Limits remain under organic equivalency deal

The organic equivalency agreement signed this week between Canada and the U.S. will not end a number of restrictions on imports of U.S. organic goods that don’t follow Canada’s standards, and vice versa. According to a release Friday from the Canadian wing of the Organic Trade Association, the deal requires Canada not to allow any […] Read more

Farmers’ equity, cash flow improve: StatsCan

Equity in Canada’s farm sector increased 4.9 per cent to $264.5 billion from 2007 to 2008, as a gain in assets more than offset a rise in liabilities, Statistics Canada reported Thursday. The federal statistics agency also reported Thursday that the ratio of loans outstanding to cash income, which reflects the burden of farm debt […] Read more


Canada, U.S. agree on organic “equivalency”

Canadian organic producers and processors will soon be able to market their goods in the U.S. without additional U.S. certification. The federal government on Wednesday announced an “equivalency” agreement with the U.S., under which the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has the ability to recognize certification bodies in the U.S. and ensure they comply with […] Read more

Feds name new deputy agriculture minister

The federal government has named one of its senior staff in intergovernmental affairs to become Canada’s top ag bureaucrat. Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Thursday named John Knubley as the government’s deputy minister for agriculture and agri-food, replacing Yaprak Baltacioglu effective July 1. Baltacioglu, who had served in the deputy ag minister’s post since March […] Read more


Free to good home: Grain moisture meter

Visitors to the Farm Business Communications booth at the Western Canada Farm Progress Show, or to our new farm news portal at AGCanada.com, have an opportunity to enter our free draw for a new grain moisture meter complete with digital scale. To enter our draw online, click HERE and fill out the form for your […] Read more

National 4-H bodies name new chiefs

Syngenta Crop Protection Canada’s representative on the Canadian 4-H Council has been named the organization’s new president. Judy Shaw was elected by council board members to the post for a two-year term at the council’s recent annual meeting on Prince Edward Island. Shaw replaces Bob McAuley, who remains on the board as past president. She […] Read more


Weather Network named weather alert agency

The federal broadcasting regulator has named the owner of The Weather Network and MeteoMedia weather channels as Canada’s national emergency weather alert provider. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) last week designated Oakville, Ont.-based Pelmorex as Canada’s “national emergency alert aggregator and distributor” for the next five years. The CRTC’s decision follows a February […] Read more

Salmonella spotted in Bunge canola meal

The company with the largest canola crushing presence in Canada has shut down two of its plants after shipments of canola meal to the U.S. tested positive for salmonella, the Reuters news agency reported Friday. Reuters quoted a spokesperson for Bunge North America as saying a shipment that tested positive early last month was traced […] Read more


Best Comments of the Week: June 12

NEW FEATURE — We welcome your comments on any Daily News articles you see here. Every Friday, when applicable, we’ll post the best reader comments of the week. If you’d like to submit comment on any news item you see on this site, click on “Comment on this article” at right. If you’d like your […] Read more

HR council launches ag training database

The government-backed council dealing with human resources issues in the ag sector has gone online to lay out the options for skills training in agriculture. The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC), during its recent annual meeting in St. John’s, unveiled a new website, Agritalent.ca, an online database meant to connect Canadians to schools and […] Read more