The Canadian Seed Trade Association has a lot on its plate. Newly elected President Steve Denys will be the first to tell you that. The association is working toward directing government policies that will help Canadian producers thrive at home and compete abroad in a fast paced, constantly changing arena. We spoke to Steve at… Read More
Quebec-based Olymel has officially made a bid for Big Sky Farms, the Saskatchewan-based hog producer that recently entered receivership. Olymel has made a bid of $65 million to purchase the company. If successful, it’s likely operations would not change significantly, as Olymel processed much of Big Sky’s production. While this is the only current bid,… Read More
Dow AgroSciences LLC announced today Canadian approval of the Enlist trait for corn and soy. This will allow for the first-ever cultivation of the traits, which provide tolerance to 2,4-D herbicide, giving Canadian farmers options when dealing with hard-to-control and resistant weeds in both crops. The Enlist corn and Enlist soybean traits have undergone evaluation… Read More
Saskatchewan agriculture minister Lyle Stewart announced today the first 10 federal community pastures to be transferred to the province and to patron-controlled operation for the 2014 grazing season. Patrons (current users of the community pastures) will be given the opportunity to own or lease these pastures. “Patrons have had cattle grazing these pastures for years;… Read More
Can we capture the energy from manure that dairy cows produce and use it to fuel the trucks that pick up and deliver milk? The short answer is yes, but we’re not going to see bio-methane pumps around town any time soon. RealAgriculture.com caught up with OMAFRA’s Don Hilborn at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show to… Read More
Masterfeeds and Ridley’s Canadian feed business, Feed-Rite, have announced plans to merge. The new commercial livestock, poultry feed and nutrition company, dubbed Masterfeeds LP, will become the second largest feed company in Canada. The new company will operate, among other things, 22 feed manufacturing plants and employ over 500 people in a business spanning across… Read More
If you had to, how would you rank the importance of food safety, the environment, animal welfare, the cost of food and health, as it relates to agricultural sustainability? Which is most important? Which matters less, relatively speaking? These are tough questions, certainly, but ones the agriculture industry needs to ask to better understand and… Read More
Never say never will be the theme of this story. In a deal announced today, JBS (a Brazilian Packer) will take over the operation of the plant with the option to purchase the plant, the feedyard and the farm. A source informed us that XL Foods employees were told at 5 PM. According to the… Read More
According to Dow Jones Newswires, CME Group has agreed to buy the Kansas City Board of Trade for US$126 million. CME already owns the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). By purchasing Kansas City, CME would then offer wheat contracts for both soft and hard wheats, along with several other agriculture commodity contracts. While it’s not… Read More
The 2012 fall feeder run seems to be moving at a very slow pace. Last weeks Canfax Cattle on Feed report would definitely confirm that. All things considered, the slow feeder run may be a blessing in disguise as many of the cattle liners are busy shipping cattle south due to the XL Foods closure… Read More
According to the Canola Council of Canada’s press release, president Patti Miller has urged the Standing Committee on Finance to “sustain the momentum of Canada’s canola industry by supporting strategic investments and policy direction in three priority areas – research, market development and market access.” Her comments are in regards to up-coming potential changes to… Read More
In this second episode of the Real Leaders series, Kim McConnell asks Greg Stewart, Farm Credit Canada’s CEO, about farmers’ own perceptions of agriculture and how that impacts another generation of farmers. What’s more, Stewart shares his insight into what, as an industry, agriculture must teach the public and the future generation about farming and… Read More
With yesterdays surprise announcement by Dalton McGuinty that he was stepping down as the Premier of Ontario, people took to twitter to speak out in favor and against the tenure of the resigning Premier. As we discussed yesterday, it would appear by the discussion on Twitter that Ontario farmers do not believe very strongly about Dalton McGuinty’s… Read More
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced his surprise resignation on Monday. It would appear that farmers and the ag-industry will not miss Mr. McGuinty. Whether it was the wind turbine debacle or the urban pesticide ban, agriculture and Dalton McGuinty did not see eye to eye. The #ontag community took to twitter to provide their feedback… Read More
It’s no secret that Manitoba farmers have embraced soybeans — in just 10 years the crop has gone from an experiment to topping 800,000 acres in 2012. Once only suited to the rich soil and hot days of the Red River Valley, soybeans are now grown as far north as Arborg, east to Beausejour and… Read More