The Canadian Grain Commission has announced it is moving five more Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat varieties to the new Canada Northern Hard Red (CNHR) wheat class due to these varieties not meeting gluten requirements for Western Canada’s flagship CWRS class. After hearing concerns about gluten strength from customers, the Grain Commission tightened the… Read More
Author: Kheppner
With the ink still drying on a trade agreement that was supposed to reduce barriers to trade, a protectionist measure has shut out one of Canada’s largest single product exports to Europe. Durum wheat shipments from Canada to Italy have been halted since October, shortly after the Italian government announced it was moving ahead with… Read More
With the European Union granting its conditional approval in late March, and U.S. antitrust authorities reportedly set to give their thumbs-up signal, Canada’s competition regulator has yet to issue its decision on Bayer’s proposed acquisition of Monsanto. The US$66 billion deal, which was originally announced in September 2016, has significant implications in the Canadian market,… Read More
Update, as of Wednesday: Both unions have served CP Rail with 72-hour strike notice, clearing the way for a strike to begin after midnight on Saturday morning. When asked on Tuesday whether the federal government would consider back-to-work legislation, Transport Minister Marc Garneau said he’s following the situation closely: “Remember that we are a party… Read More
Farm equipment maker Elmer’s Manufacturing has announced a deal to acquire another southern Manitoba-based manufacturer, adding rotary ditching equipment to the Elmer’s product lineup. Elmer’s has reached an agreement to acquire 100 percent of Dynamic Ditchers Inc., the makers of the Wolverine Extreme Rotary Ditcher. Production will be moved from Dynamic’s location near Dugald, Man…. Read More
President Donald Trump revived the U.S. agriculture industry’s hopes of participating in the trade deal now known as CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) on Thursday, but until there’s concrete action showing he’s serious, U.S. farmers and CPTPP member countries, including Canada, should not get too excited. The president is well aware that… Read More
Bayer has confirmed it will be selling its digital farming business to gain approval of its acquisition of Monsanto instead of licensing the digital assets out to a competing company. In gaining regulatory approval of the deal in Europe, Bayer had agreed to license its digital farming package to BASF. However, in a statement shared… Read More
A former senior advisor for a Canadian trade minister has published a report that will raise some eyebrows and counter a common narrative surrounding Canadian dairy and the supply management system. The study, published last week by a new Ottawa-based trade firm called Export Action Global, found Canadians don’t pay more for comparable dairy products… Read More
HyLife Foods celebrated the expansion of its hog processing plant in Neepawa, MB, this week — an expansion that has been driven by growing demand for Canadian pork in Japan and China. The La Broquerie-based company has added 100,000 square feet to the facility, including new cutting floor space, a shipping/packaging area, and more cooling… Read More
Over a hundred thousand people, including our family, visited the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair in Brandon, Manitoba, last week. The list of things the kids wanted to see had three things on it: horses, the SuperDogs, and all the farm animals. Given the size of the crowd in the ‘Thru the Farmgate’ area, there’s no… Read More