Horticulture – Page 59

Hourly employees in agriculture among lowest paid

By MarketsFarm Team, GFM Network News June 15, 2017

CNS Canada –– Hourly-wage employees in agriculture and related production were among the lowest earners nationally, according to data from Statistics Canada. The agency on Thursday released data on wages paid to payroll employees in 2016. It reported the average hourly wage paid to full-time employees, excluding overtime pay, tips, incentives and performance pay arrangements, […] Read more

Sacramento-based Origin Materials in March started working with bottled-water firms Nestle Waters and Danone on development of plastic bottles made from biomass feedstocks. (Nestle-WatersNA.com)

Crops

Bioprocessor coming to Sarnia

By Grainews Staff, GFM Network News June 15, 2017

Bioindustrial Innovation Canada (BIC) has invested in California bio-based products company Origin Materials. Origin Materials will be building its first commercial-scale demonstration facility in Sarnia, Ont. by late next year. It will be using bio-based feedstocks such as crops and biomass to make new polymers, surfactants and carbon blacks, which are used as fillers and […] Read more

Sea surface temperature anomalies over the Pacific for the week centred on May 31. (CPC.ncep.noaa.gov)

Crops, Reuters, Weather

U.S. forecaster sees El Nino unlikely through fall

By Reuters, GFM Network News June 8, 2017

Reuters — A U.S. government weather forecaster on Thursday said there are no active El Nino or La Nina patterns and that neutral conditions are likely in the Northern Hemisphere during fall 2017. However, chances for El Nino remain elevated, between 35 and 50 per cent, relative to the long-term average into the fall, the […] Read more

General

Federal food policy consultations underway

By Grainews Staff, GFM Network News June 1, 2017

The long-discussed-and-debated notion of a public pan-Canadian food policy has taken a move forward with a new online survey from the federal government. Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay on Monday announced an initial round of consultations and called on the public to “share their input to help shape a food policy that will cover the entire […] Read more

Deere and Co. plans to pay about US$4.9 billion for German manufacturer Wirtgen Group, whose WR250 soil stabilizer is shown here. (Wirtgen.de)

General, Machinery, Reuters

Deere to buy German road construction firm

By GFM Network News June 1, 2017

Reuters — Deere + Co. said on Thursday it would buy privately held German company Wirtgen Group for about US$4.88 billion to expand its road construction operations as it looks to cut down its dependence on its slowing farm business. Deere’s share rose 3.1 per cent to US$126.29 in premarket trading, and were set to […] Read more

Nova Scotia’s incumbent agriculture minister Keith Colwell, shown here at left, will return to the legislature after Tuesday’s election. (NovaScotia.ca/agri)

Crops

Nova Scotia ag minister, critic keep seats in election

By Grainews Staff, GFM Network News May 31, 2017

Nova Scotia’s incumbent agriculture minister and lead ag critic have both hung onto their seats in an election which saw the governing Liberals return to power with a slightly slimmer majority. Preliminary results from Tuesday’s election show Premier Stephen McNeil’s Liberals elected in 27 ridings — down from 34 at the government’s dissolution — followed […] Read more

Yonge-Dundas Square, downtown Toronto. (Photo courtesy City of Toronto via Flickr)

General, Markets

Trust in agriculture increases with farm visits: survey

By GFM Network News May 30, 2017

Residents of the Greater Toronto Area who have worked in agriculture or have recently visited a working farm are more likely to be optimistic about job prospects in the agriculture sector. That’s according to a recent survey of 676 residents of the GTA by Grassroots Public Affairs and Delphi Polling and Consulting. The survey highlighted […] Read more

Keith Coble, of Mississippi State University, says there may be overexuberance in the agriculture technology market. (John Greig photo)

Crops, Machinery, Weather

Greig: Farmer trust key to big data’s future

By GFM Network News May 29, 2017

The marketplace for precision agriculture technology is sorting itself out, but it still has a way to go before it will be mature and have predictable uses for farmers, says a U.S. agriculture economist. Dr. Keith Coble, chair of the Mississippi State University’s department of agricultural economics, says we’re in the “overexuberance” phase of technology […] Read more

Crops, Weather

Quebec sets up single line for flooded farmers

By Grainews Staff, GFM Network News May 22, 2017

Quebec farmers whose operations have been hit by flooding in recent weeks will have a single number to call for provincial support starting Tuesday. The province’s agriculture ministry (MAPAQ), public security ministry (MSP) and ag lending agency, la Financiere agricole du Quebec (FADQ) on Friday announced a “concerted effort” to manage supports for flood-affected farms. […] Read more

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, built in Norway in 2008, is the world’s largest secure seed storage site. (Matthias Heyde photo courtesy Government of Norway via Flickr)

Crops, Reuters, Weather

‘Doomsday’ seed vault entrance repaired after thaw of Arctic ice

By GFM Network News May 20, 2017

Oslo | Reuters — Norway is repairing the entrance of a “doomsday” seed vault on an Arctic island after an unexpected thaw of permafrost let water into a building meant as a deep freeze to safeguard the world’s food supplies. The water, limited to the 15-metre entrance hall in the melt late last year, had […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hog futures hit contract highs on shock herd decline

Alberta Crop Report: Harvest more than three-quarters finished

NFU says proposed plant breeders’ rights come at farmers’ expense

GFM Network News