General & Production Tips - Grainews

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Co-ordinated growth urged in livestock, feed

By GFM Network News January 25, 2009

Canada’s feed grain growers and livestock producers would stand a better chance at sustainable operation if they co-ordinate their growth, the George Morris Centre urges. The Guelph-based ag think tank last week released a new paper by Al Mussell, Graeme Hedley and Douglas Hedley proposing a “reconciliation” between the livestock and feed grain sectors. The […] Read more

Budget to include $1.55B in ag and rural funding

By GFM Network News January 23, 2009

(Resource News International) — The 2009 budget to be unveiled Jan. 27 by Stephen Harper’s Conservative government has pencilled in $1.55 billion in funding for agricultural programs and rural communities, according to statements by Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz in a media conference Friday. Ritz said the government has earmarked $500 million for an Agricultural Flexibility […] Read more

New Brunswick trial testing biodiesel

By GFM Network News January 23, 2009

The government of New Brunswick’s central vehicle agency is conducting a $215 000 biodiesel trial that will include the construction and operation of a biodiesel dispensing facility in the community of Woodstock. The project is part of the New Brunswick Climate Change Action Plan program aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the province. “We […] Read more

Alberta survey examines coming farmer shortage

By GFM Network News January 23, 2009

There are fewer and fewer farmers and the remaining ones are getting older — so what’s it going to take to get some new blood into agriculture? That’s the key question a study by the Agricultural Research and Extension Council of Alberta (ARECA). The group says they need to find out whether successful profess […] Read more

Planning the key to working with financial institutions

By GFM Network News January 23, 2009

Farmers should be planning now for how they’ll work with their financial institution during the coming season. Farm Credit Canada, the country’s largest ag lenders, says it doesn’t matter if a farmer is dealing with them, their bank or a local credit union their financial partners need to understand their business. “An up-to-date detailed […] Read more

Feds fund biofuels feed program

By GFM Network News January 23, 2009

The federal government is putting $6 million into a research network to develop a feed industry in conjunction with the growing biofuels sector. The program, Feed Opportunities from the BioFuels Industries (FOBI), will work to develop and harness new market opportunities in the ethanol and livestock sectors. “Success depends on Canadian farmers being able to […] Read more

B.C. Agriculture Minister Stan Hagen, 68

By GFM Network News January 22, 2009

British Columbia’s minister of agriculture and lands, Comox Valley MLA Stan Hagen, died suddenly in Victoria on Tuesday afternoon, reportedly of a heart attack. Premier Gordon Campbell announced Hagen’s death in a press release late Tuesday, in which he said the province “has suffered a great loss with the passing of my friend and colleague.” […] Read more

Farmers should re-think energy needs: FCC

By GFM Network News January 20, 2009

Even with oil now trading below US$40 a barrel, down from US$147 last July, Canadian farmers should prepare for higher energy costs in the longer term, Farm Credit Canada warns. But today’s oil and gas prices give farm and agribusiness operators a chance to “re-evaluate their current energy practices and plan how they will manage […] Read more

Margin pressures seen for grocers, processors in ’09

By GFM Network News January 18, 2009

Canada’s grocers, ever sensitive to their image when it comes to pricing, will be even more so in 2009, while food manufacturers won’t be able to rely on skyrocketing commodity prices to press for price increases. Those factors, according to the George Morris Centre’s analysis of Canada’s food industry in 2008 and looking forward, will […] Read more

Editors’ Picks: Agricultural analysis goes animated

By John Morriss, GFM Network News January 18, 2009

A four-minute animated adaptation of a 62-page report on food security from Japan’s agriculture ministry has become a “minor YouTube hit,” according to the U.S. magazine BusinessWeek. Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) recently commissioned Tokyo design studio Groovisions, which has previously developed visuals for MTV in Japan, to develop a MAFF report, […] Read more