network News January 8, 2016

A Portage la Prairie food processor that converts culled vegetables into nutritional purees has received $582,000 from the federal-provincial Growing Value program to increase its capacity. Canadian Prairie Garden Puree Products has acquired new equipment and modified its existing operation in order to cook more types of fruits, vegetables and pulse crops like chickpeas, navy […] Read more

Crops, Potatoes

McCain french fry plant gets public funds for upgrades

By Grainews Staff, GFM Network News December 30, 2015

CORRECTED, Jan. 13, 2016: The Manitoba and federal governments are dipping into an agribusiness support fund to cover half the cost of equipment upgrades for McCain Foods’ french fry plant in the province’s southwest. Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and provincial Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn on Wednesday announced $380,000 from the Growing Value program for […] Read more

Crops, Fruit/Vegetables, Reuters

Louis Dreyfus said seeking buyers for juice, fertilizer units

By Reuters, GFM Network News December 18, 2015

Reuters — Louis Dreyfus Commodities is seeking buyers for its orange juice and fertilizer units as the global merchant focuses on higher-margin activities, sources said, the latest firm to take steps to weather weak commodity markets. The company had been actively marketing the orange juice and fertilizer businesses for some months, having appointed banks to […] Read more

GFM Network News

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures rise on first WASDE since September

U.S. export sales include only small soybean business to China

U.S. corn and soybean yields revised down by USDA

Fruit/Vegetables