Meanwhile in Rwanda: Our farmer gives birth to a baby boy

One of the keys to achieving food security in Africa is ensuring its millions of smallholder farmers are able to produce enough food for their families plus a surplus to sell in local markets. To get a better idea of the challenge facing a typical African farm family, we’ve identified one through Farm Radio International, a […] Read more

Target to source dairy, dry groceries via Sobeys

U.S. retail giant Target will go shopping at Sobeys for the dairy goods, frozen foods and dry grocery products to be sold at Target stores in Canada starting in early 2013. Sobeys, a national grocery store chain owned by Nova Scotia-based Empire Co., announced a new long-term wholesale distribution deal Friday with Minneapolis-based Target that […] Read more


Farmers’ view of ag careers rosier than public’s: FCC

Canadian consumers are far less likely than producers to consider or encourage a career in agriculture, Canada’s federal ag lender finds in a new survey. Farm Credit Canada on Wednesday released results of a national survey of an “FCC Vision Panel” convened by polling firm Angus Reid in March. The survey, FCC said, paints a […] Read more

Deere eyes expanding Honda deal to Canada

A marketing deal which will see John Deere dealerships in the U.S. add Honda equipment to their product offerings, starting in 2012, may expand to Canada. Deere and Co. on Tuesday said it will offer all its active U.S. dealerships a sign-up period, starting late this year, to enter agreements to sell the Honda Power […] Read more


Country Guide writers earn national kudos

Pages from one of Canada’s longest-lived farm journals got an added touch of gold and bronze last weekend from Canada’s national organization for ag journalists. Staff and contributors with Country Guide earned two gold and three bronze awards for their work at the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation (CFWF) awards banquet Saturday in Niagara Falls, Ont. […] Read more

Animal and human vaccine centre officially opened in Saskatoon

Premier Brad Wall and University of Saskatchewan (U of S) President Peter MacKinnon officially opened the International Vaccine Centre (InterVac) at the Saskatoon campus Sept. 16. InterVac is part of the U of S Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO). A Saskatchcewan government release said InterVac will develop vaccines to protect people and animals from […] Read more


Saskatchewan harvest ahead of normal

Saskatchewan farmers have harvested 60 per cent of the overall 2011 crop as of Sept. 12, moving ahead of the five-year average after a week of favorable weather, the provincial government said on Thursday in a weekly report. * Harvest progress most advanced for this time of year in four years. * Five-year average for […] Read more

Just don’t reach for the ketchup or mayo

The American Chemical Society reports that just a couple of servings of spuds a day reduces blood pressure almost as much as oatmeal without causing weight gain. But don’t reach for the ketchup, vinegar or mayonnaise. The research was not done with French fries, but with potatoes cooked without oil in a microwave oven. Scientists […] Read more


Canada joins international wheat research group

Wheat researchers gathered in Paris Sept. 15 to launch a global research program in what G20 president France says will support efforts to feed a growing world population. France hopes the initiative will select priority research areas by next year, but support for the initiative is uncertain, with only 10 countries signed up so far […] Read more

Texas drought and wildfire losses continue to mount

Many agricultural producers in East Texas are feeling caught between a rock and a “hot” place, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service personnel. The agricultural losses from the extended drought are extreme. But added to those costs now are frequent wildfires which have destroyed fencing, hay supplies and barns, and scorched what sparse grazing there […] Read more