General

A new five-year federal program will put up $50 million in loans for food processing companies to invest in new processes or technologies. The AgriProcessing Initiative (API), announced Friday, is meant to provide repayable contributions for the “purchasing and installing of equipment in Canadian facilities to enable the adoption of new manufacturing technologies and processes.” […] Read more

A shuffle of leadership responsibilities within the U.S. Senate will see its influential agriculture, nutrition and forestry committee led by its first-ever chairwoman. Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas) was named Wednesday as the first female and first Arkansas senator to chair the ag committee in its 184-year history. Lincoln replaces Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who in turn […] Read more

A blind taste-test study by experienced food tasters has found 23 of 29 “store-brand” foods that taste as good as, if not better than, their national-brand competitors, according to the new issue of Consumer Reports. The Yonkers, N.Y.-based consumer watchdog magazine’s study found store-brand foods have moved beyond their generic, no-frills and often inferior predecessors, […] Read more

Industry Canada is launching a previously-announced program that will consider applications to provide broad-band internet service to as many unserved and underserved Canadians as possible, largely in rural areas. The program will offer companies federal support equalling up to 50 per cent of their one-time costs. Such costs include the purchase, adaptation or upgrade of […] Read more

The federal government’s five-year, $500 million AgriFlexibility Fund is now accepting project proposals from provincial governments and the ag industry. AgriFlexibility, which was announced in the federal government’s 2009 budget and runs until March 31, 2014, is meant to support measures developed to: reduce costs of production and improve environmental sustainability for the sector; promote […] Read more

A drop of almost 32.7 per cent in payments from ag programs such as income disaster assistance offset Canadian farmers’ small gains in crop and livestock receipts in the first half of 2009. Statistics Canada reported Monday that total farm cash receipts for the first half of 2009 totalled $22.29 billion, down 1.4 per cent […] Read more

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Canadians’ chronic health woes and their farmers’ slim incomes call for closer ties between health and agriculture policy and sharper focus on development of healthier food products, a new report urges. The Ottawa-based Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) on Wednesday released a report that proposes an integrated health and agri-food strategy on a national scale. […] Read more

The federal government’s latest supports for Canada’s reeling hog sector will just pave the way for still more losses and ad-hoc funding unless Ottawa also rethinks its supports for grain-based ethanol, the George Morris Centre warns. Al Mussell, a senior research associate with the Guelph-based ag think tank, and research fellow Ted Bilyea, a retired […] Read more

Panama has lifted its six-year-old BSE-related ban on Canadian beef as it concludes talks on a new free trade agreement with Canada that will improve access for other ag commodities. “I’m pleased to see that Panama recognizes that Canada produces safe, high quality beef and pork products and I encourage all countries in Latin America […] Read more